Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X-2 1. New Troubles

_***Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters…***All standard disclaimers apply_

* * *

Rikku turned in her bed, slipped the covers over her head to hide herself from the morning sunshine. The Gullwings had been traveling over water throughout the evening; heading to a destination to retrieve certain machina from the ocean floor.

Buddy told her to get in a goodnight's rest, however, she couldn't sleep all...

Tears wielding up in her eyes, she whispered to herself, "All that destruction...All those poor people...All that death..."

As she quietly let out a sob, Rikku hugged herself under the blankets.

_I have to keep it together... Yuna and Paine are counting on me...And a lot of people are counting on us to do this job!_

Rikku's thoughts focused on the events that happened a few days ago, when a sphere hunting clan calling themselves the Hisui Ryu appears with an airship the size of temple above Moonflow and deployed an army of machina droids to land. A man's voice came from the airships' loudspeakers, demanding something called the "Jade Sphere." When people claimed that they didn't know what he was asking for; he called them liars and the cannons on the airship fired. The droids attack, mercilessly. Moonflow became a pile of mud and rubble, in a matter of moments. The mysterious airship vanished soon after...

The destruction was outrageous and the bloodshed, unforgivable...

The world seemed to shift in an instant after that. Nooj and Baralai quickly organized a meeting with the former Youth Leaguers and Yevonites. Although, these groups had officially disbanded, the old members of these clans gathered together at the call of their, past respected leaders. Both Nooj and Baralai created 'relief parties' to be sent to Moonflow to help the many people who were hurt and in need of help. Yuna, Tidus and Wakka joined the rescue efforts, as well as, Kimahri and his people. The Gullwings used their airship to help bring in supplies to the Moonflow area, and transported surviving Moonflow residents to Bevelle for shelter and food.

When seeing ruins of Moonflow after the attack, Rikku was reminded of Sin and the destruction he had had caused in the past. Horrible memories resurfaced. It took a while for her to stop crying, but Rikku noticed that she wasn't the only one who felt such sadness. Many of the relief party members were in tears as they collected the dead bodies and prepared them for a sending ceremony that, former summoner Issaru performed.

Other people were furious, demanding that they go after the Hisui Ryu. However, Nooj didn't want anyone acting hastily. The power of the Hisui Ryu was strong enough to destroy a whole location off of Spira's map. He explained that he required a plan-of-action before engaging in battle. Plus, actions were needed to find them first.

Gippal was asked to investigate a broken droid from the Hisui Ryu's army that was found among the debris. He was also given the task of supplying Nooj's armed forces with weapons and machina crawlers, small vehicles that were capable of fast land and sea travel. There were several other things Gippal had the Machine Faction mass produce, but weapons and transportation vehicles, were high on the list.

Search parties were asked to investigate possible locations of where the Husui Ryu's airship might be docked and to bring back data on it. Gippal explained that, given the sheer size of the ship explained by the survivors, there was a possibility that it could not stay air bound for long. Therefore, it was highly likely, that the ship was hidden on land or sea. Most likely land, because the past year the Machine Faction had been involved in ocean salvaging and nothing came up on their scanners describing airship parts.

Rikku jumped at the opportunity to be involved in the search, but Baralai asked if the Gullwings could gather machina supplies first. He explained that with their airship they could collect a variety of machina parts from anywhere in the world, quickly. It was an important task because, soon, the the Machine Faction will run out the parts, way before, they can finish Nooj's weapon requests.

Rikku gladly took the mission. Baralai and Nooj were in desperate need to increase their arsenal. They had no idea when Hisui would attack again and they didn't want to be unprepared.

As the Gullwings began to disembark for the mission Baralai requested of them, Shinra contacted the Celisus to rejoined the Gullwings, along with Rin, due to the circumstances that happened in Moonflow. Brother stopped over in Luca to get them. Shinra took over his old position on the Bridge while Rin took the job old Barkeep had, and spent most of his time sitting behind the bar, hunched over and looking extremely ill. Rikku asked Rin if he had motion sickness, but he just responded with a simple, _'sure'_ and remained silent for the rest of that conversation.

Shinra informed the Gullwings that the level of fiend activity had been higher since the Husui attacked. So Shinra created a dressphere for Rikku that could increase her combat time without having her changing so much in the heat of battle.

Combining all attributes of the Alchemist, Knight, and Thief dresspheres and a few skills from the others, Shinra designed a garment capable of numerous abilities; therefore, she didn't have to waste time in changing in a difficult fight—The Helix dressphere. Shinra called it the ultimate dressphere for an Al Bhed to use because, not only did it have a ton of functions, but the Machina Maw could be summon if needed, on the fly. When Rikku asked Shinra if he made this new dressphere because he was worried about her getting hurt during battle, he laughed and said that, if she died because of his old dressphere design, he would be a murder and didn't want to work of the loads of bad karma that came with homicide.

Shinra's sense of humor became a little morbid during his time away from the Gullwings...

Rikku hadn't had a chance to use the Helix dressphere yet. She figured that she could give it a test run during the mission. The Machine Faction gave them a list of areas to check for specific machina parts they needed for their inventory. The first location on the list would be in the waters near Baaj temple. A few platinum generator cores from a machina vessel that's submerged in that area.

Rikku shifted in bed again. _We should be close to Baaj temple now..._

"This is crazy, isn't?" Buddy's voice echoed from the bar downstairs, "Just last week everything was fine, then wham! Moonflow is obligated! – Rin! Two breakfast plates please! "

"Ah, Yuna is so brave! So brave!" Brother's whimpered, "I love how brave she is through all this! Oh...I love her so...My heart hurts..."

