Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Love By Moonlight ❯ Final Battle ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter Twenty Five.

Zell gasped when he heard the loud screech from pain. 'That sounds like Laguna!' The little blonde thought. He stretched his arms out and shoved as hard as he could, removing the lid of the coffin. 'If something happened to him then that means Seifer's gonna need my help.'

But, he remembered that Seifer had told him to stay put, no matter what. 'But that was before he knew anything would go wrong with the plan.' With a nod for a go-ahead, Zell sat himself up and climbed out of the coffin.

"It's still pretty dark outside." He pressed the little button sticking out of his watch, letting the indigo light shine before him. "11:14 p.m. Good, we've got time." Tightening the shirt around his chest, he slid the buttons through the little slit to keep it closed.

'Better hurry though,' Running over to the door Zell placed his hand on the knob feeling it twist in his grip without his doing so. 'Shit.' The door swung open too quickly for Zell to get away and he was shoved against the wall behind it. Quickly, he stood on his toes to avoid the door banging into his feet and bouncing back and held his breath.

"Maaan," A vampire male yawned out, pausing by the door, "I'm beat." he stretched his arms out popping his shoulder blades.

"Seriously." A girl agreed. "Who knew Balamb was such a wild party?" A human girl screamed through a gag over her mouth, but her cries would never be loud enough for anyone to hear it on the outside of the warehouse.

"Whose this you got here?" The male asked.

"Some little cutie I picked up at the market." The girl was tossed forwards onto the floor making little whimpers of pain.

'That poor girl. Maybe I should help her?' Zell thought and three vampires froze and looked around.

"I heard it too, but I don't smell anything different." A distant voice said. Zell's eyes widened when the vampire by the door turned it's head in his direction, when he sniffed the air he waved it off and walked inside.

The little blonde thanked the Gods for Seifer's shirt. When he heard the voices fade into the back of the room. 'I can't worry about strangers right now, I've gotta help Seifer.' He came from behind the door then quickly dashed back behind it as a larger vampire walked in.

"Save some for me, I brought dessert." He shouted to his friends. A hand came around the door and Zell froze in fear, thinking the vampire had been talking about him and he grabbed the knob in attempt to keep the door in front of him as a shield. Feeble approach, but it could have worked long enough for him to think of a plan.

The door jerked forwards bringing Zell with it, but all it did was slam shut. The vampire was already a distance away carrying two human males with him. Zell watched as one of the boys squirmed in the vampires grip and for a moment he knew how that boy felt and he did wanna go help them, but no. 'I can't, Seifer's more important right now.'

Yanking the door opened, he peeked out to make sure no other vampires were on their ways in, then he dashed outside.

'This stuff is awfully thick for fog- Ah!' Zell smacked away the feeling of spiders crawling up his arms. In the distance he heard other voices and knew he was stuck. Dashing back inside the warehouse, he made his way to Seifer's coffin and lay back down inside closing the lid.

'How'm I supposed to get to the park now?' He wondered.

....................

A few minutes back. Squall was eating away at Laguna's back. He ripped at his shoulder blades taking any meat on them off and stuffing it into his mouth. Ch'iang's aren't known for eating other vampires but Squall seems to be enjoying it anyway. His senses tingled. He looked over his shoulder with a death glare in his eyes. 'The boy.'

He jumped away from Laguna's body and into a tree so that he could hide. Not that he really needed to, with his tracking mist in the air it was impossible for even the best seeing vampires to find anyone, even by nose all they'd smell is Squall's scent.

The mist took with it the ch'iang's vision and located the boy. Zell shuddered feeling a tingle run up his spine and he smacked at his arms, scratching them lightly. "Aaww, the warehouse, how boringly Laguna." Squall murmured to himself. "No matter, I'll have some fun with this one."

* * *

"Mrs. Kinneas?" Ma said into the phone, worry flooding her voice.

"Yeah sugar, what is it?" The southern voiced woman asked.

"My son Zell, he didn't come home today, I wanted to know if you've seen him?" She asked praying to the Gods that her thick headed son just went to Irvine's house.

"Sorry sugar, he ain't been here since.... well hell, I haven't seen Zell since last week. Why? Is something wrong?" She asked.

A hand found its way to Ms. Dincht's mouth and she fought tears from her voice saying. "No, nothing's wrong. Can I speak to your son then, maybe he's seen him?"

"Hold on," A pause before she heard a very loud. "Irviiiine, get your butt down here, phone!" Turning her attention back to the phone. "You see he was grounded on the count of he skipped school today and thought I wouldn't know about it."

"Yeah Ma?" She heard Irvine beside his mother.

