Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ TKO- Total Knock Out ❯ Chapter 19 ( Chapter 19 )

chapter 19

Irvine and Seifer had made it to the clinic where the testing would be held. They waited in a room with the other two competitors and their coaches.

"You know if this guy is gonna give you the run around I say don't waste your time." Seifer told Irvine. Irvine had explained to Seifer on the trip to the clinic what had been going on with him and Squall since they'd met up with each other again. "Nah I don't think he's messin with me maybe I'm just missin somethin, some hints as to what's really goin on." Irvine said leaning forwards in his chair resting his elbows on his knees like Seifer was. "I obviously don't get love and that's exactly why I'm staying out of it." Seifer said and Irvine turned his head sideways to get a look at him. "Yeah you say that now but you wait and see what the future holds." "Yeah we'll see."

Seifer thought about what he'd done with Zell the other night and couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason for it that he didn't understand yet. "The future hmph the only thing in my future is becoming world champion boxer nothing else." "Lets hope so for your sake and mine." Irvine said and now it was Seifer's turn to give him a look. "I can barely deal with you now I don't wanna have to deal with you and your love life." "Rest assure you won't have to because there won't be one. I wouldn't wanna end up like you." "Ooh very funny." Irvine said waving a finger at his friend.

The door opened to the clinic and the two of them turned their heads to see who was coming in then immediately looked away again. "Don't look now but here comes your problem." Seifer whispered to Irvine. "Yeah and he's got your little one night stand with him." Irvine whispered back and Seifer elbowed him in the arm. Then they sat back in their chairs and tried to keep their gazes away from the other two.

As soon as Zell walked in the door and spotted Seifer sitting their he had to force himself not smile or call out to him. Instead he followed Squall to a set of chairs across the room and they sat down. "Why are we over here, shouldn't we go join them?" Zell asked looking across the room at Irvine and Seifer then back to Squall. "If you want to go ahead." Squall said and tried to keep himself preoccupied with a magazine. Zell waited for a minute and stared at Squall then he glanced over at the others and decided to go over there. He sat beside Irvine and bit his bottum lip before speaking. Not sure if Seifer had mentioned what happened last night to Irvine or not. 'Well if I don't say something I'll never know.'

He cleared his throat breifly. "Hey Irvine uh Seifer." He swallowed hard nervously. "Hey tattoo boy how's it goin?" Irvine asked making Zell feel a little more relaxed. "Uh good really good." There was an awkward silence amoungst the three and Zell looked down and started playing on the zipper of his jacket. Irvine leaned closer to Seifer and whispered. "Are you gonna say somethin to him or not?" "Not." Seifer whispered back and continued to look the other way. Irvine sighed and decided he wasn't going to be a part of their little problem. "I'm gonna go see what's goin on back there, excuse me." He said to Zell and got up from the chair and went over to the front desk.

Zell and Seifer continued to avoid eye contact not sure what else to do or what the other would do. 'Please don't make this hard for me kid and just forget about it.' Seifer mentally told Zell. 'Please tell me you haven't forgotten about last night?' Zell asked Seifer mentally and slowly got up the courage look at him. Seifer was still trying to avoid Zell and stared blankly to the side of the room. "Uh is- is everything o.k? I mean you didn't come to school and-" Zell stumbled out slowly not wanting to sound nosey or anything. "I'm fine." Seifer said flattly still avoiding eye contact. "That's good................ so are you worried about the test?" "No." "Really? Cause ya know last night you seeme-" "Listen Zell," Seifer interupted and finally looked at the other boy. "Last night was just that. Last night not today or tomorrow or anything ok. So could you please just forget about it."

Zell was taken aback by Seifer's sudden outburst and tone, he wasn't even sure at first what he was talking about until it sank in. He wanted to say something but the bitter taste of hurt and embarrassment had his mouth sealed shut. Seifer stared at Zell and saw the hurt and confusion on his face and had to turn away. 'Shit I shouldn't have said it like that.' He thought and was about to say something else but heard Irvine from across the room.

