(a/n: Last chapter! Eep!)

***

Chapter Eleven- Underneath It All

***

            "This is bad. This is very, very bad," Zell muttered over and over again to the other two SeeD with him. One tapped her foot impatiently, while the other examined his gun. They had been waiting for an hour for the results from the trial, but they hadn't expected Selphie to become harmed in the process. The paper that Zell held read that she had been expelled alongside Seifer, and that he, surprisingly, had been the one who confessed.

            "He loves her," Quistis said, her voice almost detached. "Oh...I thought I had him all figured out but..."

            "Yeah...wonder how she feels about it," Irvine said, softly. "She probably hates him. Man...Just thinking about what he could have done...or could be doing to her..." He shook his head, and got up quickly from a burst of rage. "He's not SeeD. I could easily blow his brains out if I wanted to."

            "You were the one who cheated on her," Quistis reminded the Galbadian. "And what if she feels the same way towards him?"

            Irvine began to laugh, and Zell chuckled a bit before blanching.

            "Hey...man, Quis, I think you're right! I mean, with Squall's plan and everything..." The plan the Balamb Garden commander had formulated was deceitful, and strange for the likes of him, but he had realized something that the others hadn't. Zell knew too, after having a rather disturbing memory resurface. The mission regarding Laguna's assassination, and Cid's plan to have Selphie help Seifer was only the ignition to get Squall's plan going. There was no way a friend of theirs was going to fall into the infamous Almasy trap. Bizarre reasoning stated that it was better for her just fall into a Leonhart one.

            "Man...I hate closets," Zell suddenly moaned, clutching his head. Quistis and Irvine looked at one another, then shrugged.

            "You know that this is your fault," Quistis said in a low, yet deadly voice, to Irvine. She looked over her glasses to cast him a cold glare. "You were the one that suggested to the Esthar Officials why the mission must have failed."

            "Yeah well...she's in love with Seifer," Irvine said in his defense. "Who knows, maybe she's plotting to kill us all with him. Hey...I saved you guys!"

            "We have someone else to save." Quistis checked her watch and smiled to herself. " Now, let's get to business, shall we?"

***

            "Pleasant memories here," Seifer muttered, veering the rental car sharply to the right. Selphie squealed as she slid onto the door, her head connecting rather painfully with the window.

            "Do you even know how to drive?" she shouted when the car was once more traveling on four wheels. Seifer looked away from the road to grin at her before hitting some Imps, which were resting along the sand. His wife gave a deep sigh, deciding to focus more on re-junctioning her newly bought Strange Vision.

            "So, Seifer, what are you planning to do after you save Squall?" Selphie asked, hoping to be casual. There was a hidden intention for him to reveal what she prayed to be a commitment to her, but as the thought ran through her head, it seemed ridiculous.

            Seifer shrugged, starting to drive more sanely. He was silent for a while, most likely brooding, until he coughed and answered.

            "Well...SeeD is through...I guess I'm going to move, maybe work someplace in Deling."

            "Oh."

            Normally, she would have fought with him until he told her the truth of where they stood with one another, but she was just too tired to care. There was no use -this was Seifer, and she couldn't change him no matter how hard she tried. She could only hold onto the memory of him, and hope that her heart could survive on that. The feeling of being used never came to her, because she knew he cared about her. He was just too young. There was too much waiting for him, and maybe for her too.

            "So in a year, we'll see each other again," Selphie said, referring to their divorce. "I'll miss you."

            Seifer was silent again, still staring at the road. After a few moments, his voice broke through.

            "Didn't I tell you that I love you?" he asked, casting an almost annoyed look at Selphie. "I'm not going to give up on us that easily."

            "Does that mean...?"

            Seifer became almost startled by the hopeful gaze of Selphie, and he quickly looked back to the road. Luckily, this was just in time before he smashed into what looked like a motorcycle. He veered to the side and stopped the car. It became silent and neither of them moved. Finally, Seifer got out of the car and walked to where the motorcycle was.

