Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ When Darkness Falls ❯ Chapter Twenty Five ( Chapter 25 )

The blond stared through the windshield at his best friend, and... Seifer Almasy? 'What's he doing with Selphie?' Zell wondered for a second. His eye winced in sudden pain, and he shot off again.

Seifer opened his door climbing out going after him. "Zell, wait!"

The pair ran through the streets towards the park area. Selphie bounced in her seat anxiously looking at Seifer's open door before she leaned across the seat yanking it shut, she then climbed out as well following after them.

"You guys, wait for me!" She called.

Zell reached a metal fence and easily hops over it; however, the trip wasn't so easy for the garbage bag he was carrying. It got stuck at the top. "Rrrr..." He tugged as hard as he could. Looking past the large bag he saw Seifer getting up to the fence. Tugging frantically, Zell managed to pull the bag free, but only because there was now a large hole in it.

Everything he had taken: clocks, watches, shoes even pots had fallen out of the bag. Zell crouched down trying for the life of him to pick the stuff up, but Seifer had already made it over the gate so he bolted. "Zell why are you running?" The blond giant called after him before following.

"Stay away from me!" The frightened homeless teen cried out. He ran as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. Seifer's hand reached out grabbing him by his shirt sleeve. Zell spiraled to the ground by the sudden jerk stopping him in his tracks, but in the fall he brought Seifer down with him.

"Ow!" They grunted almost at the same time.

Seifer reached up a distance and grabbed Zell by his waist tugging him to him. The ensnared blond tried his hardest to push Seifer's hands away but it was useless.

"Let me go! Let gooooo!" Tears began to stream down Zell's face.

"No, not until I talk to you." Seifer rolled him over onto his stomach, grabbing Zell's arms he pinned them behind his back. Upset, Dincht struggled beneath him, but Seifer held fast. "Please, Zell, you have to at least hear me out. Then I'll let you go."

Zell continued to wiggle under his semi friend. He has to get away! "Get off of me, I'm not safe! Rrrr...Eh-AAAAHHH!" He gave up and dropped his forehead onto the grass whimpering.

Seifer caressed the sobbing mess by his hair, and he whispered soothing words to him. "Ssshh, hush okay. It's all right; I'm not gonna hurt you."

Zell continued to cry, taking a loud sniffle before whimpering under his breath. "Please let me go..."

Seifer felt a pain wrenching inside of him. Zell didn't seem at all like himself. Sure, ever since Seifer knew him he had been a pushover, but... this was just flat-out - - sad. Seifer sat up bringing Zell with him; he maintained keeping Dincht's arms behind his back until he was sure the wreck wasn't going anywhere, then he let go of his hold, only to grab Zell around his chest. Just to make sure.

"Ssshhh," Seifer continued to hush the soft tears. "Zell, it's ok now... Selphie and me came to take you home, and - -."

"No! No! I'm never going back there; they don't want me! Nobody wants me!" He shouted. "I'm worthless... Just leave me alone!"

Seifer rocked back and forth pressing his face into Zell's less than clean hair. "That's not true... you've got a lot of people that want you around, Selphie for starters... and me."

Selphie finally made it over the gated fence but she paused when she saw the pair sitting on the grass, Seifer looking rather protective of her sobbing friend, who's firmly held in his arms by a back-hug. She couldn't what's being said, but they were talking all the same; and regardless how excited she was, she held back her need to crush her best friend in a hug and never let him go... At least until they are done talking.

"Why would you want me? I'm nobody..." Said Zell with an icy tone. He began to lower his sounds of crying to a dull none, which Seifer was glad for; maybe now Zell will actually start to listen to him.

"Because, Zell..." He hesitated. What if Zell was to emotionally slap him in the face with the reality that he didn't like him in return. Seifer's never been one to care what anyone thought, but from Zell Dincht.. it mattered. No, he has to do it. For Zell and himself. "I like you... a lot. You're a good person."

"Tch. Yeah right." Zell rolled his eyes wiping a sleeve over his tear stained cheeks and a hand over his wet eyes. "You're telling me this now because you think I'm just gonna come running to you with my problems, so you can say you saved me? Fuck you, Seifer."

"Oh, come on," the taller blond continued to rock back and forth holding his dense crush, but his grip around Zell loosend a bit. "Why the fuck do you think I wanted you around me so badly this year, and all those times... I came by your house harassing you was just to see you, you little shit." There was silence, so Seifer went on. "I care about you, a lot more than some stupid table will show - - or whatever the fuck else people do to say they wanna be around you."

"Ooohh yeeeah, of course..." Zell rolled his eyes throwing an arm into the air.

"You know, it really doesn't matter if you believe me or not." Said Seifer. "I'm taking you home, with me." He put emphasis on the 'me'.

"Why would you do that for me?" Asked Zell shyly now. He actually did believe what Seifer was telling him. He had seen the larger blond staring at him quite a few times since he had 'joined their table' as they say. But he just didn't want to be lulled into another false sense of security to have it taken away from him again.

"...I already told you, I like you.. a lot." Seifer replied in honesty. He didn't know yet if he loved Zell, but he would gladly give it a try.

Selphie was sitting a distance away on the grass blowing into her cupped hands to keep them from being cold. 'If only we could talk in the car where it's warm.' She shivered.

Tears welled up in Zell's eyes again, he couldn't think straight. All of him was saying to go with Seifer and see how it turns out, but the rest was telling him to run. To stay away from everyone, and go find Squall. "...I can't do it... I can't go back to that life." He whispered feeling another set of ears on their conversation.

"But, why?" Seifer couldn't believe how stubborn and irrational Zell was being.

