DISCLAIMER: Characters of Final Fantasy VIII are property of Squaresoft. NOT us.

Tainted Love

Chapter 6 - If You Could Only See...

By Koorime and LaughingWolfGirl

He woke before dawn. It was still dark, the clock on Zell's nightstand read 5:30. Seifer groaned, head falling back against the pillows. Why couldn't he sleep properly? Zell still lay with him, an arm draped over his stomach, cuddling into his side. Seifer sighed, playing with the errant strands of gold that fell over Zell's eyes. Just being here felt so good. Seifer frowned. But at the same time, there was something definitely off about it. He moved his hand down Zell's neck, sliding over shoulder to his side. His venture trailed over too-soft skin; Seifer bent down to take a look at this odd change in texture. Pale, glossy skin streaked over Zell's side, down his back in seemingly random gashes.

Seifer's breath caught in his throat as his hands roamed over the flawless scars. "Oh, hell... " He breathed. A set of diagonal marks ran over Zell's stomach; that T-Rexaur had done some serious damage. How could he have missed all of this? Seifer moved off the bed, brow set in a frown as his eyes flitted over Zell's form.

Still.

Only the steady rise of his chest and the soft snores assured Seifer that Zell was alive. He held Zell's hand, pressing his cheek to it as he watched the martial artist sleep. Zell had come so close to dying... And even after the Instructor had healed him, there was no assurance that the trauma would let him wake.

Seifer kissed the back of Zell's hand reverently, praying that he wouldn't wake now. "I'll see you... " He bent forward and pressed his lips to Zell's forehead gently. Seifer cast a glance out the window; the sun was starting to peek over the plains of Balamb. He had to get out of there soon.

Zell had taken forever to fall asleep, not really wanting to, he had intended on staying awake. Right before dawn he had anyway, falling into a dreamless sleep, his tired and sore body, answering the need of a healing rest. He rolled onto his side, snoring softly still. The need to relieve himself was starting to hit him, trying to call him from the best sleep he had had in days, he groaned deeply in his throat as he fought the need.

Seifer paused in putting on his boots, glancing back at Zell. Was he starting to wake up... ?

Zell’s body twitched, once more expressing its need loudly to him, while he persisted in trying to ignore it. He rolled over onto his stomach, eyes starting to open slightly as if the battle was lost, the body was winning and he would have to follow suit and get up, mentally as well as physically.

Ducking into the bathroom, Seifer quickly splashed his face with water and rinsed his mouth, before drying his face with a towel on the rack. Stepping back into the room, he stopped, seeing Zell turn and murmur various things muffled by the pillow.

Zell slowly watched the room come into focus. His brain was still not working, he smiled sleepily, at what, even he didn't know. Soon his body was screaming at him to get his butt into the bathroom fast. On auto-pilot, he got up and walked into the bathroom, he didn't even seem to register Seifer's presence at all… Seifer stumbled back with a yelp as the martial artist walked straight into him; they tumbled to the floor in a heap.

Zell blinked several times. "Hello… How the hell did we get here?" he asked in a sleepily husky voice.

Seifer propped himself up on his elbows, expression bewildered. "Man, you're not even awake yet!"

"Huh? Um… Sure I am… But why are we on the floor?" He half-smiled.

Seifer bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "You walked into me, dumbass."

"Hey, who ya callin' a dumbass!" he mock growled. "Nuh uh, you probably dragged my butt over here for morning kinkiness," he laughed.

Seifer did laugh at that. "If I was gonna, I wouldn't drag you AWAY from the bed!"

The smaller blonde laughed. "Ooh you’re right, but hey, kinky is supposed to be done away from the bed, ain't it?" Suddenly his eyes got a bit big. "Ooh Nature is callin' my name. Hell she ain't callin' she's beatin' the damn door down," he said while getting up quickly and running for the bathroom.

Seifer snickered, climbing to his feet now that the weight on his chest had left. Leaning against the door, he folded his arms. "I gotta meet Fuu and Raijin."

Zell yelled from inside. "Damn what time is it? Hyne I gotta feed my stomach, it feels like it's been empty for years," he said while he walked over to wash his hands.

Seifer looked back at the clock. "It's almost six."

"… The hell? Shit, I'm gonna go back to bed," he said while walking back into the room. "I'll feed my face later. So you said ya was gonna go do something?" he stood near Seifer, smiling up at him.

"Didn't you say you were going back to bed?"

"Yeah I did, huh? So you distracted me." He stuck his tongue out at Seifer, chuckling at the antic.

Seifer snickered, tapping Zell's chin up. "Well I've gotta go out. Haven't seen the D.C. in days and I don't think they're too happy.”

"Damn. I can see them stomping around too, takin' it out on us poor lesser folk. Ya go on, I’m gonna try to sleep some more. Hey, maybe we can meet up later for lunch or something," Zell said with a hopeful look on his face.

Seifer paused, his hand dropping to his side. "Actually, that's something I gotta talk to ya 'bout."

Zell looked into Seifer's face and felt his chest tighten. "Ok… so talk," he said, though his tone was a bit quieter.