            It was impressive, the newest design to grace Deling and Esthar. Somehow, though, he could tell who it belonged to. On the sides ran red flames and there was a mirror between the handles. None of the models he had seen had those designs. It seemed too petty for a hardcore rider. And considering that no one who lived in Esthar could afford it, it had to belong to...

            "Vanessa!" Selphie shouted. Furrowing his brows, Seifer turned to the midget who stood behind him to see her holding a tiny red backpack. "It was halfway buried in the sand and belongs to Vanessa."

            "What's in it?" Seifer asked, meeting with Selphie. She handed the bag to him and he rummaged. There wasn't much interesting, other than her wallet and Squall's necklace.

            "She probably wanted to send it to Laguna," Selphie said, referring to the necklace. "Maybe after, she would start to send Squall piece by piece." She let out a small giggle and Seifer shook his head.

            "You're morbid," he commented, and then pocketed some of Vanessa's money. Her wallet hurt his eyes, being a metallic purple color and probably a weapon when placed in the sun. He threw it behind him, back into the sand where it belonged.

            "So, where do we go from here?" Selphie asked, placing her hands on her hips and angling her head to the side.

            "Well, if her crap is here, then she has to be around," Seifer analyzed. He took a quick glance around, but was irritated that everything which greeted him was sand. "Maybe she was eaten by a sandworm..."

            "Oh no, that means Squall was eaten too!" Selphie gasped, and she covered her mouth in mock horror. "Whatever will we do without our heinously boring commander?"

            "Actually something," Seifer muttered, smirking. His eyes met Selphie's, yet only remained focused on her for a moment before something near Selphie's leather boot caught his attention. He walked a few steps toward Selphie and then crouched down where he brushed away some sand. As he suspected, there was more metal from the shining bit he had seen. Noticing that Seifer was on to something, Selphie joined him in uncovering whatever the metal object was. After ten minutes of digging deeply into the sand, roughly ten centimeters, they had revealed what seemed to be an underground door.

            "Who'd've thought," Selphie said, running her forearm against her forehead and sighing. "..I'm thirsty."

            "There's probably something in there," Seifer replied. He placed his hands on the handles and began to pull upward. The door only moved slightly. "Midget, a little help?"

            Selphie kicked Seifer in the shin so abruptly that he cried out and fell to the sand, clutching his aching leg. Ignoring the dirty look sent from him, Selphie decided to open the door herself. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle and she took in a deep breath before pulling with a surge of power. Surprisingly, her strength was so great that she flew backward when the door fully opened.

            Seifer gawked at the opened door, and Selphie wore a triumphant smile.

            "Well?" she asked, and swept a hand over what appeared to be a stone stairway. Seifer got up and peered over Selphie's head at the hole, which to him resembled a bottomless pit.          

            "H-how about you go in first?" he said and gave Selphie a slight nudge. She cast a quizzical look to Seifer over her shoulder but shrugged passively.

            "Fine," she said and began to walk down. She had descended six steps before she realized that Seifer was still behind her. "What are you waiting for?"

            "Nothing!" Seifer snapped defensively. Squinting, Selphie noticed that Seifer was blushing furiously. Unable to contain her smile, Selphie also let out a small laugh in disbelief.

            "Are you afraid?" she asked, taking a step upward.

            "Of course not!" Seifer took two wavering steps down the stairs, but then stopped and leaned against the cement wall. He took in a few shuddering breaths and glared at Selphie. "Are you happy now?"

            "You're so cute!" Selphie exclaimed. "Let me help you. With my protection, you'll have nothing to worry about!"

            "Or it could be the other way around," Seifer mumbled, but he gave no resistance as Selphie latched herself onto his arm. Together, they descended the stairs and once at the bottom, Se ifer was surprised that he didn't feel afraid even once. His mind had been occupied with wondering why it seemed as if Selphie was not afraid of anything.