"Hey Almasy we're up next lets go." Irvine shouted, and after a hesitated look at Zell again Seifer got up and followed Irvine out of the waiting room. Zell stared down at the floor still too stunned to move himself. 'What happened? Everything was great last night. I felt something coming from him I know I did. What did I do wrong?' He racked his brain to try and think of what could have happened between then and now to cause Seifer's sudden change of attitude and outburst but nothing came to him. So he finally got himself up and went back over to Squall. "Uh I'm....... gonna go find the bathroom I'll be back." Zell said trying to hold back the sting of tears in his eyes and he walked away. Squall watched him go then looked to where Irvine had been and sighed. 'If I could have just explained things better to him earlier, then we could have been sitting with them.'

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Zell ran into the mens room and quickly turned on the sink water and splashed his face to get rid of the tears. When he finished he snatched some paper towels and started drying it. He threw the paper towel away and then put his hands on the sides of the sink to lean over it. "Just forget about it" Kept echoing in his mind after Seifer had said it and he felt sick. "I just don't get it, I don't get it!" He yelled the second time and pounded his fist on the sink. He looked up into the mirror and stared at himself for a few minutes. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm fun and good looking right?" He asked himself. "I hope this stupid day just gets itself over with and soon." He said and left the bathroom.

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Inside the testing room Seifer was sitting up on the examining bed and Irvine stood beside him while they waited for the doctor to get ready.

"So you just ignored him then blew him off like it was nothin?" Irvine asked raising his voice a little. "Well what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just strike up a conversation with him about it what ...-the hell would I say?" Seifer yelled back. "You could have waited until a better time like when you were alone and you could have been a little nicer about it." Irvine said back. "We were alone and there wouldn't have been any other time." "So now you plan on avoiding him so you never have to talk about it? Yeah that'll work." Irvine said sarcastically. "Well isn't that what you're doing?!" Seifer yelled and the doctor came in the room and looked at them strangely. They both watched him for a minute then went back to talking but more quietly.

"That is a completely different matter, me and Squall we're practically a couple or used to be and you you can't just go around sleepin with young boys and then treatin them like shit the next day, especially gay boys. If it were some skirt I wouldn't have cared. Squall or not I like that kid." "Then you go out with him." Seifer spat back then turned away. Irvine shook his head in disbelief.

"Alright are we ready?" The doctor said approaching Seifer. He nodded and the man went to work.

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Zell made his way back to Squall and sat down heavily beside him folding his arms across his chest. "You o.k?" Squall asked, Zell glanced at him then back across the room. "Yeah just a little nervous I guess." He said and tried to smile off his little lie so Squall wouldn't have to worry and he wouldn't have to deal with telling him everything. "You have nothing to be nervous about right?" Squall asked curiously remembering seeing the bottle of beer on the coffee table that night he'd gotten back from the club. "No I guess I don't." Zell said barely above a whisper. "That's good to know, just relax it'll be our turn soon." Squall said and went back to his magazine. Zell looked up at the clock and tried to relax his body a little in the chair. 'I wish I was at school right now, or anywhere else far away from Seifer, I wish this never happened I wish I could rewind time anything.'

Suddenly Zell's thoughts were broken by the sound of a crowd coming through the clinic door. Both Squall and Zell turned and everyone else inside turned to see what the comotion was. A dark haired female news reporter, camera man and guy from a news paper with his photographer all entered the room.

"Excuse me what are you doing?" The lady at the front desk asked. The newspaper reporter walked over to her. "We're here to report the test results of the boxers, the public has a right to know before the game, so pleaase cooperate ma'am." He said as if in a rush to either get it over with or to just get some news. His photographer starts taking pictures while the woman and her camera man are filming in the middle of the room.

"The hell is going on?" Squall asked and Zell just shook his head watching the bunch.

"This is reporter for DC channel three news, Rinoa Caraway. We're here in Deling City's clinic during the time that all boxers and their coaches, who have made it to the big boxing game at the end of the week, will be getting tested for use of drugs during the time they've been competing to get the world champion game. All this comotion was caused just a few days ago by DC boxing champion Seifer Almasy, when remains of cocaine were found by his motorcycle in the parking garage of the building he currently resides in were reported to be his." The woman stopped and her camera man said "Cut, that was great." She smiled and started fixing her hair when she spotted Squall and Zell not too far from her and she beckoned her camera man to follow her.