Zell seemed not to hear his question - - that - - or he chose to ignore it and he asked. "Can you tell Selphie to come here?" He lowered his gaze and dropped his head. "I wanna see her." He sniffled. "And I promise not to run."

Seifer, in defeat, stood letting go. "Selphie." He called. The little brunette hopped to her feet and ran over to where her two friends stood.

Bouncing forward with her arms spread she felt Zell's hand press against her chest keeping her back. Never one to accept a snub, Selphie wrapped him up in a hug anyway.

Zell raised his arms up but didn't touch her, a sad expression remained on his face. 'Selphie... it still feels like I'm gonna walk home with you after an ice cream binge at Diary Kingdom...' He smiled. Zell's arms came up around Selphie, hugging her what felt like three seconds before backing out of it. 'I'm sorry.' He turned to leave.

Selphie pouted seeing him retreat without a word, and she ran ahead grabbing him back. "Zell, don't you dare do this to me." She hissed. "Don't you dare!" The short blond turned to her with a pensive smile causing her to frown and let him go. "At least say something..." She pleaded.

Zell walked over to his best friend and yanked her into a hug, whispering. "You'll always have a place in my heart, Selph'." He moved away from her wiping a tear from her face with his sleeve. "Both of you." He said looking over her shoulder at Seifer. "...I gotta go."

"No, Zell don't go!" She reached out for him, but Seifer held her back by the shoulders. Selphie began to cry as she struggled. "Please, don't leave me again!" She dropped herself to the ground, crying into her hands.

Seifer knelt down on one knee, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's what Zell wants, we have to respect that." He whispered.

"No, we don't." She whispered. Selphie turned herself around, wrapping her arms around Seifer's waist and she cried into his chest.

Zell had walked away from them, hearing what the two were saying as he went. He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice. What if he had another outburst and attacked one of them? No, he had to figure out what was going on with himself first.

Walking through the grassy area, he saw a dim red light glowing up ahead. A gentle breeze blew by telling Zell that the red light was coming from a cigarette. Walking up behind a tree, he peeked from around it seeing a boy standing around the sidewalk smoking. He had thick brown hair parted in the middle, meduim height and lean figured.

'So familiar.' It wasn't until the guy coughed that Zell knew who it was. '...Locke.'

The brunet seemed to be waiting for someone out there as he paced back and forth with his hands in his pocket, bringing one out every once in a while to pull the cigarette from his mouth to release the smoke.

Watching quietly, Zell turned his head when he saw Locke look out into the distance. Someone was coming, a noticable figure. Average height, with long white hair. 'That must be that guy Setzer; what's he doing here?' Zell switched to a closer tree, not that the one he was behind was very far away but he just had to be closer to them.

"I came..." Setzer stated quietly. "What did you want to talk abo - -."

Cutting him off, Locke tossed his cigarette to the ground pointing a finger. "You know fucking well what I wanna talk to you about..."

Setzer took a step back from Locke's gruff tone. He must have found out that he was talking to Seifer; now Locke is mad, really mad.

"Why did you tell Seifer all that shit about me? Do you know what that's gonna do to me?" Locke inquired shoving the albino in the chest. "My reputation?" He went on.

"But, Locke, he threatened to be - -."

Locke held up a hand cutting him off again. "I'll fucking beat you up, you little prick!" He thrusts himself at Setzer, hands bared like claws, but then he withdrew. "You make me sick, Gabbiani. Sick!" He stalked away but then turned back around pointing a finger at his ex friend, getting right up into his face as he spoke. "And to tell you the truth, every time I fucked you - - I was thinking about someone else."

Setzer scoffed. "Is that supposed to hurt my feelings, because it just makes you look pathetic if you ask me." He retorted. "And who exactly were you thinking about, huh? Zell?" Locke's eyebrow twitched hearing that. "Because last time I checked.. you never cared for any of your little flings, but you can't seem to stop thinking about this Zell."

"Hey, you shut up about him. And you don't know shit." With that Locke started away.

Setzer caught up to him turning him around to face him. "You know you do; you want everyone to love you, and then when they don't you mull over it wondering why." He smiled and got into Locke's face, then he reached behind the brunet cupping his buttocks, pressing his lips to his in a passionate kiss.

Zell thought he was gonna explode! He didn't know from which emotion, but he had seen enough. He took off running attracting attention from the previously arguing pair as he did so. They looked into the direction Zell had come from seeing only a guy running down the concrete walkway under each street light, but still not revealing who he was.

Setzer turned back to Locke. "That kiss, is just my way of saying I still care for you... Maybe that way you'll leave me alone." Pushing past the self-centered brunet, he walked away, leaving Locke alone to think about things.

Zell ran down the streets, stopping for nothing. He was pretty sure he knew the way to Squall's house. He had to get there before someone else from his past found him, or he found them. 'There it is.' He confirmed seeing the dark mansion sitting at the edge of town.

Picking up speed he didn't even know he had, Zell cleared the distance to the large house in no time. Now if he could just get inside.

"Squall!" He bangs on the door. "Squall, can you hear me!?" Trying the knob, he tugged at the locked door then banged his fist on the solid wood again. "Squuuaallll!? Please open the door!" Feeling a sudden nerve shoot up his spine, Zell spun a quick but staggered circle. No one was there.

"Squaaalll!" He returned to banging on the door. "Please open the do - - Aaahhh!"

Someone grabbed him from behind, their arms were securely around his chest holding him in their grip. Whoever had him began to back up, with Zell screaming the entire way.

"Noo, heeelp me, please... Squall!"

He struggled within the hold until the person backed against an iron gate. "Please don't hurt me..." The frightened teen pleaded. A sharp laugh caught his ear and he was thrown to the ground...