            Selphie let out a low whistle as she surveyed the floor, and placed her hands on her hips. There were six tunnels, none seeming any different than the last. Seifer glanced at each, wondering what was awaiting at the end of every one.

            "Let's just split up and check each tunnel," Selphie suggested, making her way to the tunnel on the far right.

            "And what if one of us doesn't come back?"

            Selphie frowned. "Since when do you worry?"

            "I-I don't!" he stammered. "It's just that the last thing I want to do is go running after you once you're attacked."

            "Fine, we'll go together. Now the question is...which one should we pick?"

            The pair stared at each of the tunnels for a good while.     

            "If I were a psychotic kidnapper, which one would lead to my hideout...?" Selphie wondered out loud. Her eyes scanned the room before resting on Seifer. Suddenly, a bell chimed in her head. "Hey, you've kidnapped people, not to mention been psychotic!"

            Selphie was oblivious to the acidic look Seifer was sending her.

            "Did you have to bring that up?"  Seifer asked between gritted teeth. Selphie nodded with an adorable smile on her face.

            "Mm-hmm! Just pick a tunnel. If something kills us, you can blame me!"   

            Sighing, Seifer decided to do as Selphie wished, if just to keep her quiet. He lifted a hand and pointed to the second tunnel from the left.

            "Alrightly then!"

            Without hesitation, Selphie bolted into the dark tunnel and in a moment, she was gone. Seifer stared at where she had disappeared into before grumbling and following her. As he trudged through the dark corridor, he wished that Selphie were still with him. The darkness had always been a fear for him, especially when he was surrounded by walls. At the moment, the tunnel seemed endless and the walls were gradually closing in on him.

            "Seifer! You were right!"

            "Auuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!"

            The impact of Selphie slamming into him for what he perceived to be a hug caused them both to crash onto the cement floor. Seifer groaned as Selphie eased off of him, and wondered why there were so many spots in front of his eyes.

            "I can't believe you got knocked over by me," Selphie said with a half smile. After she stood up, she held out a hand for Seifer to take. However, her partner ignored the gesture.

            Seifer stood up to see light pouring through the ceiling a few meters away. The pair made their way to the destination, noticing a ladder leading up to an exit where the light streamed through. Naturally, Seifer suggested that Selphie go up first and was smacked in the face as a reply.

            "You're going to look up my skirt!" Selphie shouted, and then placed her hands on her butt as if to protect herself. Seifer rolled his eyes, mumbling something about catching her in case she fell as he began to climb the ladder.

            Both of them had been expecting to be reacquainted with the harsh desert storm, but instead, they were shocked to find themselves within a modern looking room. It resembled the stereotypical villain's hideout to such an extent that simultaneously, Seifer and Selphie groaned.

            "We're professionals...!" Selphie moaned as she inspected the room. It had the large computer panels lining the walls, as in the now destroyed Missile Base, and ... a vanity mirror with the works in the corner.

            "Are you still willing to run off with me to Fisherman's Horizon?" Seifer asked after making his own inspection of the room. "I heard they make great Salmon Cakes."

            "You know we have to find Squall!" Selphie scolded. "He's obviously not in here."

            Seifer whistled, as one would when trying to call a dog. "Here boy, here Squall!"

            "Can you ever stop?" Selphie asked, turning around with her hands on her hips. However, Seifer had a greater reaction than she expected. His eyes had widened and one hand had moved toward the handle of his gunblade.

            Selphie remained deathly still, and as a result, she could feel it. There was the blade of a sword underneath her chin.

            "Took you long enough," bitterly retorted the familiar voice of Vanessa from behind Selphie. An arm suddenly wrapped around the smaller woman's body and the sword inched closer to her flesh.

            "I would hate to use 'Fire Cross' on you," Seifer said, slowly drawing out his gunblade. However, Vanessa seemed unperturbed. In fact, she smiled.

            "And burn your pretty gal pal?" Vanessa asked, and in reaction, Selphie shuddered. This woman's colloquial language was too much to bear.