"Well... we can't actually be open in public. People... " Seifer motioned with a hand. "They don't understand. 'N they don't want to. 'Specially here at Garden, you know?"

Zell sighed, "Yeah, I know, been on that end before. Zack and I had that problem when we sort of dated, so it's cool, but we can still eat lunch. It’s not like I'm gonna sit in your lap and feed ya or somethin'." He suddenly grinned as that image floated through his grey matter.

Seifer blinked. "... Who’s Zack?"

"That guy you saw here last night, the one who forgot his keys. We found we were better friends rather than anything else. He's my skater bud."

Surprise. "I didn't know you were a skater."

"Yeah well I’m not that great, Zack's the man to watch, he can do some awesome shit. Me? I’m about average," he walked over to his cot and sat down.

// Sounds like you really admire the guy... // "So the guy that came back for his key last night, you went out with him?"

"Yeah, it was brief, we were kind of experimentin' finding things out about ourselves, it only lasted like a month. He's a great guy, but we just have different things going on and we did allot of fighting towards the end. I nearly lost his friendship, but we talked it out and found we still wanted to be friends. So that’s what we are." He lay back on the cot, with his hands behind his head. "Hell, he's the one that dared me to get the tattoo."

Seifer arched an eyebrow. "You painted your FACE on a dare?"

Sheepish grin. "Yeah, that and I was told it would make me look good; fiercer."

Seifer laughed, rolling his eyes. "Well I hope it was worth the pain of having a needle drillin' in yer face!"

Zell grinned, showing canines and all. "Oh yeah, it was worth it." And said nothing more.

"Yeah, but it's different and that’s what I was looking for when I picked it out. I didn't want swords or knives or skulls, I wanted something original, I drew out the design for it and the guy copied it."

"Pretty good." Seifer's hand dropped to his side. "So I'll see you later, huh?"

"Yeah... I'll probably head over to the cafeteria about noon for some food," Zell replied, yawning. Seifer cut off him off mid-yawn, grasping Zell's face in his hands as he swooped down for a deep kiss. He pulled away just as suddenly, turning swiftly on his heel for the door.

"I’ll see ya."

Zell was left with an open-mouthed look of surprise and a goofy happiness on his face. "Um... yeah..." he said softly watching Seifer's back as the taller blonde left the room. He put his fingers to his lips, touching them almost reverently. "Damn, can he kiss," he said to himself, while moving further on the bed getting comfortable.

Several hours later, Zell got out of the shower, singing to himself off key, while he dressed and worked on his hair. He was in such a good mood, nothing could bring him down, and he just felt it. He turned and walked out into the corridor and headed to the cafeteria, smiling and whistling since he didn't want to hurt anyone’s ear drums with his singing. He walked into the cafeteria, looking around nonchalantly for Seifer. Not seeing him right off, he headed over to get some food, and sitting at a table starting to eat.

"NOT HUNGRY."

"Well I'm starving, ya know?"

"SO?"

"So we'll eat and YOU can pay." Raijin beamed. This comment earned him a rather dark look from the silver-haired woman before she delivered a vicious kick to his shin. Seifer stifled a sigh, turning round just as Raijin began howling, clutching his injured ankle.

"Raijin, for once. Please stop pissing Fuujin off."

Raijin bit down and straightened in an attempt to sustain some dignity. "Just trying to make her feel loved, ya know?"

At this, her crimson orb narrowed again but Seifer held up a hand. "We're not even at the cafeteria yet, keep a handle on it unless some kid's breaking a rule."

Fuujin turned that dark glower on him. "TRAINING INCOMPLETE."

"I'm hungry!" Raijin retorted.

Fuujin's lips parted to eject some venomous rebuff when Seifer shoved the bulkier man ahead of him. "Then go get yer food. We'll catch up."

Raijin complied, bounding down the brightened hall. Fuujin's eye twitched but she said nothing.

Seifer grinned, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "He's just a big puppy."

"KICK PUPPY," she ground out.

The two entered the cafeteria that was bustling with students on their lunch break. Seifer leaned back next to the drink vender, Fuujin stood by him, turning that crimson gaze on all who dared glance their way.

"HUNGRY?" she asked him after some time. Raijin was still in the line and would soon reach the front. Fuujin would have to head over to pay for their food shortly.

Seifer shook his head. "Nah, you go ahead."

Fuujin did so with a subtle nod, leaving the blond by himself. He hadn't seen Zell yet and was wondering if the martial artist had even remembered to get out of bed.

Zell ate his food slowly, smiling when he saw Seifer, but did nothing more when he saw that he wasn't alone. He sighed, figuring that he would have to eat alone after all and leaned down to continue his meal. He remembered that Seifer said they would have to be careful and he was trying his best to stifle his natural instinct to call out to him.

Seifer had been scanning the many tables when his eye found that unmistakable tattoo and blond spike. Fuujin and Raijin had been having a heated dispute over the costs of cafeteria food, but cut it short when Seifer tapped Fuujin’s shoulder for attention.