Rikku rolled her eyes, hearing the conversation from the lower level of the Cabin_. So Brother still hasn't given up on her yet, has he? How sick can he continue to be! She's your cousin! – But enough of this – I need to rest for the mission..._ She bundled up her pillow to her ears in hopes to block out the noise. _Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!_

"Man! Have you not given up on her yet?" Buddy sighed, "Geez, it's sick enough that she's your cousin but to still be obsessed with her after she's been living with Tidus_, the love of her life_, for over a year now! I mean, can't you take the hint that she's not interested in you? Face the facts, Brother, you are going to be a bachelor forever! No woman, in her right mind, will put up with you and your stupidity!"

Rikku quickly clasped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. _You tell him, Buddy! Remind him of the undisputable truth! _

"BAH!" Brother yelled, "You tell me this, over and over again! But you tell Gippal nothing! _He_ needs to get over her too! He blabs on and on about how much he loves her whenever we go out to drink – _'Guys I got it bad!'_ Gippal says..._ ' I'm in love with her, but, Tidus! He came back from the dead to be with her! How can I compete with that!' _ he whines...Even with all the girls he got swarmin' on him, he wants Yuna!"

Brother's words seemed to send a sensation of a thousand needles stabbing Rikku right through her heart...Her body, instantly, became stiff.

"Brother! Shush! What if Rikku hears you!" Buddy muttered quickly, though his voice bounced off the metal walls of the Cabin, "She's just upstairs! She could be awake."

"What should I care about that?!"

"Brother, you idiot!" Buddy's voice grew lower, "Don't you know? Can't you tell that Rikku likes Gippal?"

"WHA?! YOU CRAZY!" Brother laughed, "But it does not matter! Not at all! Gippal does not _like_ her! Remember what he said? He said that Rikku looks and acts like small child! Remember? And I ag'ree! Rikku needs to act more womanly! Or she'll end up an old maid! You see it too, right? Her actions and the ugly way she wears her hair! Like a little girl!"

Buddy sighed, "Man, you are the _last_ person to judge other people's hair. Have you seen your own?"

"She needs to grow up! Is what I think!"

"Oh, come on! When are _you_ gonna grow up?! Give your sister a break! Aren't you concerned that all you said could break her heart? I mean, about Gippal not liking her back? In fact, I think she may _love_ him. Don't notice the way she looks at him?"

"Tell me something, Buddy." Brother's voice became very even, "If you had choice between Rikku or Yuna who would you pick?"

"Oh, no. I'm not answering that! That's a death question."

"Come, come, Bud. Who? I won't tell. Seriously. Hipotheticlly. Yuna or Rikku?"

Buddy sighed and stood silent for a while, "You mean, it's _hypothetically_ I guess Yuna."

"AHA!" Brother made a sound like he patted Buddy's back, "See?"

"Oh, stop it! You make it seem like it's the obvious choice. I mean, Rikku is a good girl."

"But you would choo'se Yuna."

Buddy laughed, "I can see why you and Gippal like Yuna so much, though. Yuna is so naturally regal. She's beautiful in her simplicity. She's mature, good-humored, and impressionable, in a way, which makes her adorable. She's well-mannered, kind, sweet tempted. And Rikku...Well she is..."

"A brat!" Brother finished, "And Yuna is way more beauifulest!"

"Rikku looks and acts like every other Al Bhed woman, I guess. They are all flamboyant, in-your-face kind of women. Pushy. I suppose dealing with women like that all our lives gets tiring. Though Rikku is a bit more..." Buddy stood silent, seemingly trying to figure out his words...

"Kiddish!" Immature! Too much energy! I know, I know, I tell her this all the time, Buddy! But she don't listen!"

"Brother, one day when Rikku is all grown up, she may surprise us, but she's a way better person than you already! That's for sure!"

"Hey guys..." Rin's voice, now echoed through the cabin, "I asked the cook, you got back there, about your order but we ran out of food in the pantry. Brother, you need to stop your binging at night! All we have is ale! You want that instead? It's filling."

Both Buddy and Brother agreed and drank their ale while taking about the salvaging to Rin. Rikku couldn't sleep now. She slowly got up and sat down at her vanity looking into the mirror, feeling all sorts of things. She examined her eyes...her green spiral eyes. All Al Bhed women had green spiral eyes. The shape of her face. Her long blonde hair that was set in her usual ponytail and braids styled with beads. The tan shade of her skin. She looked at all the little accessory that laid on her vanity.

Tears fell from her eyes as she slowly undid each braid from her hair. Removing the different color beads one by one, she threw them into the trashcan that was nearby. Brother's words echoed in her head about Gippal and his love for Yuna...

_What a fool...I am...Actually letting myself...Care...For...That stupid playboy! _

When Rikku was done undoing her braids, she let down her from her ponytail. Her long, thick blonde hair fell in long layers all the way down her back. The mop of hair she always hated, but she accepted. Her mother wore her hair long. Rikku always remembered how beautiful her mother looked in long golden hair.

"Mother always set my hair in braids..." She said to her reflection. " When I was little, with little feathers at the end... They remind me her."

Looking at herself, with parts of her hair frizzed and crimped from the braiding, "Mother was always so mature and graceful...No one would ever say such things about her."

After a while of staring, she wiped the tears off her face. Brother's words were Brother's, they had little value...But Buddy and hearing what Gippal thought about her, hit a nerve_. _

_Buddy, Gippal Even Tidus chose Yuna over me...I met Tidus first! I saved him in Baaj temple! Why her! Why is it always about her!_

Rikku slammed her fists on the vanity table... but slowly...her face sank on to her bruised hands, "How can I think such things...There are terrible things happening in the world...That comes first, always and forever..."