            "How about an exchange?" Seifer asked. With a loud clatter, his gunblade fell to the floor. Vanessa's eyes flickered to the fallen weapon, and in that moment, the sword fell enough inches to give Seifer an opening.

            "Idiot," Seifer said before shouting, "Blizzaga!". In the time that Vanessa remained frozen, Selphie took the opportunity to artfully move from her without having the sword slice her neck. When the magic had done its damage, Vanessa staggered and then cast hate filled eyes onto the pair of SeeDs.

            "Clever," she said, except there was something different about her tone. It was missing her usual girly flare and instead had become cold and as if from someone else.     "I'm through with this. It doesn't seem like Laguna is taking me seriously, so perhaps in order to open his eyes, I should send his son to him -piece by piece."

            "Gross!" Selphie cried out, scrunching her nose. "If you do that, Squall will be rotting away inside your lair -or whatever you call it."

            "I'm sick of listening to you," Vanessa said and held out one hand. "Flare."

            By the time the magic had faded, Vanessa had made her escape into an elevator to the right of them.

            "Well, there's only one way to follow her," Seifer said, picking up his gunblade. He strolled to one of the locked doors and held up his weapon. "Fire Cross."

            A flaming cross became inscribed on the door and with it, the metal broke into four separate pieces. The pair gingery stepped over the melted metal and found themselves in another large room, this time with all the different levels visible to them. About two floors up, Vanessa was running behind the railing. She didn't seem to notice them and disappeared through a set of doors.

            "How are we going to get up there?" Selphie asked, trying not to look over the railing. There seemed to be a bottomless pit below them. "Oh, this is too creepy!"

            "GF?" In an instant, Seifer had summoned Pandemona and had then swept in an unpleasant gust of wind to their desired floor. The rest of the way, Seifer burned and slashed a path to where they assumed Vanessa had gone.

            Seifer suddenly stopped before a closed door. When Selphie was about to ask why he had halted, her answer came. The door slid open and Squall stood in front of it with Vanessa behind him.

            "You may be able to fight me," she said. "But what about your own comrade?"

            Squall fluently drew his gunblade and held it in front of him. However, Vanessa was surprised when not just Seifer smirked, but Selphie as well.

            "You don't know me very well, do you?" Seifer said, putting down his gunblade. As Squall pulled his arm back to attack, Vanessa was shocked to see Seifer duck and punch Squall squarely in the face. Grinning as Squall fell, he shook his hand and turned to Selphie.

            "I've always wanted to do that."