"I'm going to get us a table," he told them and moved off. His gaze wandered, but he knew exactly where he was going. Seifer quickly reached Zell's table, the boy sat alone, much to his pleasure. Quickly spinning a chair on its leg, he straddled the metal seat and gave Zell a confident smirk.

"What's up, Chicken?"

Zell looked up quickly and smiled. He looked around and back to Seifer. "Hey there," he said, feeling a little strange, but wanting to follow Seifer's lead.

"Thought you could do with some company." Seifer glanced over his shoulder for his D.C. Raijin was carrying a loaded tray while Fuujin looked over the crowded masses. That red eye locked on him and he nodded them over.

Zell looked at the two walking towards them. "Really, you thought that, huh?" he said trying hard not to smile.

Seifer turned back to him, folding his arms over the back of the chair. "Well who wouldn't wanna hang out with the D.C.?"

A clatter of metal, the scrape of chairs. Fuujin and Raijin seated themselves on either side of Seifer, the silver-haired woman regarded Zell with pointed silence while her companion paid no heed, diving into his long-awaited lunch. Seifer's mouth quirked in something of a smile as he regarded Raijin's unrestrained manner. He looked at Fuujin who stared openly at Zell.

"Don't be rude, Fuu. Say hi to the Chicken."

"... HI." Her stare didn't falter.

Zell smiled back weakly then looked at Seifer. The gunblader directed his attention to the one person who hadn't spoken since arriving at the table. Zell turned towards Raijin smiling at him so as to not leave him out of the greetings.

Raijin could feel eyes on him; he looked up at Seifer who was regarding him with amusement. Taking a quick drink of his soda, he motioned to the tray of food.

"Seifer, you want some, man?"

Seifer only took a can of soda from the tray. It snapped open with a soft hiss, he leaned his head back to drink and the cool fizz rolled down his throat in delicious streams. Lowering the can, he looked at Raijin and nodded at Zell.

Raijin looked at the martial artist, a smile forming. "Yo, man. Thanks for the table."

"Um… Yeah, sure. No problem." He looked back to Seifer. "Why do you insist on calling me chicken, huh??"

The smirk returned. "Would you rather be called wuss?"

Zell looked at Seifer with a bit of consternation upon his face. "Well, no I would rather ya call me Zell if anything," he said wryly.

Fuujin and Raijin both looked to their leader, in expectation of the sharp insult that was sure to come. Seifer shrugged, motioning to the two people at his sides.

"I don't call these guys by their names. Why should you be any different?"

Fuujin frowned. That was rather weak; Seifer was usually harsher than that. Raijin only chuckled, turning back to his lunch.

Zell looked over at them all. "Far be it for me to be different," he said, unable to resist and smiling impishly.

Raijin was almost oblivious to the further exchange, paying attention only to his food. Fuujin sat rigidly straight in her chair, eye darting between Seifer and Zell. What was this?

"CHICKENWUSS," she said suddenly.

Seifer chuckled. "Yeah, I like that. Real creative, Fuu."

Raijin looked up from his food in confusion. "Mm?"

Zell felt his mouth fall open. // Did I say I wanted to be different...? Damn... // He looked at them all, lastly at Seifer. "You would."

Seifer grinned, setting his drink down on the tabletop and sent it skidding over to Zell's end of the table. "Drink up, Chickenwuss. We're taking you training after lunch."

They were? Fuujin arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

Zell caught the drink and looked up. "You're doing what?" he repeated with question. "What kind of training are we talkin' about here?" he asked suspiciously.

"The gunblade-swingin', monster-killin' kind. Class was cancelled," Seifer replied curtly, not even glancing at either of the other two. They would never question him in the presence of another.

"Hey man, I'm all up for it. But if the Doc catches me out there, I'm blamin' you," he said with a grin that showed his fangs.

Seifer rested his chin in hand. Oh yeah, he'd forgotten about that. Raijin was wiping his mouth with a napkin that he quickly threw down on his empty plate.

"C'mon, Dincht. Live a little, ya know? Ya look fit enough to me," Raijin offered. Fuujin fixed him with an indiscernible look; Seifer muttered something under his breath.

Zell grinned happily at Raijin. "Yeah, you’re right." He was nearly bouncing in his chair, his energy levels rising since he hadn't done his usual training. Seifer wasn't about to go back on his word, but he was starting to doubt. If Zell ended up in the infirmary again it wouldn't look too good. Zell was only too happy to get some action in and wasn't thinking ahead. He finished eating quickly, nearly inhaling a hot dog and choked on it slightly. Seifer's chair scraped as he rose quickly, but stopped short when Raijin reached out a hand and clapped Zell on the back a few times. Fuujin was giving Seifer a frown that was a cross somewhere between confusion and disapproval; he sat back down quickly.

"What?" he asked her, she just looked away.

" ... "

Zell was recovering from his near miss with his hot dog and the size and weight of Raijin's paws. Man that dude was heavy handed, he just *knew* there would be bruises on his back. He kept his head down so as not to draw attention to the fact that he was sort of chuckling at his thoughts.

Raijin drew his hand back. "You okay, man?"