But the night she saw Tidus and Yuna kiss in the Macalania spring...She saw the love Tidus had for Yuna...And it bothered. Back then she knew...She knew, thatYuna, would always be superior to her. Everyone Rikku cared about... seemed to choose Yuna over her...


	2. Seifer's Return

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters…***All standard disclaimers apply_

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He sank to the ground and he tasted the mix of blood and dirt on his lips. His body ached—moving was too difficult—three of his ribs were broken and his right arm felt dislocated… His ears were ringing with the sounds of the arena crowd cheering:

"GO! COME ON! SEIFER! SEIFER! SEIRFER! ZELL, COME ON!"

From the corner of his eye, Zell saw Seifer with his gunblade high in the air, encouraging the crowd, from the middle of the arena. Pure fury raged in Zell's badly beaten body and he closed his eyes with a mixture of hate and shame. A few tears wielded up in his eyes due to the stinging pain from the open wounds on his face that was now covered in the arena grit— a mixture of fine sand, salt, and dirt made the ground they stood on.

With an amused expression, Seifer pointed the tip of his gunblade to Zell and he faced the crowd in the stands, "HEAR ME ALL! SHALL I WRAP THIS MAN IN THE SACRED FLAMES AND IMMERSION HIM WITH IT?!"

Half the crowd screamed in anticipation, while others rooted for Zell to overcome, but nevertheless, they were _all_ feeding on Seifer's every word. Seifer knelt down before Zell and spoke low enough so, every word, reached Zell's ears only.

"See Chicken Wuss? What made you think you were a match for me, a commander of the Soldiers of Vánagandr? This isn't the Balamb Garden. There is no Squall fighting beside you— protecting you! No instructor Trepe to sweep in and save you! And to think! you actually tried to challenge me, as useless as you are…?! I find it quite hilarious that you requested this match. Did you _actually_ think you were going to win? Now I have no choice but to have you taste fire. To teach you that I am not an opponent to take lightly and show you...how weak you truly are."

Seifer raised his right hand that was instantly immersed in flames from the Firaga spell he was casting and placed it a few inches from Zell's face.

_**"STOP! STOP NOW!"**_ Shouted a booming voice from the arena loudspeakers. Zell turned his head slightly to see Squall,the referees, and a medic team run out on the arena floor.

The crowd began to protest, screaming Seifer and Zell's name... Some wanting Seifer to finish his spell and others rooting for Zell to get up and finish the fight. Soon, the audience began fighting among themselves and the arena drowned in noise. Fists were flying, people started pushing and swearing at one another until large projection screens appeared in front of them; floating in the air. With everyone's attention drawn to it, President Laguna appeared on them, in high definition. His voice boomed and echoed from loudspeakers and the crowd cheered again, crying his name.

_**"Hey All! Sorry for the interruptions! I hope you're all enjoying the battle arena, designed for some of the greatest warriors across the land, to stretch their legs and fight for a good cause! A lot of destruction has happen around the world, earlier this year, and the proceeds for this event goes to the towns that can not afford —"**_

Seeing Squall run in on his match and the emergency broadcast message Laguna projected, Zell was angrier than ever. _They're trying to stop this fight!_ he thought, blocking the spasmodic pain that fluttered all over him._ I rather go down in flames than be rescued like this! _

Seifer's words echoed in his head over and over again, about him being weak and how Squall and the others needed to protect him...But...Was Seifer right? Was he weak, regardless, of all the SeeD training throughout the years? Was he a loser who constantly needed his friends to save him? These were the thoughts that came to Zell's mind as he saw Squall tackling Seifer to the ground.

_It's not true!_ Zell's thoughts raced in a panic,_ it's not true! IT'S NOT TRUE!_

Zell stood up and pushed the referees and medics that began to surround him with the last bit of strength he had left in his body. "STOP! I CAN FINISH THIS! I CAN FINISH THIS FIGHT! DON'T STOP IT! DON'T STOP THIS MATCH! I'LL HUNT ANYONE DOWN WHO TRIES TO STOP THIS MATCH! I SWEAR IT!"

It took ten medics to hold him down till his strength waned and he fell under the pressure, "Let go of me!"

"Quiet you!" Snapped a middle-aged woman medic. She began to injected him with some type of, pain killer sedative, in his thigh that made him instantly tired. As his whole body grew numb, the pain gradually subsided. Zell stared up at the sky, because there was nothing he could do now.

The woman medic looked down at him and shook her head with disbelief "It's a miracle you still had that much strength, in this state, but then again, you're a member of SeeD."

As his vision blurred and his consciousness fading, all he kept trying to say to the air…

"…It's not true."

* * *

"Seifer! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Squall shouted, as he tackled Seifer to the ground. The both of them wrestled around, until the referees pulled them apart. Seifer, smiled and wiped the dirt from his charcoal-colored pants and casually raised his hand up to stop the referees from engaging further.

Squall retrieved his gunblade which he dropped in the scuffle and turned to the refs, "I'll handle him. Make sure Zell is taken care of and let the President know that I'll personally handle this matter until he calms the audience..."

The refs nodded and hurried in different directions following Squall's instructions.

Squall faced Seifer, murderously.

"There's no need for all that! Come on now. I was just having some fun. I wasn't gonna torch him, not yet, anyway" Seifer said laughing.

Squall drew his gunblade and took a defensive stand in front of Zell while he was getting attended by the emergency medics. Squall pointed the tip of his blade towards Seifer.

"Oh, come on Squall! What the hell?!" Seifer laughed so hard he stumbled back, "Are you serious? You can't take a joke? I know our friendship hit some bumps on the road in the past… but we trained in the same Garden for years and you're drawing your weapon at me with such malicious intentions?"