            "You people are insane!" Vanessa cried out, taking a step back. She was ready to dash but Selphie had already caught on to her intent. Quickly, Selphie swung her nunchaku and nailed Vanessa on the back of the head. Then, she fell just as easily as Squall.

~~~

            "That was too easy," Seifer bragged, crossing his arms and looking smug. He nodded at Zell, who shook his head in disgust and continued to chain Vanessa to the seat. Squall was also sitting in one of passenger seats of the Ragnarok with Quistis, an ice pack on his nose which had miraculously not broken.

            "Seifer, you're such a bastard..." Squall muttered, glaring at his savior.

            "I know," Seifer said. "But it takes one to know one, right?"

            "How can you call him a bastard?" Selphie demanded, stalking up to Squall. Currently, they were all waiting outside the entrance to Vanessa's lair as the SeeDs cleaned out her belongings. "We save your deceitful, evil, love-hating ass and all you can do is call Seifer a bastard?"

            Seifer held on to Selphie's shoulders with little effort to prevent her from attacking the bewildered Commander.

            "Forget him," Seifer said, his eyes boring viciously into Squall's. " He's not worth it."

            "Yes, he is!" Selphie protested. " He is, is, is!"

            Forced to carry Selphie over his shoulders, he managed to resist five minutes of her screaming until he set her down in the hanger.

            "I'm sorry," she said, brushing strands of her bagns out of her eyes. "He just makes me so mad!"

            "Now you see why I disliked him for so many years," Seifer muttered. "Anyway, we have to go back to Garden before--"

            "I really didn't believe it."

            Abruptly, Seifer stopped talking and turned around. Selphie could feel her head spinning from being held upside down for so long, but she forced herself to crane her neck to the side to see who had spoke, although she should have known.

            "Hey Rin!" Selphie called out, trying to wave a hand. Rinoa smiled back and ran up to the pair.

            "Shouldn't you be with Squall?"  Seifer asked, last seeing the lone wolf talking quietly to Quistis.

            "Oh, he'll be fine," Rinoa said, in a dismissive tone. "Besides, he hates it when I pay attention to him. What I do want to know is...how did this happen! I mean, between you two. It's just too weird."

            "Seifer, can you put me down?" Selphie called out before Seifer could give Rinoa some smart mouth answer. For once, he placed her gently on her feet, and after the blood rushed out of her head, she responded to Rinoa's question.       

            "Didn't you know about it?" Selphie asked. "Squall and Zell found about two months ago. And Squall even- mmph!"

            Seifer's hand cut Selphie off as it clamped over her mouth. In her ear, he whispered, "I don't think we should tell her."

            "What did Squall do? Why didn't he tell me?" Rinoa looked frantically from Seifer to Selphie, one who glared at her to leave, and the other who tried to smile through having a hand over her mouth.

            "The sweet and sour pair," Irvine commented as he entered the room. Seifer removed his hand from Selphie, and they both sighed collectively. "But two wrongs don't always make a right. You guys are way too different to be together. I mean, you guys probably even fight about what to do on a date!"

            "We don't 'date'," Seifer said, disgusted. "We're not adolescents."

            What he didn't notice was how Selphie pouted. She didn't mind dates, and it was awfully weird that they had never been on one.

            "Yeah, and you're with Selphie?" Irvine laughed for a bit, and Rinoa couldn't help but to let out a chuckle of her own.

            "Not to mention that she's more than a foot shorter than you," Rinoa pointed out. "From the back, a person could mistake you two for father and daughter."

            "Yeah, how do you two kiss?" Irvine asked, frowning.       

            "I'm outta here," Seifer said, unwilling to have his personal life cross examined by a pair of twits. After he left the hanger, Rinoa's eyes widened and she turned to Selphie.

            "I still don't know how you put up with him," she said, crossing her arms. "He's a lot more anal than when we were dating."

            Selphie frowned at Rinoa's comment and was prepared to follow Seifer. However, she stopped herself, deciding that he probably wanted to be alone. It was a bit ironic, though. She wanted to be with him.           

***

           

             Why, out of the two of them, did she have to realize that they were not right for one another? They were right, Quistis, Squall, Zell, Irvine, and Rinoa. Nothing was in common between the two,  and they couldn't have looked more awkward together.

            Selphie thought back to everything that had happened between them and how they constantly fought. His callous attitude did hurt her at times and she was sure that her optimism was just as aggravating to him. He couldn't listen to orders, while she followed them diligently. She tried to make friends with everyone, while Seifer enjoyed having enemies.