"Oh great." Zell mumbled. "Hi I'm here for channel three news, you two here to get tested?" She asked and neither of them wanted to say anything so they ignored her. "Hello excuse me, did you hear me? If you're here to get tested I'd like to ask you a few questions?" "Listen lady we're not the ones you wanna talk to so why don't you just go wait for Seifer somewhere far away and stop bothering us." Zell said with a bit of nastiness in his voice. The woman looked shocked and annoyed but decided to leave anyway.

Squall stared at Zell for a moment blinking hard. "This is new, I thought you always wanted to be on t.v?" He asked. "Not now, not for this." Zell said the bitterness was still in his tone. "Are you o.k?, something seems wrong." Squall asked putting down his magazine. "Yeah I'm fine. I just really wanna get this over with." Squall nodded his head in agreement and they both sat back waiting.

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"Well Seifer as hard as it is to believe, concidering what I've heard you're clean as a whistle." The doctor said. "Whatever that means." Seifer mumbled. "Uh thanks doc." Irvine said shaking the mans hand. "A copy of the results will be sent to the league executives sometime tomorrow I'm guessing so you're free to go." "Thank god." Seifer siad and they both left the room.

"Phase one went smoothly, now lets just hope you keep it this way." Irvine said putting his arm around Seifer's shoulders. "I told you I would now get off it." They walked down the hall both feeling a weight lifted from them.

"I've just heard from the front desk that Seifer is in the testing room right now and will be out shortly oh wait here he is now with coach Irvine Kinneas." Rinoa said running her and her camera man over to where the two walked out into the room. When the guys from the newspaper noticed they went over themselves taking pictures. "The hell is this?" Irvine said letting go of Seifer's shoulders. "Seifer can we get a word in please about the test results?" Rinoa asked. Seifer looked at Irvine questioningly and Irvine just shrugged. "Yeah fine." Seifer said and the man from the newspaper got busy writing everything while his photographer snapped away.

"First were the rumors about the cocaine true was it your emptied bag found outside?" Rinoa asked. "Now wait a minute that wasn't what you said we were gonna talk about." Irvine said. "No its fine," Seifer said patting Irivne on the back. Then he took the microphone from the reporter and looked into the camera. "I can honestly say here and now that whatever was found in near or around the building or my motorcycle, car whatever it wasn't mine." He smiled brightly into the camera and gave the mic back. "You can ask the police for comfirmation on that." Irvine threw in.

"Yes but what about the test results of today's drug test did you turn out to be positive?" The newspaper writer asked. "That should be confidential but no I'm clean and very healthy." He said and Irvine smiled proudly even though they both knew it was a haox and they weren't the only ones.

"He sure can lie huh?" Squall said, he and Zell had been watching and listening to the whole thing. "Yeah." Zell replied 'That and break your heart without a second thought or care.'

"Dincht, Leonhart the doctor will see you in back now." The nurse at the front desk called them and they both stood up and moved around the crowd to get to the back room. Zell got a quick glance at Seifer as he passed and when their eyes met it was only for a brief second because Seifer looked away. The interview continued on as the two went down the hall.

"Look people this was fun and all but we have to go now." Seifer said pulling Irivne past the crowd. "But wait a minute just one more-" "No sorry gotta go, you know how it is busy training and all." Seifer said and they both fled the clinic and walked through the parking lot to the car. "So you're just gonna leave like that without apologizin to that kid." Irvine said he stood in front of the passenger door and looked across the car hood at Seifer who stood in front of the drivers door. "Apologize for what? Getting myself out of a bad situation don't think so. He'll understand and it doesn't mean we can't be friends anyway." They both opened their doors and got in.

"Yeah you think you can be friends but you'll see how hard it is tryna talk to him after what you did." "Could we just forget about it for now, is that so much to ask?" Seifer started the car and they pulled off. "Alright but sooner or later I'll be tellin ya I told ya so."

* * *

Zell made it out of the clinic with a clean bill of health and luckily the alcohol he'd had the night before was nothing. When they'd made it back to the main office of the clinic Seifer and Irvine were gone along with the reporters. Now they were driving home in silence because Zell didn't feel like finishing the last hour and a half of school.