"Hasn't stop me before." Squall said, monotonously, "And we were never friends, Seifer. Need I remind you that the 'bumps on the road' you mentioned, were the many times you have tried to kill me and my friends with malicious intentions" Squall took a step forward.

"Oh, _that_?! Don't tell me you're still mad about that?!" Seifer raised his gunblade and slammed the tip of the blade into the ground. He reached in his back pocket and retrieved a small silver cigarette case, "It's not very mature of you to hold a grudge on such small, trivial matters like that!" He then grabbed a cigarette and placed it in his mouth and lit it with a flame that ignited on the tip of his index finger, "Get over it already."

"Seifer these events are not death matches" Squall said as he watched his old adversaries' movements carefully. "This is nothing more than a contest— a test of strength for warriors, held in good will. You were told this, when you and your men were invited to Esthar to participate. Right?"

Seifer quickly whipped the cigarette from his mouth, "_What_?! I was totally acting in good will! He wanted to fight me so I fought 'em! Very fair and possibly square." Chuckling at his own words Seifer brought the cigarette to his mouth and took a few drags.

"You butchered him!" Squall yelled, shaking, containing his anger.

"Excuse me! I fought him, he lost. The point of this 'test of strength' is that he must fight me with all he got and I fight him with all I got. Right? I was doing Chicken Wuss a favor. That last bit, with the fire, was to entertain the crowd! But if there is anyone to blame for Chicken Wuss' trip to the infirmary, it's his own. For not being strong enough."

"Seifer, what is this new power you have?" Squall finally asked. "I was watching your battle with Zell…How are you able to do—?"

For a moment, Seifer just smiled with traces of white smoke rolling off his lips. His eyes were darker than Squall remembered, fierce and menacing. But something was off. This was not the same Seifer he had known and fought against back when Ultimecia threaten the world with time compressing darkness, six months ago.

Since then, Squall hadn't seen or heard of him. Then last month, Seifer emerges as a 'commander' for this new 'Soldiers of Vánagandr 'organization. This group came on to the scene in Galbadia and has been taking work away from the Garden in that area.

"Geez Squall, whatever do you mean?"

At that moment a shadow appeared behind Seifer, which looked like an outline giant four legged animal, close to a wolf. The glowing yellow eyes from the shadow beast appeared on Seifer's, and both the beast and Seifer smiled in unison.

Then it suddenly vanished.

"You must mean the smoking?" Seifer said immediately after that, "I know it's a bad habit, but what the _hell_, right! We only live once."

Squall just stood there, stunned; "What... Has happened to you?"

Just then, a swarm of Esthar soldiers surrounded Seifer and Squall. Zell, was placed on a stretcher and heading towards the medical unit. The soldiers parted to let President Laguna Loire through with Ward and Kiros by his side.

Laguna smiled warmly at Squall then turned to Seifer,

"So, Seifer, Right?" Laguna scratched the back of his head in apprehensiveness, "I'm Laguna Loire, the President here...And I have to say: Man, you were impressive! But a tad excessive. You see, well—Wow, you know, you're scary up close like this—you didn't seem so eerie and crazy from far! I gotta get those cameras checked to zoom in more!"

Ward, Kiros and Squall shook their heads in shame at Laguna's sophomoric statement, while Seifer just stared at them, dumbfounded. Kiros cleared his throat and walked in front of Laguna, "What our President is trying to say is that your reckless behavior in that last match could have caused a death. We had asked all participants to refrain from excessive violence. Saying this, you violated our rules. We have no choice but to remove, you and the other Soldiers of Vánagandr, from our festivities. Please, leave at once or force maybe used to remove you."

Seifer, smiled and just bowed to Kiros, "I'm oh _so_, very sorry. It shan't happen again. The last thing I would want is a problem with the infamous Esthar." Laughing, Seifer walked over to the group of men and one woman standing on the sidelines, all dressed in dark red coats of the Vánagandr.

Looking back Seifer shouted to Squall, "I'm not mad about Rinoa! You can have my sloppy seconds, anytime!"

Ward, Kiros, and Laguna held Squall back, as he was about to charge after him.

Seifer smiled and signal for his group to leave... and they all did.

They all exited the arena without a word…


	3. Sheena

___***Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters…***All standard disclaimers apply_

* * *

_Zell kept his eyes on Seifer's movements as he walked on to the arena battle ground. The gunblade was powerful, but was slow and bulky, compared to the speed of his marital art capabilities. Zell knew that his speed would be his primary advantage but…the key to winning would lie in 'anticipating' Seifer's attacks. He didn't want to get too caught up in trying to win with speed and end up getting caught in one of Seifer's Fire Cross attacks. _

_Breathing deeply, in and out. Zell stared at his opponent across the way. _

_Three seconds till the ring of the bell to begin the fight…_

_Two seconds…_

_One second…_

_**RINGGGG**_

_Running in full force towards his opponent, Zell attacked in a series of punches and kicks so fluent that it looked more like a graceful dance. Seifer turned his sword and used the flat part of the blade as a shield, using it to take the blows consecutively. Then, out of nowhere, Seifer quickly swung his gunblade in a vertical thrust upward, forcing Zell to break his stance, and Seifer pulled the trigger on his gunblade... A ball of fire flashed instantly…_

_Zell jumped a few yards back, and landed gingerly on his feet, dodging injuries. He sighed at himself in disgrace—He should have seen that coming._

_Extending his sword forward, Seifer grinned in a sardonic manner and stood in an on-guard position before he advanced with great speed that caught Zell by surprise._

_ With the tip of the gunblade, lunging through the air directly towards him, Zell adjusted his combat gloves to show a thick slap of metal on the knuckles with four long spikes protruding from it - he knew metal claws would come in handy for __this fight... Locking his hands into fists, Zell engaged the gunblade, metal to metal._