"It's Ms. Dincht, and don't tell me you had Zell skip with you." His mother griped handing the phone to her son.

"Hello?" Irvine said, obviously ignoring his mother's comment.

"Irvine have you seen Zell, he wasn't at school today and he didn't come home after and I'm getting worried because it's so late."

Irvine thought for a moment. 'Zell didn't come home? Maybe something happened to him?' He cleared his voice and said. "I'm sure he's just coolin' his heals someplace, you know giving you time to cool off from his skippin' school with me- ow!" His mother popped him in the back of his head and he rubbed it with resentment.

There was silence on the Dincht's end of the phone. "Will you... will you let me know if he comes over there or if he calls?" Ms. Dincht finally said.

"Will do." Irvine replied, then added. "Heey have you tried the Tilmitts?"

"First ones I called, does Zell know anyone else that could have seen him?" She listened to Irvine's response then sighed. "Alright. Thank you, goodbye." She said hanging up. Ms. Dincht brought her hands up to her face and wiped away tears that hadn't even fallen yet.

"I hope you're right, Irvine. I hope my baby is ok." The woman walked into the living room and grabbed a book to wait her sons arrival out like any normal parent would, when the news caster interrupted her show.

"Citizens of Balamb, we would like to inform you to stay in your homes, there is a terrible virus going around. The conditions are not serious as of right now, so far only asthmatics are truly suffering with sudden collapses to the ground, faint, and vomiting."

Ms. Dincht stared on only hearing the words virus. "There seems to be a gas in the air and we insist you close your windows, lock your doors and stay inside until further notice. The police are taking any they find to the hospital right away to be treated." The man paused and shuffled the next set of papers he received. "Again, right now it's nothing serious but we-..." Ms. Dincht walked away from the tv. and looked out of the window.

'Zell, please be alright.' Her hand went up to her heart and she sighed.

* * *

The vampires in the warehouse laughed loudly while the humans they'd brought in screamed. "Heeelp!" Called the girl.

"Somebody help us!" The boys shouted almost together.

The vampires laughed and pushed them in their faces. "Shut up!" One of them said.

Zell lay there quietly listening, trying not to think about anything so the vampires wouldn't know he was in there. After a while the screams died down as the humans went with it. Sighing, Zell wished that he'd of helped them out especially if he were gonna stay in the warehouse.

"I love the sound of death in the night." A female vampire giggled.

"Yeah me too." The male agreed and there was a low moan from which he assumed came from the two of them sharing a kiss.

'Oh brother.' The little blonde rolled his eyes.

Outside. The fog was parted gently away and a dark figure was coming through it. Squall spread his arms out then closed them together. The fog obeyed his command and started to squeeze the sides of the warehouse.

Zell heard the sound of sucking before the glass had shattered from the implosion of air against the building. It sounded a lot like a plane that was flying too low or was about to crash. "What the fuck is that?!" A male shouted.

The glass fell loudly to the floor causing Zell to jump a little. 'What's going on out there?' He thought about lifting the lid but decided to keep it closed to see what the other vampires were gonna do.

A dark figure appeared above the room. With read eyes glowing, there was a growl. All the vampires in the room looked around then up to the windows at the top of the building. "Shit, it's him." One of them said.

'Seifer?' Zell thought until he heard one of them plain as day saying.

"It's Squall."

Zell began to shudder now. 'How did he find me?' He wondered. 'Maybe Seifer's scent will throw him off and he won't find me.' He figured, well, prayed. All the vampires in the room stood still when the ch'iang landed onto the floor. He walked quietly across the room as though he had not a care in the world.

"He's probably here for Seifer." Someone whispered, Zell couldn't tell if it were male or female though.

'I wonder how close he is to me?' There was a sudden loud explosion of wood breaking at another end of the room.

"Hey!" One of the men shouted. "That was my coffin." The vampire approached Squall with vengeance but the ch'iang just held out a hand that came so suddenly it went through the vampires neck. He cast the man aside and continued his destruction.

None of the others dared to cross Squall when he was angry so they backed off and waited for his reign to be over.

'Is he here yet?' Zell wondered. As though he'd jinxed himself with a loud roar following it, the lid of the coffin was broken off.

"N-..." But Zell's words were cut short when Squall lowered his face to his body and he began to sniff him as though he were blind, or at least that's what Zell thought until Seifer's shirt was torn off of him. Growling now, Squall's fangs dripped with Laguna's blood getting some on Zell's face.

He closed his eyes tightly wishing he could wipe it away but the second his hand unconsciously went up to his face he was yanked from the coffin and out the window.

The little blonde could only be taken away, frozen in fear.