Zell quickly quelled his chuckles. "Yeah, dude, thanks. Thought that last hot dog was gonna kill me there," he smiled sunnily at the big guy.

The harsh screech of metal startled them all as Fuujin pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. Raijin stared at her quizzically until Seifer finally groaned.

“C’mon, not yet, Fuu.”

“TRAIN. NOW,” she demanded.

“But I just finished eating,” Raijin began to protest when she snarled at him, a low growl in the back of her throat that came out as more of a feral hiss. Uh-oh, they all knew that sign. Seifer rose from his chair, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. He was about to say something when she glared at him, that dark eye moving past him for a moment; she grit her teeth.

“LEONHART.”

Seifer’s hand tensed for a moment. “What about him?”

Fuujin shook her head and nodded over his shoulder. “LEONHART.”

The blond followed her lead, looking back and was met by a pair of startling blue eyes. Squall shoved a small bag in Seifer’s arms, not bothering with pleasantries.

“I took this by accident,” was all Squall said before turning his back and leaving. Zell watched as Squall handed over the bag. He tried to contain himself, really he did, but it was against his nature to hold things back. He tended to say what he thought, usually before thinking. He nearly bit his cheek keeping his curiosity in check, but he was determined to do so. Fuujin gave Seifer an inquisitive look, but the blond only peered into the bag, expression flickering to surprise before returning to its neutral state. She noticed the subtle crease of a frown on his face, the nervous swallow as he held the bag at his side.

“Okay, let’s go.” Seifer looked back at Zell expectantly as Raijin and Fuujin flanked him on both sides. "Comin'?"

Zell got up and walked around the table towards Seifer, still trying to stifle his instincts.

Fuujin motioned to the bag in Seifer's hand. "DORM?"

Seifer shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll take it back later. C'mon, Chicken, we gotta beat the other students to the Training Center."

Zell walked behind them. "I'm coming.” He mentally moaned at himself when he heard himself say, "So whatcha got there in the bag, Seifer?"

Seifer didn't slow his step, pushing past the crowds towards the halls. "Just some stuff."

Zell grit his teeth, his curiosity levels growing in leaps and bounds, part of him was determined to find out. But his other side was telling him that this wasn’t logical; what the hell did he care what was in a bag? While he was trying to get through the other students, he felt an elbow slam into his side and knock the wind from him for a second. // Well that will teach me to pay attention to my surroundings. //

Seifer glanced around him, realizing that he was alone. Looking back, he saw that Zell had been caught up in the thriving crowd. These halls were really too small for these many students. Going back, he pulled on Zell's wrist. "Walk behind me. Don't worry 'bout Fuu and Raijin, they'll catch up."

Zell let himself be basically dragged along behind Seifer and saw the funny looks this was generating. "Um, Seifer...? You can let go. I'll stay in your shadow, dude, it's cool." The smile in his tone was evident even if it wasn't on his face.

Seifer didn't hear him, shoving at a young male cadet. "Move!" In the next moment, they were free of the crowd and broke out into the main corridor. Seifer smoothed down his trenchcoat, releasing Zell's wrist as he flicked the hair from his eyes. He hated mobs.

Zell was grinning at how quick Seifer had made it through the crowd. "Man, remind me to take you to concerts and stuff, you could clear me a path right to the stage. You know we got funny looks from the other cadets at you pulling me by the wrist?" He cheekily smiled, the looks not bothering him in the least.

Let them look. He winked at Zell, nodding in the direction of the Training Center. "C'mon."

Zell felt a bit of trepidation, he shivered slightly, suddenly remembering fangs. He gritted his teeth and tried to make sure that Seifer didn't notice anything; he put his fears behind him, striding forward. Putting on a mask of cheerfulness and wanting to distract himself, he once more asked, "So ya never did say what Squall gave ya." He smiled while saying this, trying to keep it light-hearted.

Seifer stopped in mid-step, staring ahead blankly. They were already on the training grounds. "Oh shit, I forgot Hyperion." How in the hell could he forget something like that?

Zell stared in amazement, realizing that indeed Seifer had forgotten Hyperion. "Dude, that’s like your other arm. Ya better go get it. I'll wait for you out front." He refused to remain in the Training Center alone. Not the way he was feeling and remembering.

Seifer spun round, then back just as suddenly. Glancing between the exit and the vast grounds, he looked at Zell. “Are you gonna be okay by yourself?”

Zell felt his chin jut out. "Hell yeah, I’ll be fine. Tch, what ya don't think I can’t handle grats? Go get your gunblade."

Seifer’s lips pursed. “It’s not the grats I’m worried about. Remember those big-ass dinosaurs running around?”

Zell stilled. "Yeah, how could I forget, got the scars to prove my first hand knowledge. But hey, I’ll be up front by the door, and I ain't after any medals or nothin' so if I see one coming I’ll duck out faster than an imp on crack," he said with a bit of an attitude, his recurring nightmare at the forefront of his memories.

Seifer had the strange urge to smile. “Good.” He started back the way they’d come in. “I’ll be back soon. Fuu and Raijin should be coming in anyway.”