            But despite their differences, Selphie couldn't imagine a life without him. Seifer's contrasting nature complimented hers, and their being complete opposites of a spectrum made them perfect for one another. For light, there was always darkness. For sweet, there was always sour.

            "So you've been here this entire time."

            Selphie turned around to see Seifer leaning in the doorway of her dorm room.         

            "Well, this is my room..." she replied, laughing a bit afterward. That laugh, though, soon turned to a sneeze, and Selphie quickly whipped out a tissue. "It's about time I got sick from everything..." She gave a weak smile to Seifer, who in turn raised a brow.

            "Yeah, you were always the weak one."

            Hastily, Selphie reached down to her bed and threw a pillow in Seifer's face. Being startled from this attack, he slammed into the wall and caused Selphie to start laughing, although her giggles turned into sneezes.

             Seifer kicked the pillow on the floor, looking at it with a mixture of disdain and amusement. He seemed to be immersed in thought, which he had been doing recently, and only looked up when Selphie called out his name.

            "Are you okay?"

            "Of course," Seifer said with a slight sneer. "I can take a pillow in the face from a weakling."

            "Ugh, you'll never change." Frowning, Selphie fell onto her bed and wondered whether being home had transformed Seifer into the same arrogant person he was before. But did she really want to rid Seifer of who he was? She had to admit, she liked it when he acted off of his emotions, and mouthed off people, especially Squall. It was amusing. Besides, she was used to his insults now -they did a slim amount of damage to her.

            "And neither will you," Seifer said, in an odd, almost detached voice. Selphie rolled to her side to see him fiddling with one of her troll dolls. He began to swing the figure by its large hair, and before Selphie could tell him to stop, its head  left its small body and went flying onto Selphie. The head landed perfectly onto her stomach.

            "Seifer, you killed it!!!" Selphie screamed, holding the decapitated head of her childhood toy. Seifer, though, seemed amused. He was repressing laughter until he noticed how upset Selphie was.

            "Hey, it's just a ... what is it, again?"

            Selphie sighed, and got up to stop Seifer from damaging any more of her things. After Seifer handed her the head of the doll, Selphie turned around so her back was to him. She stared at the head, and then threw it with animosity at the window by her bed. Crossing her arms, she closed her eyes and wished that everything would be as it was before. That the future was non-existent and only the present mattered and that she and Seifer could overcome everything keeping them apart. But perhaps they were too different for one another; polar opposites.

            "Selphie." There was a pause, Seifer waiting for Selphie to turn around. However, she remained stationary. Taking a deep breath in, Seifer continued. "I'm leaving tonight."

            At the thought of being abandoned by the person she cared for most, Selphie turned around and was about to grab onto Seifer's arms, but stopped herself.

            "Where?"

            "Galbadia, maybe Deling," he said, his attention on the window. It was dusk, and the hues of the setting sun set a wash of pink and orange across the endless sky. "I'm still in SeeD, it's just that I'll be operating from wherever I go. I can't stay here." On the last words, Seifer closed his eyes and shook his head as if in anguish.

            Selphie took in a shuddery breath and reached out with one hand. "This is your decision?"

            "Yes."

            "And me?"

            Before Seifer could speak, Selphie began to cry, and Seifer pulled her small body into his arms.

            "I need you," she whispered against his dark shirt. "I don't care what everyone thinks. I need you so much..."

            "Look, just stop crying. I wanted to give you something."

            Angered by Seifer's harsh tone, Selphie pushed herself away from him and marched to her bed where she sat down heavily.

            "A going away present?" she demanded, glaring at the floor.

            "Yeah...and I kinda wanted my necklace back, too."

            "Fine!"  

            For a moment, Selphie considered the thought of ripping the necklace straight off of her neck, but instead, she reached to the back of her neck and took it off the non-destructive way.

            "Here," she said in a venomous tone and threw the necklace at Seifer. He caught it effortlessly, hardly having to move out of his reach, and then pocketed it in his trench coat. Selphie was prepared to force him to leave, but as swiftly as Seifer had caught the necklace, he tossed an object back to her.

            Selphie did not have as great coordination as Seifer, therefore she was forced to lean over in order to grab the black box. In the end, she fell over from leaning at such a great angle, but she did have the box in her grasp.

            Sitting on the floor, Selphie stared at the box, her blood pounding in her ears. It couldn't be possible...and she certainly did not want to get her hopes up. Briefly, she looked up at Seifer, who was fiddling with her dolls again. He looked awfully nervous. Normally, she would have offered him one of her snide comments, but obviously it was inappropriate at the moment.