_Punches combined with the metal claws deflected Seifer attacks in endless parries. The clangs and sparks of metals hammering against one another caused the crowd around them to cheer. That was when Zell realized that if he was going to beat Seifer, let it be in front of an audience. _

_The clangs of metal continued more until Zell's claws and Seifer's gunblade struck so hard at one another that it threw them both back, sliding them towards the opposite ends of the arena. The crowd cheered and applauded as both he and Seifer signaled to the refs that they could continue. _

_As Zell regained his fighting stance, the gripping pain from his left arm was alarming. The vibrations of that blow nearly scattered it._

_That was... Unexpected. _

_Good thing he had pulled the momentum back on that last punch when he did, or else, shards of bone would have been breaking through the skin of his arm about now. Seifer has certainly picked up some interesting moves during his absence, Zell realized. That last attack was executed so well and so fast that blocking or dodging would have been useless. _

_With no time to lose, Zell ran towards the other end of the arena and riposted with an aerial kick at Seifer that sent him flying back a few more yards. Taking advantage of the upper hand, Zell sent an Aero spell immediately, to keep Seifer in mid-air. Zell slid over and continued his magical onslaught__ with the Aero spell's razor winds. _

_Then in a series of moves, Zell took hold of Seifer's arm when the spell was over and slammed him into the ground..._

_The crowd roared._

_Breathing heavily, Zell walked up to Seifer, who was still on the ground...not moving. C__ould it be..? Did that last move finish him off? Zell thought to himself as he reassessed the situation. _

_ After a few moments of motionlessness from his opponent, Zell smiled and looked around at the crowd and raised his fists into the air. The crowd responded by screaming and cheering. _

_Getting into the hype, Zell did a back flip and raised his hands again, letting the praise from the crowd wash over him._

_**BANG**__! _

_A swirl of black clouded energy swept Zell off his feet and slammed him into the arena walls. The impacted knocked the wind of out his lungs, and he sluggishly stood up to see Seifer engulfed in black clouds with an image of some kind large shadow dog or wolf behind him…._

_The shadow beast howled and __whip of energy pierced through Zell's body like a mixture of extreme burning and electrical shock at the same time._

_The blood that poured from his mouth nearly drowned him...and more energy attacks began to surge around him. It took Zell a while to start breathing normally again as managed to cast a Curaga and Shell spell around him. This helped in blocking the next wave of energy attacks._

_Is that a GF? Zell thought as he tried to take a good look at the strange giant animal behind Seifer. But GFs aren't allowed to be used anymore, this was the protocol after that battle with Ultimecia. Using GFs can cause memory lapses in the user. _

_Zell quickly looked up at the judge's panel in disbelief; why aren't they calling a penalty? GFs are not permitted here?! _

_The Shell around him collapse, and Zell jumped and flipped around to dodge more of Seifer's attacks while glancing at the refs who looked…Clueless._

_Without much choice, Zell cast another Shell spell. Realizing the grave circumstances he was in, Zell looked onto a bulky watch-styled device that was anchored to his wrist showing how many spells were retained in his body. He then pressed a button on it, taking all the magic in his body and raised his stat chart. _

_I'm going to have to sacrifice most of magic casting and use it to raise my physical strength, speed and magical resistance, he thought, as he pressed a few more buttons on the large watch-like device. After that was done, he decided to made his way closer to his opponent. _

_Zell wasn't going to do any damage from the mile distance Seifer kept him._

_As black piercing energy surrounded him in funnels that stretched all around the arena, Zell steadily dodged them and was finally able to advance for an attack. His physical attacks had a combination Blizzaga magic now, which had ice forming around his fist. He had this spell in abundance so he used all of it to get a more potent effect. _

_The first punch he laid, didn't touch Seifer at all…Black clouds made out of Demi, Ultima and Lightning magic surrounded and protected Seifer like a shield. The GF twisted above them and the barrier became denser, almost like a cemented wall. _

_Zell began to punch again and again, but the cloud barrier became stronger. _

_This shield can't last forever or it could have a weak spot?! There's only one way to find out! Zell's thoughts grew quiet as he began a full assault on the barrier by using his spells, kicks and punches, with all his strength. _

_He was gonna crack this thing even if it killed him. _

_That's when a surge of adrenaline filled in Zell's body. A rush of euphoric energy over powered him. He knew he reached his limit break._

_A limit break was a brief stage of heighten power caused by a surge of adrenaline when the body was critically fatigued…Probably one of the most important abilities SeeD members must master. It was a reliable technique that was useful in all the major battles he had ever taken part in. _

_Without wasting this fleeting state, Zell began performing some of the most powerful martial arts maneuvers he had mastered. Making every hit and kick count with the power flowed through him in quick burst, and he used every bit of it to his advantage._

_By the time he was nearly done; the barrier collapse under his limit break abilities, and he landed an icy punch across Seifer's face that left shards of icicles across flying the arena. As Seifer's body flew from the attack and landed with a bone breaking thud, the strange GF Shadow that was hovering above cried. Its body seemed to disappear and reappear in flashes, slowly at first then quickly._

_He must be growing weak! HERE IS MY CHANCE! Zell quickly used a spare Aero spell to propel himself forward to finish Seifer off with the last of his limit break._

'_ZELL!'_

_A small familiar voice called his name clearly, loudly._

'_MY ZELL!'_

_The voice seemed to be coming from inside his mind. This was... different. _

'_MY ZELL! PLEASE MY ZELL! DON'T HURT IT ANYMORE.'_

_Zell instantly looked at the sidelines on Seifer's corner. There stood the rest of the red hooded members of Vánagandr. Zell had never seen this group till today and he found it kind of weird that they came all dressed in red hoods that covered their faces._

