THE ZELL DINCHT COLLECTION

WARNINGS

1) I do not own Zell, Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Seifer, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, or any other character I may mention from the FF8 series. I may add some more characters, which are mine. If you steal them, I probably won't find out about it. I also do not own most of the towns, monsters, etc… used in this story.

2) This was written cause Zell is the coolest character ever to be created in the FF series. It's rated NC-17 for mostly sex, but it also contains some language and violence.

3) This is a yaoi story. If you are offended by yaoi or don't know what it is, I suggest you leave. You have been warned.

Ok think I got everything. Just read it and leave me some feedback. If you flame me I'll find it funny, so do whatever the hell makes you feel good.

CHAPTER 21: Lupus

3:00 in the morning, Sunday, October the 6th. Zell found himself in bed beside a snoozing Puma. He really loved the kid, he really liked the kid, but the sex was just a drug. A way to clear his mind for a while. Another wave of guilt and depression swept over him. Zoe was supposed to be his best friend, but their happy little world was crumbling.

"It was my fault," Zell told himself. "I was supposed to be her friend…" The moment he feared the most was confronting her about his relationship with Puma. He didn't want to, but he knew he was going to have to hold it here soon. The blonde shuddered; cold all of a sudden. Pushing Puma's arms off of him, Zell got up, and grabbed his uniform from the floor in the living room. Tossing on his pants, he left the redhead, and made the short walk back to his dorm.

"What are you going to say to her?" he thought. "I'm sorry but I have better friends then you. Yeah, that'll go over well." Zell shook his head, and made his way to his dresser. He replaced his uniform pants with a pair of black sweatpants, and threw on a heavy black hoody. Throwing on his socks and sneakers, Zell put his hood up, and went back out into the hallway. He needed to take a walk. Nowhere special, just out. Away from society. Away from people. Away from the world. Walking around the circular corridor, Zell made his way to the front gate.

"You can't be out this late young man," the entrance guard yelled at him, but Zell flashed him his SeeD ID card. "I still don't suggest you go out Mr. Dincht." Zell waved him off though, and made his way out. Screw the guard, screw the rules, screw life.

The cold wind knock nipped at Zell's face, as fall was bringing in the cooler temperatures. He didn't care though. Walking past the fountains, which were turned off so they wouldn't freeze, he hit the soft grass, and thought about where he was going. He saw the dark red haze coming from the Fire Cavern to his left, the dim yellow light of Balamb to his right, the blue glow of the garden behind him, and the white radiance of the moon and stars in the sky above him.

"I don't care, just away," Zell thought. Leaving the road, the blonde walked straight ahead, and seeing where he'd end up. The moist grounds squished under his feet, as he slowly trudged on with his head down. At least he made his choice tonight. All he'd have to do was hold a conversation with her

"But when?" His heart told him today, but his head said as late as possible. Shaking his head, Zell stumbled as the ground changed below him. The sound of the crashing waves against the shore became audible, as the grass changed to sand. He watched the dark water flood forward, and then just as quick get sucked back in. Taking a seat at the water's edge, Zell pulled his night vigil to a close.

"Selfishness is what it is. Just cause she can't have my full attention she gets all angry. That's not my problem." This excuse didn't hold for long. He knew he had a responsibility to at least hangout with her for a little. Which he hadn't done very much for the last month.

His thoughts then fled back to the first day of school. The pillow fight and the kiss under the gates. "Damn…what if she liked me too? Then I really blew it. What am I supposed to say then? Well yeah, I knew you all my life, but I like a kid I met a month ago better." That would go just great. Zell shook his head. Hopefully she would even talk to him again.

Sighing, the blonde looked up to the sky. Millions of stars were visible, as he was away from the bright lights of the Garden and Balamb. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to see the night sky like this. Maybe while camping when he was little, but other then that, he never really paid attention.

"That's Lupus," a voice muttered beside him. Quickly snapping back to reality, Zell realized a boy in a red hoody had snuck up beside him. Taking a seat next to the blonde, Puma lowered his hood.