            The box was beginning to feel heavy in her hands. A part of her wanted to cry out in irritation -she wanted to know what was inside of it, but did not have the courage to find out.

            "Well, I'm going," Seifer said, placing one of her dolls down, one that was dressed in a bridal gown. It had been Selphie's favorite doll when she was little; it was the only one she had before she left the orphanage.

            "Are you taking the train?" Selphie asked, clutching onto the box and struggling with whether to open it or not.

            "Yeah."

            With that last word, Seifer left her room. Selphie was hardly surprised, although a part of her wished he would have at least said some sort of farewell. Timidly, she looked at the box again, and then at the door where Seifer had exited through. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to look, she pried the box open and was startled by what greeted her. It was a silver band with a cross on it, similar to the one on Seifer's trademark jacket and gunblade.

            Grasping the box within her hand, Selphie bolted up and ran to the door in order to stop Seifer. However, she was surprised when she took a step out and someone grabbed her hand. She  was ready to pull it away but then turned to see Seifer, leaning against the wall next to her bedroom door.           

            "I knew you would come," he said, and Selphie fell into his arms.

            "You idiot!" she shouted, lightly hitting Seifer on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?"

            "I also know that you like surprises," Seifer explained. He then reached into his coat and pulled out two train tickets. "I assume you're comin', Mrs. Almasy?"

            "Of course," Selphie said and hugged Seifer once more. "I would go anywhere with you. Just not elevators."

***

Fin.

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One Week Later...

***

            "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!!!" Zell bounced from one foot to another, waiting for the elevator to arrive. It was taking its sweet damn time, and Zell became more agitated. He was due in for a meeting in Cid's office five minutes ago, and he hated to be late. He could almost see the situation  unfolding before him: walking into the office and seeing the condescending looks of Quistis and Squall. Then, Irvine would make some crack about Zell's tardiness, only to make the entire situation worse.

            Zell groaned and banged his head against the elevator doors. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that the doors on the elevator opened and Zell fell face forward onto something soft.

            "Zell, get off of me!"

            "Oww!"

            Zell rubbed his injured head and looked up to see his attacker. It didn't surprise him to see Rinoa; after all, she was a slapper.

            Deciding to ignore the so called 'angel', Zell pressed the button to the third floor, but then noticed that the first floor was highlighted as well.

            "Hey, Rin," he said, jabbing a thumb to the buttons. "I gotta go to the third floor."

            "Well, the elevator will take whatever destination was given to it first!" Rinoa snapped. "Besides, if you had better organization skills, you wouldn't be late for the meeting, would you?"         

            "Dammit, it's going to the third floor!"

            "No it's not!"

            They both stared at one another for a moment, as if expecting the elevator to listen to their thoughts. However, the elevator had a mind of its own. It started without interruption upwards, to Zell's delight,  but then suddenly, there was a jerk. Rinoa fell onto Zell and they both went crashing into the corner of the elevator.

            "What happened?" Rinoa asked, clutching onto the front of Zell's shirt.

            "I dunno."

            They remained in their suggestive position for a moment until Rinoa noticed Zell's leg between her thighs and Zell realized his hand was on Rinoa's chest. Instantly, they moved apart, both red faced and mortified.

            "Well...ah...lemme see about these buttons," Zell said, getting up. He pressed the button for the first floor, but the elevator failed to move. He then pressed the third floor button. Once again, there was nothing. Finally, he was driven to pressing everything on the panel, but to no avail. After a moment of staring at the panel in aggravation, he turned to Rinoa. She instantly read his face and understood what had happened.

            They were stuck inside of the elevator.

            Worst of all, together.

***

                                                The End...?

                                        (Yes. Yes it is. Finally.)

***

(a/n: Wow, most people read my mind about the coupling of Zell and Rinoa. It's hardly done, but in my opinion if Rinoa hadn't leeched herself onto Squall, Zell would've been her next choice. Well, this was my all time favorite fic to write, and I actually finished it! Hurray! I never would have if it wasn't for the support I got from everyone and the great reviews! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I'm sorry about the long chapter wait. )