* * *

Seifer had arrived at the warehouse. Checking his watch, he swore lowly and ran inside. There was a huge scare at the market when he went to get the bags of rice and he was sure the people there would never forget it.

When he first got there the automatic doors didn't slide opened. He tried to step through like everyone else had, but nothing. Two teens riding by laughed at him and he growled in his throat at them.

"Weird-o!" One of them shouted, and Seifer ignored it. He didn't have time to worry about that right now; with Laguna gone he had to find Squall fast before he could figure out where Zell was.

But since the doors weren't cooperating he had to find another way in. 'Nothing better than the direct approach.' He smirked and broke through one of the giant windows at the store. A few people screamed thinking he was thrown through it, but Seifer marched to the back of the market and looked around for what he needed.

One of the managers that saw him, came down from the booth above the store and walked over to him. "Excuse me sir." He started to say, but in search of the rice Seifer was knocking things to the floor making a mess and causing a scene. "Excuse me!" The man said again.

Seifer went to another isle with the man on his heals. Figuring Seifer wasn't the answering type the man went on. "Is there any special reason you didn't use the door like our normal customers?" He asked. But Seifer went to another set of shelves this time finding what he wanted.

"I'm talking to you buddy!" The man shouted and tapped Seifer hard on his shoulder. The Slav spun around and punched the guy in his mouth, licking the blood from his fist he reached out for the shelf and grabbed two bags.

"I'm taking these." He said in a grumble.

"That man just assaulted me, isn't any one gonna help?" The manager asked. The crowd of people pretended not to have seen anything and went back to their shopping.

"You'd better pay for that!" The man called after him, along with the guy behind the register. Seifer left the store going through a different window and he took off down the street at top speed hearing, "Someone call the police!"

Now he's back at the warehouse, knowing instantly that something was wrong. All the windows at both the top and bottom of the building were smashed through. The door itself was fine so the intruder entered through the window.

Yanking the door completely out of its hinges. "Zell!" He called out. Going to the back of the room he saw that his coffin was broken into pieces and his shirt was tattered and tossed aside on the floor. "Squall." He muttered.

With a new anger building in him Seifer left the warehouse. "Which way would they have gone?" He wondered. "Squall's scent is everywhere, I can't sniff them out." A path was cleared right before his eyes and he looked on curiously, before he realized that Squall wanted him to come to him. And he gladly went.

When Seifer's back was past the opening the fog closed up around him leaving him alone in the dark.

............................

"Zell.." Seifer whispered. "Zell, are you out here?" He asked. Looking around there really wasn't much to be seen, except for trees, trees and more trees. 'How far out could they have gone? Maybe they're not even in the park..' He thought about turning around, but remembered why he was in the woods in the first place.

"And it's hop, hop, hop and away I go." He heard someone saying.

"Zell?" He walked in the direction of the sound. He may be temporarily blinded, but his hearing was still extremely sharp.

"And it's hop hop hop and away I go." He heard again.

'It is Zell!' He confirmed. "And away I go. And it's hop, hop, hop and away I go." The little blonde continued to chant. "Come on Zell, lets get you out of here." Seifer was saying when he was close enough to see him.

Zell was hopping up and down with his hands up as though he were a rabbit or something, repeating the same words over and over again. "Hop, hop, hop and away I go." He said again.

Seifer dropped the bags of rice and grabbed him by the shoulders shaking him. "Zell snap out of it. We have to get going, it's gonna be dawn soon and I can't be outside."

Zell quieted and let his body fall limp. "....Zell?" Looking at him harder Seifer saw a smirk appear on the boys face. Zell's eyes were empty as though they were completely hollowed from any thoughts or feelings. "What did he do to you?" The Slav asked.

Zell's smirk grew into a grin. He turned and looked at Seifer with his eyes lighting up and he laughed. "Time to die." He said slamming his fist into Seifer's face.

Seifer tossed Zell aside and jumped back. The boy didn't fall at all he merely stopped himself short and lunged at the vampire. Seifer held his arms up like a shield and blocked the attack. Zell forced himself upon Seifer making him back up into a tree.

When the little blonde pulled his fist back and really let Seifer have it, he felt that his fingers were covered with little metal tips, no it wasn't metal… it was silver! Seifer ducked away from the next attack watching Zell's fist pound into the trunk of the tree. "Zell stop it, it's me Seifer." The vampire shouted to him. Zell didn't seem to hear, he just turned his aim back at Seifer. The Slav held his guard bet never let Zell close enough to touch him as he dodged every hit letting Zell beat the life out of the trees instead.

The boy made a frustrated growl before lunging at him again. This time Seifer knocked him away and he smacked into a bench. "snap out of it Zell!" Seifer said again walking over to him to make sure he wasn't bleeding.