Zell nodded his understanding. // Yeah and they'll be about as fun as that same imp on crack. // But he said nothing, smiling at Seifer.

“FRIVOLOUS.”

“No, it ain’t!” Raijin insisted.

Fuujin looked at him seriously. “DANGEROUS.”

Raijin scratched the back of his neck as he and Fuujin entered the Training Center. “Man, what Seifer does is his own business. Who’re we t’judge him, ya know?”

She scowled. “CAFETERIA. CALLOUS.”

Raijin sighed. “Well yeah, I gotta give ya that. Squall shouldn’t just…” the sentence died in his throat as Fuujin jabbed him sharply in the ribs, nodding at Zell not too far away.

“CAREFUL,” she warned her partner.

Zell was leaning up against a wall, his head back against said wall. His eyes were closed, arms crossed over his chest. He acted like he hadn't heard a thing, though of all his senses, his hearing was the best. He mulled over what had been said. // This is certainly interesting, wonder if Squall was the one Seifer had been in the relationship before? Gonna have to ask about that, I guess. // He opened his eyes and looked towards the two, acting like he had just noticed them and hadn't heard a thing.

"Hey guys, Seifer had to go get Hyperion."

When they reached him, Raijin smile genuinely. “Zat right? Man, Seifer’s gettin’ sloppy, ya know?”

Fuujin bent her head down, staring hard at her boots. “CALLOUS.” She was starting to worry about her leader and friend; Seifer had sworn to them that his relationship with Squall had ended a long time ago. She had her doubts, if Seifer was lying to them his own deceit could turn ugly.

Raijin folded his arms. “So we gonna wait for him?”

Fuujin threw him a withering look. Of course they were going to wait for Seifer.

Zell watched Fuujin, while smiling at Raijin. "Yeah I told him we would wait." Zell could see that though Fuujin didn’t say very much verbally, her face was fascinating to watch. He did so, but tried to make it unobvious, not wanting her wrath directed at himself.

Fuujin stifled a sigh, raising her eyes to the dense canopy and domed skylight beyond. She only hoped that Seifer knew what he was doing. The gunblader had missed three days of class just to stay by Zell’s side and subsequently had a lot of work to catch up on. If he wasn’t careful, he would fall behind again. She didn’t want to see that happen, it had taken Seifer quite a while to put the brunette gunblader behind him. It had been almost painful to watch. Fuujin wasn’t even positive their affair was definitely over, Seifer’s reaction to Leonhart’s presence attested otherwise. She bit her lip, head tilting to one side.

Raijin nodded, hands stuffed in his pockets, the silence wasn’t entirely uncomfortable but it wasn’t easy either. He looked back at Zell. “So how ya been, man?”

Zell smiled slightly. "Well, dude I’ve been better, nearly becoming 'rex chow has its disadvantages..." He chuckled. "But hey, it gets me outta class so it's gotta be good or something, ya think?" Zell was now at a loss as to what else to talk about, all he could think about was Squall and Seifer. He wondered if he was reading more into something that wasn't there. He mentally sighed, lifting his hand to his forehead. All these thoughts were starting to give him a headache.

Raijin frowned. “Maybe you shouldn’t be here if you’re still sick, ya know? What d’ya think, Fuu?”

The woman looked back at them, scrutinizing Zell. “STRONG ENOUGH?”

Zell could feel those little chips on his shoulders growing and straightened. "Yeah, I’m strong enough, I’m cool." He grinned, showing his fangs.

Fuujin exchanged a look with her companion before looking back at Zell and away. “ …

“Raijin nodded. “If you’re sure, ya know… Don’t want ya ending back in the Infirmary.” He grinned suddenly. “Seifer’s jacket was just drenched in blood, ya know? It’s being cleaned, that’s why he hasn’t been wearing it lately.”

Fuujin rolled her eyes, a sigh of exasperation escaping her. She hadn’t accompanied them to the Infirmary, but all she’d heard for the last few days was the full extent of Zell’s wounds and the effect it had impressed on Seifer’s attire. She knew she was in for a revising of said topic.

Zell blinked up at the bigger male. "Wow, I bled that much, huh...?” He laughed. “Man, no wonder I felt like crap."

Raijin laughed. “Yeah, man, your chest was almost torn open and I think you bled over half the corridors, so ya know, Seifer got the worst of it. But what was even worse, was-“ He was abruptly cut off by a small blow to the back of the head. Yelping in more annoyance than pain, he turned to yell at Fuujin; but she hadn’t moved. Turning around completely, he smiled as Seifer lowered Hyperion.

"Don't freak the Chicken, that's my job."

Zell grinned up at Seifer. "Your job? And hey I hear I bled all over your jacket. Sorry about that. I see ya got your arm there though," he pointedly looked down at Hyperion.

Seifer snickered, holding Hyperion to his heart. “She’s my baby.” Motioning quickly, he started for the metal doors. Fuujin and Raijin followed without further order, from her belt the silver tressed woman unclasped her Sai. Raijin steadied a thick staff in his hands as the large doors swung open with a heavy creak. The moment the path was cleared, the bulky warrior charged forward with a wicked laugh and disappeared down the bend; Fuujin’s jaw fell open, snarling angrily, she stormed after him, curses streaming behind her.