"How'd you find me?" Zell asked.

"Lupus is a wolf," the redhead continued, tracing its stars with his finger. "It's between Centaurus and Hydra to the west, and Scorpius and Norma to the east." He traced those with his finger, stopping at every star. "Do you know the myth behind Lupus?"

"Nah…" the blonde sighed, looking up with amazement.

"In Arcadia," Puma started. "King Lycaon had fifty sons. Greece had just declared that human sacrifices were barbaric, but King Lycaon, refused to discontinue the practices." A brief pause occurred, as they both stared lifelessly into the sky. "One day, the king offered the Thunder God, Zeus, a sacrifice of a young boy."

"Tch…" Zell sounded, disgusted.

"Exactly," the redhead continued. "Outraged, Zeus changed Lycaon into a wolf, and killed all of his children with bolts of lightning."

"Ow…" Zell muttered.

"Yeah. Lycaon's punishment was immortality as a wolf, where he still remains to date right above our heads," Puma finished, again tracing the stars.

"That's amazing," the blonde muttered, still looking up in awe.

"The message behind it was that ego brings destruction." He dropped his eyes to Zell. "Do what's right. Compromise." The blonde connected with his brown eyes, until Puma looked back at the sky. A silence took over, until the redhead continued. "Get back to the Garden. Get some sleep."

"Yeah…right." Zell and Puma dragged themselves to their feet, and made the short walk back to the Garden's warm blue lights.

"Cold out there boys?" the guard laughed, as they walked back in. Both flashed their SeeD IDs but said nothing. They walked in silence back to the dorms, as the light sounds of crickets floated through the air.

"Hey Puma," Zell muttered, as the redhead turned back into his dorm. "Thanks." He nodded, and Zell watched as he closed the door. Sighing, the blonde returned to his own dorm, and throwing off his hoody, collapsed in his bed. The first rays of sunlight flooded into his room, as Zell finally fell asleep.

(**********)

"Finally," Cid sighed, Squall sitting in front of him. "I can start the investigation of these Forrest Spiders." The headmaster had called Squall to his office at about 9:00. "With the test over with, we can start to focus our attention."

"What do you have planned sir?" the brunette asked, interested in his first mission. Cid handed him a manila folder, which Squall quickly skimmed through.

"In there are mission directions. You will be working for me, as this is a Garden interest mission," Cid started. "You will form a squad of five, yourself and four others. I'll give you until noon to form your party, as I've designated you the squad leader."

"What kind of skills will I need?" Squall asked.

"Mainly power and negotiations," Cid replied. "This will be a mission of information, and possibly battle if things come to it. Read the full report for all the details." Squall nodded, still skimming through random papers. "You will be leaving from Balamb to Timber on the two o' clock train today, and then catch another train to Deling City," the headmaster finished, handing him ten tickets. "Meet with who you need to. Dismissed."

"Thank you sir," Squall saluted, and started to walk out.

"Oh yeah Squall," Cid called quickly. The brunette turned back, and looked into his eyes. "Make me proud." Squall nodded again, and closed the office door behind him.

"Ding!" the elevator chimed as Squall reached the bottom floor. He made his way around to the dorms, already starting to form his list. Cid said he needed power, and it would be a crime if he didn't include him. He stopped at the first SeeD dorm in the corridor, Almasy.

"What?" Seifer growled, upset about being wakened so early; especially with a hangover.

"Seifer open the door," Squall muttered. Hearing the brunette, the attitude was drained out of Seifer, and quickly sprung to the door.

"What's up?" the big blonde asked. He was shirtless, but he didn't care. Squall didn't come to people's room to have small talk.

"You're going with me on a mission to Deling today. Pack and meet me at Cid's office at noon. Don't fuck up." Just as quickly as he entered, Squall turned to leave.

"No mission briefing?" Seifer muttered, catching Squall before he left.