But the second he was close enough, Zell was yanked off the ground and he swung at Seifer making a slice across his cheek. Seifer ignored the pain and grabbed Zell's wrists. "Zell can you hear me." He whispered into his ear this time.

The boy struggled to get free of Seifer's grip but it was useless. He grunted in complaint several times before he just swung his leg upwards kicking Seifer under the chin.

He had back flipped himself out of the hold, then kicked Seifer in the chest after he was free. 'I can't fight him back, but if he keeps hitting me like this we're both gonna die.' Seifer thought. 'Think think, he's under Squall's mind control...but it's so strong he can't hear me...' Backing up now he tried to think of a way to get Zell to listen to him. 'Maybe I can tire him out?'

Zell charged at him with his fingers raised high then just as he was about to bring them down into Seifer's chest the vampire moved out of the way letting him hit the tree again. Another frustrated growl from Zell before he chased after the fleeing Seifer.

The vampire was running so fast he was nearly flying, it was kind of hard to dodge the trees but Squall was using up so much energy in controlling Zell that the mist was starting to fade a bit. "If I can just keep this up a little long- Oof!" He tumbled to the ground, the side of his face was scratched by bark a little but it quickly healed over.

"Loser." Zell whispered and was gone.

Seifer's eyes skimmed the wooded area but he didn't see him. "Where did he-..?" When he stood up Zell dropped right in front of his face and slammed his fist into Seifer, knocking him back into a building. The boy slammed into him seconds after and he took a chunk out of his chest with his finger tips.

"Ah!" Seifer pushed him off, glad that the silver finger tips were too thin to make any deep marks. Zell wasn't finished though, and he balled his fist up ready to punch Seifer anywhere he could reach but the vampire moved out of his way.

The little blonde pounded into the brick wall until his fist went through it. Seifer smelled the blood before he saw it coming from Zell's hands. 'Zell...' His heart ached knowing that Zell is only human and he couldn't take that kind of psychical abuse to his body. Placing his forearms up like a shield, he got ready for the attack.

Zell laughed and cut at Seifer's arms, making little growling sounds as he did so. "Uagh.." Seifer brought his hands down from the pain that was going through them and Zell punched him in the chest. "Fight back!" Zell barked. Seifer just took the abuse, it didn't really hurt until Zell used the silver finger tips on him.

'You're a fool Seifer.' Squall thought as he watched. He had his hands up in the air in an odd fashion and every once in a while they would tug lightly forward. 'Would you really let your little human destroy you?' He heard Seifer make another sound of pain and he laughed.

Zell continued to force himself at Seifer until he was being literally ripped apart. Another cut to his face and his arms. His stomach was bleeding everywhere but seeing his pain only made Zell press on.

'Think of something, anything!' Seifer coached himself feeling his body go numb. With some effort, he sped off back into the woods and hid along side of a tree. 'Maybe Squall is the answer.' He figured looking around for him.

"You'll never find me Seifer." Squall said. "With my smoke screen still up, I could be right behind you and you wouldn't even know it." He laughed heartily at him.

'I just heard his voice, he's close by.' Seifer looked over his shoulder to see where Zell was when he caught sight of something. Zell was following Seifer's path but he was suddenly jerked to a stop and he dangled in mid air for a moment. Looking closer, he saw a light brown shimmer a little ways above Zell.

'The hair threads, he's using Zell like a puppet.' Looking around in the trees he saw movement a distance from Zell, then the boy was suddenly lowered to the ground. Feeling his feet hit the grass Zell started after Seifer again but the vampire didn't notice, causing him to be slammed into.

He flew backwards a second before stopping himself. Baring his claws Squall grinned. 'Finally, he's gonna fight back. Now all I have to do is watch them rip each other apart.' But when Seifer brought his fist down at Zell he wasn't aiming for the boy, instead he sliced the strings above his arms, legs and head free.

Zell dropped to the ground heavily and remained there. Seifer went to his side and held him tight up against himself. "Zell are you ok?" He asked lowly.

"My turn." Squall said. Seifer heard his movements as the ch'iang rushed swiftly around them. When Seifer tried looking up to see if he had flown over head he was knocked a great distance away from Zell and into a tree, but using his feet as a bungee he sprang back at Squall slamming shoulder first into his chest and it was his turn to go flying.

"We've gotta get you out of here." He said to Zell but the boy was gone. Looking around he saw him crawling towards the bags of rice. Squall apparently saw him too because he sped ahead after him. Seifer with a slight delayed reaction followed. "Zell!" He called.