Seifer stared after them, finally turning back to Zell with a shrug. "Well it happens."

Zell looked after the two running ahead and laughed. "Yeah, but it happens more then usual around here." He winked and ran into the center as well. "Come on, before you miss out on the fun stuff," he yelled back over his shoulder with a mischievous look on his face.

Seifer scoffed indignantly. “Bitch.” He raced after the small blond, feeling a laugh rise in his throat. Swerving round the corner, he skidded to a stop and looked around for any sign of his companions. He could distantly hear Fuujin’s voice but it was too far. Frowning, he slowed his walk; glancing over his shoulder lest any monsters appear.

Zell felt the exhilaration flowing through his veins and took a turn, jumped over a fallen log and confronted a lone grat. He went into his fighting stance and lifted his fists, gloves on his knuckles. "Come on, dumbass, come and get some," he taunted the creature.

Seifer bit the inside of his cheek. Where in the hell was that Chicken? He wasn’t supposed to go off alone…

Zell was beating the crap outta the thing and was high on adrenaline, his focus intense. The soft shriek rang out nearby, Seifer’s ear picked it up and he ran towards the sound of the Grat; these monsters made the weirdest noises. Coming up over a log, he spotted Zell facing off with one of the creatures. A grin brushing his features, he leaped down and joined the martial artist. Hyperion sang proudly in his grasp, drowning out the high-pitched cries of the Grat. He stepped back, making way for Zell, motioning with a hand for him to finish the job.

Zell smirked but finished off the Grat with one final punch. "Hey there, I had the damn Grat, but thanks for the assist," he said, feral grin filling his face as he turned towards Seifer.

Seifer brushed the corner of his mouth with the back of his glove; his breathing was a little uneven but that Grat hadn't been much of a kill. Taking in Zell's expression, he felt a similar smile find his lips, a familiar fire course his veins from the euphoria of battle. He advanced on Zell; smile broadening as he took the smaller blond’s face in his hands. Suddenly the fire of battle became the flames of desire, Zell's sky-blue eyes darkened; his lips fell open slightly, though the feral smile remained. He leaned up on his tip-toes and took Seifer's lips in a kiss full of hunger. The tall blond tipped Zell’s head back, one hand cradling the back of his neck as their tongues entangled viciously. Holding the martial artist to him, Seifer found it increasingly hard to balance Hyperion in his other hand. His fist curled around the blade’s handle and he pressed that hand to Zell’s back, stance widening to keep them both steady. The way Zell was leaning into him, yet arching back threatened to bring them to the ground.

Zell wound his arms around Seifer's neck pushing further into the taller blonde; he was on the very tips of his toes, upsetting their precarious balance further. All he could hear and feel was Seifer, nothing else existed at this moment; all his senses were alive and tingling with the gunblader’s name on them as he tried to deepen the kiss. Seifer stumbled back a step, crushing Zell against him; the full weight of the martial artist brought them down. He broke away with a startled gasp, the ground coming up behind him with a heavy thud. Giving the man in his arms a mock glare, he scoffed.

"Yer too damned heavy."

Zell blinked and then began to laugh, full throated laughs full of happiness. "Damn, Seifer, if ya wanted me on top, you just should have said so. I would have obliged ya easy without you getting drastic like this." He rolled of the bigger man and sat next to him still laughing.

Seifer snickered and rose into a sitting position, drawing a knee up, he rested an elbow against it as he leaned into Zell, their lips brushing. "You were on top last time, Chicken."

Zell shuddered at those words and image... Damn this guy could kiss him into next week every time. He lost all coherencies when Seifer kissed him and the images that his words projected, the memories had his eyes fluttering closed while he leaned in further for more kisses. Seifer gently nudged Zell down onto his back, never severing the contact of their lips. A hand caressed the tattoo, sliding down the smaller blond’s jaw to his neck. Fingers tugged gently at the collar of Zell’s shirt, tickling the skin and collarbone; he laid Hyperion to the side. His kisses trailed over the martial artist’s cheek, tongue tracing the dark mark that branded his temple. A triumphant grin curved his lips as his hands roamed over Zell’s chest, reacquainting with familiar territory. Seifer drew an earlobe between his teeth, unable to mask the snicker that rose in his throat.

// Mine… //

Zell could feel his temperature rising and every bone in his body melt away with the touch of Seifer’s lips and hands. He heard the snicker and opened his eyes that had darkened with desire, looking up into Seifer’s green orbs, he lost himself. He smiled, arms winding around Seifer’s neck, playing with the short hairs lightly.

“What?” he whispered, almost afraid to break whatever spell was around them.

Seifer leaned forward on his elbows, nuzzling Zell’s neck. “Mm?”