"Later…" the brunette said softly, before closing the door behind him. "One down, three to go." Now he needed someone good with negotiations. Overall friendly.

"You look busy," Selphie cheered, grabbing the lion from behind. Squall spun around quickly. Just the person he was looking for.

"Go pack and report to Cid's office at noon, we got a mission," the brunette nodded.

"NO WAY!" Selphie gasped, her mouth dropping open. "Okay I'll be there." He watched the yellow dress run down the hallway, back to her dorm.

"Halfway done…" Squall told himself. He knew who number three would be. Walking down the corridor a little further, he arrived at the door of the one they call Dincht.

Zell had only been sleeping for about 4 ½ hours now, and was worse off then Seifer. He was obviously displeased with the knocking on his door.

"What?" Zell moaned, sitting up with a bad headache.

"It's Squall open up." Yawning, a shirtless Zell made his way to the door and opened it. Squall made his way in, and sat down on the couch. This was going to be one of his longer visits.

"S'up?" the blonde asked.

"I had a meeting with Cid this morning," Squall got to the point. "I'm supposed to form a squad of myself and four other people."

"We got a mission?!?" Zell's eyes shot open.

"Yeah, we need power and negotiation skills, so I need you."

"YEAH!" Zell exclaimed, putting his arms in the air.

"I also took Selphie and Seifer," Squall continued. Zell grumbled at the last name, but then quickly caught on.

"So who's your last choice?" Squall took up a brief pause, before speaking his mind.

"Zoe would be the better choice for the mission, but I'm going to let it up to you," the brunette sighed, hating to distrust his instinct. "If I bring her along, I know you won't be at the top of your game, and I'd rather have a productive you then a productive her," Squall finished. "It's up to you." Silence flooded the room, as Zell deliberated it for a while.

"I got to take Puma with me," Zell shook his head, knowing it was the selfish choice. "She's going to be mad with me here soon, and I couldn't take an entire mission beside someone who hates me."

"I understand," Squall muttered softly. "Pack and meet me in Cid's office at noon." The brunette got to his feet, and started to head towards the door. "Let Puma know too."

"Kay…" Zell sighed. "I'll see you at noon." Squall nodded, and closed the door behind him. This decision didn't help the blonde's guilt. Now he not only used her, but he denied her advancement opportunities. Eyes red, and barely awake, Zell grabbed his hoody from last night, threw it on, and made the short walk to Puma's dorm.

"Puma open up," Zell called, pounding on the door. After a few seconds, the redhead opened the door, looking as tired as Zell did. Seeing Zell, Puma let him in. The blonde took a seat on the couch, and Puma sat next to him. "I just talked to Squall," Zell started.

"Yeah?" the redhead yawned.

"He's been put in charge of a mission, and put you in the squad."

"Really?!?" Puma responded, shocked of the news.

"Yeah, pack and be up at Cid's office by noon," Zell finished.

"Any idea what its about?"

"Not really. We'll find out then." Puma nodded, and yawned again. "Tired?" the blonde teased.

"Thanks to you," Puma laughed, pushing him playfully.

"Get ready. Today's big," Zell smiled, getting to his feet. "Noon," he reinstated. The redhead nodded, and feeling better, Zell closed the door behind him. His stomach sunk though, as he saw Zoe knocking on his dorm door. He needed to talk to her regardless though, so he sucked it up. She saw him come out of Puma's room, and watched him approach her "Come in," he muttered, swiping his ID and opening his door. Zoe knew this wasn't going to be a friendly conversation, but knew it had to be said.

"You looked like you had something on your mind last night," she started, prying into Zell.

"Yeah…" the blonde responded, and led her into his bedroom. It was almost 10:00, so he had very little time to get ready.

"Going somewhere?" Zoe asked, as Zell grabbed a suitcase out of his closet.

"Mission today…" the blonde mumbled vaguely, hating every second that passed.

"WHAT? You were planning of just walking off without telling me?"

"I was going to come looking for you, but luckily you came to me."