The little blonde ripped the first bag open with his teeth then he grabbed a handful and threw some towards Squall. "46." He counted by just looking up. Some of the rice pieces were sticking painfully to the cuts and blood on Zell's hands but he continued to throw it.

'32.' Squall counted again. With the brief distractions given to him from Squall looking up at the rice, Seifer got to Zell first and he flung what was in the bag over the vampires head. He dropped instantly to the ground and started to count them. "Come on, we have to get back to the warehouse," Seifer was saying.

He picked Zell up and tried to jump back with him but he was too weak because of the coming dawn. Squall counted the rice feeling his skin tingle a bit. He looked over to where Seifer was trying to get away with Zell and he wanted more than anything to- no he had to get over there.

Crawling, he made his way away from the pile of rice, but his eyes kept glancing down as he tried to count them. 'No, I have to keep them away from each other.' He coached himself. "Rrrr." Breaking free of the spell he ran towards them.

Seifer looked over his shoulder and saw the ch'iang coming. "I'm sorry Zell," He whispered giving him a hug, before throwing him a distance ahead.

Channeling his energy into a fire ball Seifer made it grow as big as he could get it. Seeing this, Squall built his energy into a ball of ice the two of them were almost face to face when they fired.......

Seifer was blasted backwards and Squall lit up on fire. "Aaahhhh!!!!" He screamed loudly. Rolling around did him no good, it only fed the hungry flames that were devouring him. The vampire writhed and rolled until eventually he stopped moving.

Seifer looked at him with sorrow, regardless how evil Squall had become Seifer still loved him. But this is the way it had to be. Looking for Zell he crawled over to him and collapsed reaching for the boy to pull him up onto his chest.

The two of them lay there in silence, knowing that they were both conscious but neither had the energy to speak.

Seifer's skin began to smoke lightly and Zell's tears were trickling from his eyes. "Seifer." He said with a soar voice.

"Yes?"

"Is he gone, did we stop him?" The boy asked and Seifer stroked his hair lovingly.

"Don't worry about it." The vampire whispered.

"I'm scared Seifer... I think that I might be turning into a vampire."

Seifer looked down at him with question. "what makes you think so?" He asked.

"This morning, I was... when I was with Irvine... I wanted to bite him, and then my other friend Selphie..." Zell sniffled back tears and rubbed his face into Seifer's shirt because he couldn't raise his arms that were bound at his sides from Seifer's grip.

"You aren't turning into a vampire Zell," Seifer assured him.

"Then what? I feel weird every time you're around me and my neck hurts like it won't stop unless you bite me."

Seifer stroked the boys hair and smirked painfully because of the cuts to his face. "Had you bitten your friends you would have turned from tasting even a little of their blood, but you resisted right?" Zell nodded.

"....The reason you kept responding to me is because I left my saliva in you every time we met and I bit you or fucked you... I wanted you to be with me, but I realized that this wasn't the-…" He made a sound in his throat as though he were holding back the urge to throw up. "This isn't the life for you." Silence. "You've got too many people who love.... I.. love you."

'He loves me...' Zell thought. "Seifer I.."

"Ssshh." He hushed him.

They were silent again. "....Zell, I'm sorry I didn't keep my word."

Zell tried to look up and see Seifer's face. "What?" He asked.

"About staying here with you, I...wasn't careful enough." He stated.

"Careful?" Zell asked.

".....I'm dying..."

"What!?" Zell tried to sit up but his movements made Seifer grunt in pain. "Just lay down, you can't stop this anymore than I can, when the sun comes up, I'm gone... you have to deal with that."

Zell started to tear up now. He didn't want Seifer gone, he just wanted him to not bite people anymore. This couldn't happen to him, not when he just told him that he loved him. "Seifer..." Zell started but the vampire hushed him again.

"Let's just sit here and watch the sun rise together." He stated. Sliding Zell higher to his face he kissed the boy on the mouth and Zell kissed him back. When they pulled away, Seifer gave him a hug.

With a little hesitation, Zell said. ".......I'm gonna miss you."

Seifer nodded and replied with the same. "I'll miss you too."

The sun crept over the trees in the distance over the ocean and hills. Until it came to them. "Rrr." Seifer felt the pain hit him. "Zell," Seifer said. "I love you." He said again.

"No." He replied feeling tears. As the sun got higher over their heads Seifer didn't scream, he didn't cringe away he hugged him one last time and was gone. "No Seifer, don't go!" Zell cried. "Don't goo!" He broke into tears and cried until he was out of tears.

Pounding his fist into the dirt he said quietly. "I love you too." He sniffed back tears and said it again louder looking into the air. "I love you too!"

The End