Zell leaned back to give Seifer better access, making sure he got the ultimate thrill from Seifer’s talented lips. One of his hands roamed down Seifer’s back, his blunt nails raked over Seifer’s jacket, legs parting slightly. The gunblader shifted his weight, drinking in Zell’s soothing scent underlaid by the soft musk of heat and something he couldn’t quite name. He looked up, teeth nipping the martial artist’s exposed neck and jaw. He slid up Zell’s body to look down at his face; the blue eyes were sealed, head tilted back in silent acquiescence. Seifer bent down, tasting the seam of Zell’s lips. // Beautiful baby… // His eyes opened as he heard the distant crack of a twig, the soft crunch of footsteps. Goddamn. Not now. Growling, he started to pull out of Zell's arms.

Zell opened his eyes, question running across the cerulean blue. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked of Seifer, while looking around.

Seifer looked back at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Don't call me that," he whispered, climbing to his feet. "Someone's coming."

Zell looked up in amazement at Seifer’s tone and the words. He quickly got up, saying nothing as he bit back the instinctive curse that came to his lips; he looked everywhere but at Seifer.

Seifer was brushing off Hyperion, trying to calm the rushing heat in his system. In the next moment, a familiar silver-haired devil came storming into the clearing, red eye blazing. Her fists were curled in tight fists, lip curled back in a snarl as she approached the leader of the D.C. The blond frowned, wondering what had triggered such ire in his second in command. Fuujin pointed back in the direction from whence she had come.

"RAIJIN. AID."

Seifer looked over her shoulder. "What, does he need help?"

"FOLLOW. HASTE," she snapped, the barely restrained wrath in her tone left no room for argument. Why would she be angry about Raijin being injured?

Shouldn't she have been worried instead?

Zell watched this and followed behind them wondering what had happened. He felt his heart freeze: what if the same had happened to Raijin as what had happened to him? He willed himself to continue after them, feeling his heart rate increase two-fold.

Fuujin turned swiftly, noticing that Zell was also following her lead. She faced the martial artist and pointed in the general direction of the entrance. "NOT SAFE."

Zell stopped and began to puff up. "If it ain't safe then you need all the help ya can get," he said pugnaciously.

She gritted her teeth, once again emphasizing the exit. "FOR YOU."

Zell gulped, sighing, he turned on his heel and left. The longer he argued the worse it might be for Raijin and he didn’t really want anything bad to happen to the big guy.

Fuujin exhaled, the breath coming out in a sharp hiss as she watched Zell's retreating back. She turned her searing gaze on Seifer. "FOLLOW ME."

Seifer did so, looking back at the path Zell had taken; already he had disappeared. What the hell was that about? "Fuu, you know sending him off alone his more dangerous than him coming with us to... Where the hell are we going?"

Zell walked through, kicking at rocks and leaving his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched. Suddenly, he heard a roar that sent his blood curdling, he ran for cover, feeling the fear blanket him completely. He hid himself within some bushes, trying so very hard to stifle his shuddering. The fear was over taking all his thought process, the instinct to flee was prevalent and he had to literally bite down on his tongue to keep from screaming in fear.

Zell pinched his forearm with his other hand to get control of his rising panic. Taking several deep breaths, he listened to the roars get closer. He tried to think rationally, coherently, he knew he was in no shape to fight, he wouldn't withstand an attack so tried to keep himself hidden. He couldn't remember if their best sense was smell was or if sight was stronger. He could feel the cold sweat pour down his spine, moistening his shirt; his breathing soon became erratic.

Fuujin turned off the path and edged past a series of boulders. Seifer emerged on the other side of the stone obstacle, the first thing he saw was Raijin leaning up against the rail, one hand clutching a bloodied arm. He smiled weakly, but the wound didn't look lethal. Fuujin nodded at him.

"HEAL HIM."

Seifer frowned. "Why couldn't you just..."

Oh right, Fuujin didn't carry curative magic; that was what he was for. With a sweep of his hand and little concentration, blue and green light danced over Raijin in a spiral of energy. When the light faded, only dry blood remained on the man's skin; Raijin sighed in relief. "Thanks man. Was getting worried there, cos ya know, blood attracts them monsters... "

"How'd ya get hurt?"

"ATTACKED," Fuujin put in. She sent Raijin a look that dared him to state otherwise. The man swallowed, a hand rubbing his healed, yet sore arm.

"Fuu, if ya hadn't been yelling at me-" he began.

"CALLOUS!" she snapped, interrupting him.

Raijin groaned. "Man, will ya stop sayin' that? I'm sick of arguin' this crap with you, take it to Seifer. It concerns him, after all, ya know?"

Seifer frowned at this. "What're you talkin' about? You guys gossiping behind my back or something?"

Fuujin threw Raijin a murderous glare. "CONCERNED, SEIFER."

"'Bout what?" he prompted suspiciously.

"YOU."

Zell couldn't take it anymore, he felt like a waiting victim, in his heightened panic state all he could hear in his head was "RUN"; and so he did. Hearing the roar to the left of him, he tried to stay hidden in the bushes and trees rather than out in the open. He ran towards the entrance of the training center, fearing that the T-Rexaur was closing in on him. His panic giving wings to his imagination, he didn’t look back, but felt as if it were breathing down his back, when in all actuality it wasn't even interested in him.