"Puma's going too isn't he?" she asked dropping her head to the floor. Zell started to throw clothes into his suitcase, delaying time.

"Yes…" he muttered after a few seconds.

"What's going on Zell?" she sighed, knowing something was amuck. The blonde paused again, throwing in more clothes, and gathering his courage.

"Me and Puma…we got…we have…a relationship," Zell said outright. Silence gripped the room, as Zell continued to stuff things into his suitcase to keep himself busy.

"So his selection was political?" Zoe shot, fighting back tears.

"You know what, Yes. Yes it was fucking political," the blonde snapped, a wave of anger coming over him. Silence recaptured the room, as Zell started slamming things into his suitcase instead of gently placing them.

"What'd I do Zell?" she asked, tears starting to form. "How'd this happen?"

"I don't know what fucking happened. It's just…we just…you wouldn't understand," Zell countered, wavering between anger and tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you…just know that. If you listen to anything I say…just know I'm sorry." Zoe couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"I liked you…" she sobbed, walking out of the room to hide her face. "You …you bastard."

"Zoe. Zoe…I'm sorry," Zell stuttered, trying to hold his composure. "I…I tried my hardest. I…tried my best. Just know that."

Zoe shook her head. "I cared about you too Zell." With that she let herself out.

Probably for the last time in a long while, Zell watched Zoe walk away. He drove his fist into the bar, killing his knuckles, but cracking the corner of it to dust. Dropping his head to the floor, the blonde fought back the tears. He busied himself by finishing packing, taking a shower, eating breakfast, and watching some TV. Anything to keep his mind from thinking. 11:55 rolled around quick, and Zell left to go meet in Cid's office.

"Zell wait up!" Puma called, catching up to him, as the blonde walked down the dorm corridor. "You all right?" he asked, looking at his depressed demeanor.

"No," Zell said straight out, shaking his head. Unsure of how to respond to that, Puma walked in silence alongside the blonde. They filed in the office right behind Seifer, and found Squall and Selphie already waiting.

"Kay, since we're all here," Cid started. "Let's get started. First, I apologize that the one year policy was not enforced for you two." The headmaster pointed to Puma and Seifer. "I'm sure you would rather not have it enforced however. Anyway, as soon as you finish here, take a car to Balamb, and make sure you take the 2:00 train. You'll be dispatched to Deling City. There, you will check into the hotel, and meet with General Carringway at 1:00 in the afternoon the following day. He will instruct you on possible sources of information, and from there, it will be your duty to expose and destroy the leader of the Forrest Spiders. Squall will be your squad leader, and you will follow his diction. Understood?" The group nodded, and muttered yes. "Good. You're SeeDs, act like them. Dismissed."

"Sir," the group saluted, and left his office. Still wrecked with silence, Zell led Puma to the parking lot. They all climbed into a SeeD military van. Still tired and/or hungover from yesterday, nobody said a word. After a five-minute drive, the group filed out.

"You're free to roam the town until 2:00. Do not miss the train!" Squall threatened, and then walked off alone. Going on 1:30, Zell didn't have much time.

"Go wait on the train," he nodded to Puma. "I'll catch up with you later."

"But…" Puma started to argue, but decided against conflicting Zell with his current state. "Be on time."

Zell nodded, and started to head home. At least his mom could comfort him. Walking through the front door, he found his mother consoling someone else however. A still crying Zoe pushed her way past Zell in the doorway. The blonde dropped his head, and ignoring his mother, went up to his room. It was barren, as Zoe had moved her stuff out into her dorm. The blonde sat on the plain white bed, and heard his mother's footsteps come up the stairs. She sat next to him, and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to," Zell sighed looking at the ground "I tried my best."

"It's okay, Zelly, it's okay."

(**********)

Zell was the last to file into the train. At 1:55, Puma finally caught Zell enter the train. Squall swiped open the next car for the group, and seeing Zell's distress, let him and Puma have the SeeD car.