'I can't believe he left without saying anything else. Why couldn't we just talk about it for a minute. Hyne this wouldn't be so hard if he'd just have explained why. Why gods why me, I never did anything wrong.' He lied his head on the window and stared blankly out at the city. Squall kept glancing at Zell but couldn't say anything to him. 'He said he's fine even though he's not, he obviously doesn't want to talk about it. I'll wait for him to say something, maybe its not important.' He had his own problem on his mind at the time anyway. 'Maybe I should have went over and said something to Irvine. Maybe they wouldn't talk to Zell because of me and that's what got him down.' He looked at Zell again. 'Maybe a little time in the ring will get his mind off whatever it is and mine too.'

* * *

The two made it back to their apartment and quietly entered. Squall dropped the keys off on the kitchen table and went to the fridge to get himself a drink. He looked back at Zell who was disapearing into his room. He sighed and after a minute followed him to the room. Zell was sitting in an arm chair slouched staring at the bed. Squall watched him for a moment and it seemed like Zell didn't even know he was there so he decided to clear his throat and Zell snapped out of his trance and looked towards the door where he stood. "You wanna go to the gym and workout awhile?" Squall asked quietly. Zell was still silent thinking about it. "Yeah sure just not right now okay?" He finally said so quietly that Squall almost didn't hear him. "Alright just let me know when you're ready." He said and after getting a small nod from Zell he left and closed the door.

Zell sniffed and wiped his nose then looked at the side table and saw a picture of his Ma. He stared at it for a minute before something snapped in him. "Shit I haven't called Ma for weeks." He got up rushing for the door but stopped himself. "I can't talk to her not now she'll know somethings wrong and I'll never hear the end of it." He said 'Besides she doesn't need to worry about me anymore.' He turned back around and went to his small desk and got out a notebook and pen. He took the things to the bed and before getting on he paused remembering what happened on that bed. He shook the thought away and climbed on the bed lying at the end on his stomach. He put the book in front of him on a blank page and started writing.

Dear Ma,

Hey its me well you know that, anyway sorry I haven't called you in awhile I've been kinda busy with the game, training and school. I know I know that's no excuse so I'll try harder next time to get to you.

How are ya? Is everyone doing alright back home, anything big happen? I hope you're all watching the games that are being broadcast. Speaking of games I won all my final matches last night. You should have seen me I was great, everyone was. I tell ya Ma it was the most exhilerating thing I'd ever been through, scary too but I did it. I made it to the final game for world champion. The game's this Friday, yeah that soon. I wish you could be here to watch me when I fight. I miss you Ma a lot.

Squall's doing alright I guess, you can't really tell with him but we're getting along great. Living with him isn't so bad we haven't had any complaints from each other as far as that goes. He sends his love.

Zell paused a moment hesitating before writing the next part.

Schools going great, my grades are still good so don't worry about my slacking off. I made a few friends, well one of the guys is an old friend of Squall's. Irvine Kinneas, he's a coach too and he's been managing Seifer Almasy. Regional champion and Deling City hero. We've been getting along alright. He..... he's a good guy. He made it to the final game too so I'm a little worried about how I'll do. Oh and if you've heard anything on the news from Deling about drugs being used by the boxers, don't worry its not true, well not for me. You know I'd never do that and Squall wouldn't let me.

Speaking of Squall I said I'd go work out with him later so I'd better rap this up now. I'll send you our phone number so you can call whenever you get this. Hopefully I can visit soon until then, I miss you, love you.

your baby,

Zell

When he finished the letter he sat up and folded it, then went to his desk for an envelope and stuck the letter inside. He put away his notebook and sealed up the envelope and put the necessary imformation on the front. He got his jacket from the arm chair and went in his closet to get his gym bag. Then he left the room and found Squall still at the kitchen table. "Hey I'm ready to go now." Zell said feeling a little better. Squall looked up at him and slightly smiled pushing himself from the table. "Lets go." He went to get his own things and they left the apartment. "What's that?" Squall asked while they were in the elevator. "Letter to Ma. I figure I owe her something since I haven't called in awhile." Squall nodded as they reached the first floor. Zell dropped the letter off in the mailbox and they left the building feeling better then when they'd entered it.

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Things are going to start getting serious with the plot which is the relationships between the four, the boxing just makes it more enjoyable. Don't cry for Zell he's a trooper and he'll get through it and maybe Squall and Irvine will sort out their problems hm?
I wanna thank all you loyal readers for staying with this and reviewing and a huge thanks to everyone who tried to keep NC17 going maybe someday our efforts will pay off. -Linkin