He ran straight through the doors and kept going to his room, bypassing other cadets, never seeing them, though they gave him strange looks. He got to his room and quickly punched in his code, having to do it several times as his hands were shaking. Once the door closed behind him, he leaned back against it and slid to the floor, the feeling of safety taking over and he could think coherently once more.

Seifer laughed. "What?"

"Seifer, man, we're just worried about you, ya know?" Raijin treaded carefully. As sympathetic as he was trying to be, Seifer could take offense of anything.

"What the hell for?" the blond retorted, this cryptic stuff was starting to annoy him.

"LEONHART."

Seifer almost went rigid; the brunette's name alone could still make his blood run cold. It seemed the Ice Prince still ran through his system.

"... What?"

Fuujin bent her head, struggling to keep her temper in check. "OVER?"

Seifer looked between the two. He couldn't believe they were asking him this. "Hell yeah, I've told you guys a thousand times, puberty boy-"

"SEIFER," she ground out in warning.

"I told you, it's over! What the fuck is this about, huh?"

Raijin raised a hand. "Man, calm down. Just take a breather-"

"You think this is funny? Do the two of you find some fucken hilarity in bringing up this shit again?" Seifer shouted, grip tightening on Hyperion.

Fuujin scoffed. "YOU LIE."

He looked hard at her. "What did you say?"

She returned the gaze levelly, the words escaping her before she could halt them. "It's not over. You've been seeing him, haven't you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well in the hall, fuck yeah."

"Are you sleeping with him again?" she demanded without hesitation. Only Fuujin would have the nerve to confront the head of the D.C.; she didn't shrink back when he stepped forward, his significant height loomed over her. "Don't forget what happened the last time..."

"What I do," he began in a low voice laced with danger, "is my own business. If I'm fucking Leonhart or all of Balamb, it’s MY business, Fuujin. Mine. Your 'concern' isn't needed."

She stepped in closer, crimson locking with aqua depths. "Will you tell Zell?"

The anger in Seifer's expression quickly leaked, leaving gentle shock in its place. Was there anyone who DIDN'T know?

She grunted in disdain, shaking her head. "CALLOUS." She turned that piercing eye on him once more. "CRUEL."

Zell sat on the floor tears leaving saline trails down his cheeks, he felt such loathing for himself. How could he have run like that? It was cowardly, he should have turned and fought, it would have been the honorable thing to do. Instead he was such a fuckin' coward, everyone would laugh at him, he just knew it. Hyne, he was so tired. He rose and headed to his shower, taking his clothes off and throwing them down everywhere. He stood under the hot water, letting it soothe his body if not his mind; he bitterly chuckled.

// Well at least I'll live up to that damn name Fuujin gave me… 'Chicken-wuss'… //

He quickly lathered and rinsed before drying himself. Not caring about his hair or anything, he crawled into his cot, pulling the blankets up and over his head, closing the world out. His last thoughts were of Seifer and how he wasn't good enough for the taller blonde… Why did he get upset when he called him ‘baby’?

Raijin licked his lips, eyes flicking between the two. His voice practiced caution. "Seifer, we just don't wanna see you make the same mistake. You don't know Zell..."

Seifer silenced him with a cold glare. He knew enough. "I know what I'm doing."

"ONLY ONE," Fuujin said, stopping him before he could leave.

"What?" Seifer echoed.

This time Raijin spoke. "Ya can't lie like this, man. Ya can't have 'em both."

"What, you want one?" he asked wryly.

Raijin sighed. "Nah, man, it's not like that. You're not as harsh to Zell as you coulda been earlier, so we were wonderin' why and... " He nodded at Fuujin who merely tilted her head to one side.

Seifer glanced between them, realization and horror seizing him. "You were spying on me?! What the fuck is this?"

Fuujin indicated no shame. "If you care for either of them, you'll tell them. If not for yourself then for Zell. He's not like you, Seifer; he has a heart. And he's not Squall."

The last comment ignited a spurned flame in his chest. "I fucken well know that!"

"Well then, who do you want?" Raijin asked.

Seifer growled low in his throat. "Fuck this." He started past the boulders but Fuujin's slim, strong hand caught his arm.

"You can't run forever," she said in a low voice. "You know that you have to choose. Better sooner than later."

Seifer swallowed, fighting hard to retain coherent thought in rise of all the adrenalin and rampant emotions. "Look: things are different. You don't understand what it's like with Squall."

No, she didn't. All she had to understand was the devastating effect Leonhart had on Seifer; she wouldn't stand for that, no matter what Seifer thought he knew. Fuujin said nothing and waited for him to continue.

The blond had to try several times before he found his voice. "He acts like he doesn't care about anything, but he does. I know he does... "

So Seifer was still in love with Leonhart... Fuujin's hand loosened, she didn't pull it away. "ZELL?"

Seifer sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Hyne, I dunno."

"YOU DO."

They exchanged a long look that conveyed more than could be found in words. Finally, Seifer looked down. "How can I tell him? I don't want to lose him... "

Either way, he would lose one of them. Fuujin allowed her tongue liberty to shed the truth to her friend. "He was never yours to lose."

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