_Although, there was one member that stood out._

_There in the front, was a red hooded member who was shorter than the others. This person slowly raised their hands to pull back the hood from their face._

'_ZELL, I LOVE YOU.'_

_Zell stop completely. The voice in his head was coming from that person. He knew it, he could feel it, but that voice in his head belonged to that..._

_As red hood fell back, Zell stared in bewilderment. _

'_ZELL, HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING OF ME?'_

"_Sheena?" Zell whispered aloud._

_That voiced belonged to a girl he had met yesterday during the opening celebration festival. She was the girl he accidentally ran into …The girl he danced with…The strange and beautiful girl he kissed… The girl he was constantly thinking about all day._

_A pair of deep blue eyes stared up at him. Her short purple hair framed her pale delicate oval face. Her light pink lips curved in a smile and Zell heard her voice loud and clear in his mind._

'_ZELL, COME WITH ME.'_

_**BAMMM**_

_Without realizing, Seifer arose and hit Zell with a swarm of dark energy which sent him soaring backwards. His face scraped along the area floor and his body sank to the ground. _

_He tasted the mix of blood and dirt on his lips…._

'_ZELL, COME WITH ME! IF YOU WANT THAT POWER! COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THE POWER OF THE VANAGANDR!'_

* * *

Zell awoke startled. Little beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and sat up in an infirmary bed dressed in a hospital gown. His eyes took a few minutes to adjust to the sunlight that was beaming through the windows and he felt his head...It throbbed like hell…

He was _reliving_ the fight with Seifer in his dream.

Shaking his head a little he tried to move some more but his legs were numb, no doubt from the medicine.

_How long have I been here unconscious? What happen to Seifer? And the Soldiers of Vánagandr... why was Sheena able to…_

"Zell?!"

"Zell, you're awake!"

Both Quistis and Selphie walked into his room and ran to his bedside.

With his eyes sensitive to the light, Zell squinted at them, "How long have I been here?"

"Two days!" Selphie held up two fingers and nodded, "I was afraid you slipped in some kind of coma."

Quistis took a seat on a nearby stool. Her posture was impeccable as always and her long blond hair was somewhat disheveled in a misshaped bun. She wore a simple blue Esthar sweat suit that was given to the participants of the Battle Arena. Her sky-blue eyes were red under her small framed glasses.

This wasn't like Quistis at all. Selphie also looked exhausted.

"What happened after I passed out?" Zell asked.

The two girls looked at one other, then Quistis explained how Squall engaged Seifer and how the Vánagandr was ask to leave by Kiros.

Listening intensely, Zell fell back on the bed very agitated with Quistis' story.

"So, Squall had to come to my defense in the end?" Zell asked after Quistis finished up the summary of the past two days.

Kneeling down beside his bed Selphie smiled and placed her hand on his forehead, "Maybe at the end. He wanted to make sure you were being tended to without Seifer interfering, but, honesty….You performed fantastically in the beginning!"

Quistis nodded, with a reassuring smile, "Indeed! That was some of the best fighting throughout the tournament! You should be proud."

Zell sighed at their words...

_Quistis and Selphie both say I did so well, although, Squall had to rescue me! What kind of bullshit was that?! __Am I a loser the way Seifer painted me? Can I do nothing on my own?! Win on my own?! Can I be the f'ing hero for once?! Dammit! This doesn't make any sense! Seifer and I should be at around the same level, skill wise, so what the hell happened?!_

Then he remembered that shadow GF thing Seifer had equipped on himself. It hovered above made out of black clouds of energy. What the hell _was_ that? In all his time as a SeeD member, Zell had seen some crazy shit before—things ordinary people couldn't imagine— but this GF had to be in the top ten, downright strangest things he had even seen. That whole experience was peculiar, _even_ for Seifer_, _who had always been involved in strange crap in the past. Zell recalled the time when Seifer joined up with the crazy Sorceress from the future, Ultimecia, living out his romantic dream of being a knight or whatever.

Seifer had always been, somewhat, delusional.

Thinking about the fight, Zell thought about the mysterious GF in great detail. That creature _was_ different. Was it even a GF? It seemed like one but more powerful... But in any case, why didn't the referees call out a penalty?! GF or not, things like that weren't allowed in that tournament.

Then there was Sheena. Was she actually a member of the Soldiers of Vánagandr? When he met her the day before the tournament, something drew him to her, something he couldn't explain. She seemed so frail and innocent. Could she be really be another one of Seifer's lackeys? And why didn't she say anything about being a member of the Vánagandr?!

It would have been nice if she mentioned that little detail!

All these questions left his head pounding. The sharp pains stabbed at the crown of his head.

Quistis examined Zell slowly, "You seem a little out of it. "

"Out of _it_, is putting it lightly."

"Maybe we should call the doc?" Selphie walked to the phone that was perched up to the wall next to the door. But Zell just raised his hand up to stop her.

"Nah, I'm fine now."

"You're sure?" She asked, not looking convinced.

"Yeah I'm cool, though, I'm pissed as hell." Zell's hand balled up in to a fist as he hit the mattress, "Damn that Seifer! And why didn't the refs call out a penalty for that GF thing Seifer had on him! I thought those things weren't authorized in the tournament!"

Selphie and Quistis looked at one another as if there was something they weren't telling him. Zell had known the two girls for a long while, especially Quistis since she was an instructor. Both were acting odd—eyeing each other as though they were silently debating amongst themselves. Quistis turned to Zell when she was done with the staring contest.

"About that...We didn't see any GF."

"WHAT?" Zell jumped up in his bed, "ARE YOU KIDDING?! THE THING WAS HUGE! THERE WAS NO WAY YOU COULD'VE MISSED IT."

Gently Quistis stroked his hand, "Trust me, we believe you. However—here let me show you."

Reaching for a remote on the nightstand, Quistis turned on the television. Zell slouched back. He watched the screen and saw himself as he was fighting Seifer.

"Nearly every official had been watching this footage, including our group." Quistis explained as she fast forwarded the video, "See here? Was this when you encountered that GF?"

Looking at the video, Zell could see himself casting Shell on himself in defense, "Yeah! I was protecting myself against from weird energy attacks. That shit could have killed me if I did nothing— wait a minute –- what the hell?! "

Now he could see what Quistis was talking about. The video captured him and Seifer but nothing of that GF. Zell's jaw dropped as he saw himself attacking the shield that protected Seifer, however the video didn't show that black clouded barrier. As a matter of fact, it looked like he was attacking thin air several feet away from Seifer.

"What kind of bullshit is this?! I was trying to break Seifer's defenses! He had some kind of barrier around him powered by the GF. Surely you guys saw something of it?!"

"Zell, no one saw it. It looked like you were striking at nothing towards the end there..." Selphie whispered watching the video, "But it was obvious to us experienced fighters that you were encountering something... We just couldn't see what it was. I mean, at first it looked like Seifer was using some kind of weird telekinesis. What about you Quisty? "

"Yes..."

Zell grabbed the remote from Quistis, slamming the rewind button to the parts he had, for sure, seen the GF. "What the hell is going on? It was right there!"

His head was swimming at this point. Not only did he lose to Seifer, but no one saw him facing that hellish demonic looking GF?! No one saw the funnels of dark energy he dodged that nearly smashed him to bits! No one saw him breaking down that monster barrier filled with concentrated clouds of Ultima and Demi magic and was super charged up with lightning!

_Are you kidding me?!_ Zell thought to himself in disbelief.

He couldn't believe it! He probably performed some of the best techniques used in hand combat SeeD history during that encounter! And the only thing people saw, was him, casting magic for no reason! Jumping here and there and attacking an empty space like some kind of moron!

There was a knock at the door and Squall walked in carrying a large leather-bound book.

"Squall, Zell seems to be okay now." Quistis told him as he walked to the bed, "I showed him the video of the fight. He says that it _was_ a GF Seifer was using against him."

Quickly Squall opened the book he had in his hands and showed Zell the first page that had a pencil sketch drawing on it.

"Was this the '_GF'_ you saw?" Squall inquired simply. "I started to draw this after the match. I've been adding whatever details of what I can remember these last few days."

Zell's eyes followed the lines and shades of the creature Squall illustrated. This was definitely it. "Yes! So you _did_ see it while I was fighting Seifer?!"

"Not exactly" Squall sighed and sat down on a chair near the window, "I didn't see it in combat during your match, but I did notice it when I was facing Seifer while the medics were tending to you. He seemed to draw it out of himself like a GF, but this is no ordinary Guardian Force. It seemed really unstable; the energy around it was erratic. I guess it can hide itself from spectators but not to its opponent."

"It reveals itself to its target only?" Quistis ventured. "Could that be its weakness?"

"I would say so, if it's _supposed_ to be invisible." Selphie answered, "Maybe it needs some growing to do before everyone can admire its ..." Selphie skipped to the window and looked down at the drawing Squall had in his hands, "..._Hellish_ beauty? Squall, what say you?"

"I feel it's too premature for speculation. Zell will need to write up a report on the abilities and magic it uses and we can make theories from there. What I want to know is...How Seifer got his hands on something like that? And did he plan to use it to win a simple tournament...?"

"Or maybe he planned to attack Esthar from the inside?" Zell added.

"I thought that at first but the Vánagandr left Esthar's boarders so compliantly, almost like, they didn't want to start any trouble... Well in any case, Dr. Odine is curious about creature after I explained what I saw to him. So now, it has been decided that the Esthar government is going to apply some pressure on the Vánagandr when the Esthar Festival is officially over next week. They want to get some answers on what it is."

"What about us?" Zell asked with a hint on anger in his voice, "Balamb SeeDs? Aren't we going to be involved in the integrations? I don't know about you guys, but, I want some answers from Seifer myself."

Quistis shook her head. "Negative. We are needed back at Balamb as soon as you are well enough to travel. Headmaster's orders." she said a matter-of-factly, "This situation falls under Esthar jurisdiction, per Laguna. Any information they get will be reported to us. In the meantime, get some more rest. Trust me you're going to need it."

Zell glared at her suspiciously, "Why?"

"The Garden Alliance Administration Board is trying to suspend you and revoke your SeeD license." Squall said, crossing his arms in a relaxing manner, "As of right now, I'm issuing you a summons to report to the Balamb Garden Administration office two days from now at 0800."

"ON WHAT GROUNDS?!" Zell shouted, completely blindsided.

Selphie stamped her feet on the floor, "Squall! Couldn't you have waited until he has fully recovered before hitting him with that?!"

"They want to suspend you for violations of CF-00014527." Quistis explained.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!"

"Improper use of your abilities during your last match," slowly Quistis removed her glasses and rubbed her forehead with frustration, "I've been reviewing the videos of your match with Seifer for two days straight...Damn... If I could only find a glimpse of that GF, I could organize a failsafe defense to show the Galbadia chair members that you weren't using your abilities uncontrollably."

It didn't take long for Zell to add up what Quistis was saying. It all began to make some sense.

_The tournament was televised globally, so everyone saw it._ _The Galbadia chair members pretty much think I'm inept! _

The thought almost made him burst out laughing but Zell was sensible enough not to. He was completely aware of the seriousness of the situation.

_Inept...__ No matter how absurd that sounds, I did appear like an incompetent ass using my best moves against something no one could see. Now they think I'm incapable...or nuts._

"Quistis," Squall said while looking out the window at Esthar City. "It doesn't matter if you come up with a fantastic defense...You know as well as I do that since the Galbadia government claimed control over the old Galbadia Garden, they've been trying to discredit Balamb Garden for months! They still feel raw about the day we kicked their asses. You remember? When Ultimecia had Galbadia declared war on the Gardens and sent in those soldiers to attack us?"

"Well, what were we supposed to do? Turn ourselves in? Be like _'Here, takes us!_''' Selphie laughed.

"The students did wonderfully that day." Quistis had a look of nostalgia in her eyes. "Even the young cadets—I'm sorry Squall please continue."

"Well, now they're calling us a walking time bomb; saying that no private organization should have as much power as we do and claiming that we're hiding top secret information for Esthar—blah, blah, blah, blah." Squall leaned back in his chair and shrugged, "Truth is, our cadets and SeeD members in the Balamb Garden make Galbadia Military look like low ranking security guards."

He then looked at them. A grave expression washed over his face. "The new Galbadia leader aims to have all the other Gardens in his control, and Balamb is next on the list. This is what Headmaster Cid thinks. And this was why, he and Matron, created the Garden Alliance Administration Board. Cid wants to prove to all the leaders of the continents that Balamb Garden is not threat, and also, we have nothing to hide from anybody! That's why he invited all the leaders - including Galbadia's - to send envoys to participate in Balamb Garden affairs as chair members. It was supposed to be a friendly diplomatic solution. Usually, Cid and Edea stay politically neutral; however, Galbadia was making everyone think that we were trying to take over the world or something. It couldn't be helped."

"Galbadia wants to get as much dirt on us as possible..." Zell thought aloud, "This way they could convince the board members that _all_ the Gardens will be best handled if it was regulated with the '_new and improved'_ Galbadia government...And now, my last match just gave them reason to question Balamb SeeD combatants...Dammit!"

"Zell, they are looking for any little thing in hopes to discredit us, so it's not your fault." Selphie said reassuringly, "Heck, if one of us was to slip on a banana peel, they would try to suspend us on grounds of incompetence! You did what you had to in order to survive. That GF thing could have killed you. Yes, it did look a little strange, because we couldn't see it; but I'm sure we can prove that you aren't crazy! You're one of Balamb's best SeeD members."

Zell sighed, "Seifer and the Vánagandr are up to something with this new GF and now we have the New Galbadia government to worry about! They're watching our every move! Making reports of any slip-ups."

"We're all living under microscopes" Quistis looked around at everyone, "And fighting will be difficult. We can no longer use our old GFs. They have been banned from use because of the side effects that cause us to lose memories." She looked down at the large bulky black watch-like device that was implanted on her wrist, "We have these things that Odine has made for us...this Artificial Junction System—the AJS. So we can still draw, junction magic to increase our physical abilities and cast magic spells like before, but they're so..._New_...They could have defects."

Squall nodded and began examining AJS device on his wrist." I don't trust this thing. I rather have the old GFs and the old Junction System."

"It's only temporary Squall, until Odine can find another way for use to GFs without affecting our memories" Selphie frowned at him. "I'm sure you don't want to lose your memories with Rinoa! So don't go running off with a GF when we're not looking."

Squall smiled at her, "Of course I won't. There is a lot going on around us, so now is not the time for reckless behavior. In any case, let's get back to Balamb as soon as Zell is well enough too."

"Oh, I'm ready!" Zell raised his hand, "I want to get out of this infirmary as soon as possible!"

"Very well," Squall signaled to Quistis and Selphie, "Can you two make travel arrangement and inform the Headmaster that we are on our way? I want to talk to Laguna about something. Let's all meet at the Esthar City boarder in two hours."

Everyone nodded.

As soon as Squall and the others left his room, Zell contacted the doctors for releases papers.

_Squall's right. There are a lot of things happen all around...We all have to work together...But Sheena? What to do about her? Should I tell the others about her? I mean, she was talking telepathically into my mind during the match! She's probably a sorceress...A sorceress and a Solider of Vánagandr._

The mix left a sour taste in his mouth...

He sat back in his bed waiting for the doctors and he thought about her. A great debate warred in his mind whether or not he should mention her to the others; though, he already knew the answer. He wanted to handle this matter on his own.

After all, he was fond of Sheena. He couldn't deny that he had felt something when he met her—what it was, he could not say—But when her voice echoed in his head the words: I love you, he couldn't help but feel a stir upon his heart. He only spent a day with her in Esthar City—the day before the tournament... She was unique. They had ran into each other that morning and they spent the whole day together. At first he didn't know why he was so drawn to her...In all honesty, she wasn't his type, but he found himself following her, flattering her, praising her and he didn't even know her.

Could it be love at first sight? Well if it was, he wouldn't know. He as much as he wanted to, he didn't exactly believe in that kind of stuff happening to him in real-life! He didn't have _that_ kind of luck.

But. Maybe. If he was able to speak with her... He could get some more information on the Vánagandr and convince her to come to Balamb. It was hard for him to believe that such a girl would be involved in a group like that, voluntarily...She could be in some kind of trouble...

_ Balamb Garden will keep her safe. However, her tone was more set on my joining up with her. _He found himself trying to concentrate on the things she told him, telepathically.

"She asked me to go with her..." He said aloud to himself, "If I wanted the power of the Vánagandr..."

Zell stared up at the white tiled celling. Alone. With all his thoughts.

"What does that mean...?"

_. _


End file.

Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X-2, Adventure, Romance