Zell and Irvine were happily greeted the next morning (more like afternoon) by an upright Seifer. He was sitting propped against a pillow looking blankly at the two of them. Irvine looked beautiful as usual, but Zell was more ragtag. The two wore the two sides of morning hangovers. The dilapidated easily angered side and the still a little drunk from the night before side. It was easy to tell which was which. Irvine's smile had a slight dizzy tilt to it and Zell's brows were seemingly stuck in a downwards position.

And now, after some partially regretful sex with women they (hoped) would never see again, they viewed Seifer's tremendous progress.

"Well, I'll be!" exclaimed Irvine. Seifer blinked in response and opened and closed his mouth. A little spittle formed at the corner. That was a little less than attractive.

"So, I see you two have seen our fastest healer!" Dr. Kadowaki proclaimed. She was all sunshine this morning. She wore a nice pendant around her neck that lay over her usual drab uniform. They had never seen her wear jewelry. She was celebrating in a much more socially acceptable fashion than they had. "I'm so glad I have you boys around! I have some things for you to do!"

She explained Seifer's need for social interaction and getting back "on task" as she put it. On task with Seifer would mean bullying students and generally being a pain in the ass, but it did seem preferable to his current state.

She demonstrated his ability to communicate. She held up some signs and asked him to indicate which thing was blue, or which thing was a circle. It was rather hard to watch his mouth flapping open and close like a fish gasping for breath. He would eventually cock his head to one side and he was always right. His brain seemed to be holding up well.

"I want you two to take him for a walk. Let him get some fresh air. You can take the path underneath the ballroom balcony. It's quite nice in the afternoon."

They were taking Seifer for a walk like he was a dog. Both had mixed feelings about that. Seifer had been divided into two people. The cocky Seifer who was their leader in most missions and who had earned their respect with his skills. Then, there was the Seifer they had allowed to come to harm. The one they felt responsible to take care of. The one that they cared about. Now, as Irvine pushed the wheelchair through Garden's garden, they felt pity and satisfaction.

"Wow, check out this statue!" yelled Zell, running off pointing. Irvine smiled. The great outdoors really suited Zell. He was just too much to contain inside. "Hey Seifer, betchya never saw this one before!"

"Um, Zell, does Seifer strike you as the garden strolling type?" asked Irvine. He didn't want Seifer to think that Zell was an idiot. Though it was nice that he was trying to include Seifer.

A big lopsided grin appeared on Zell's face. "Seifer probably likes taking the time to...smell the roses!" He grabbed a flower and dramatically held it to his nose.

"Man Seifer, you have to get able to talk again so that you can defend your honor."

They had no idea how much fun they would have. Indeed, if Seifer could have spoken (and been forced to tell the truth), he would have said that those few days of recovery weren't that bad. They were scary and degrading, but with Zell and Irvine to look stupider than he did, it was easier.

"So, then I said to her...that's not my suction cup."

"I don't get it," said Zell. "Irvine, that was a terrible joke."

"Yeah well, Seifer got it. Look at him, chuckling away." Seifer wasn't laughing, but his mouth was open. He had stopped drooling the day before. It had been 10 days since he had been killed, and he was being scheduled by Dr. Kadowaki to walk today.

"Even if you have to poke him in the ass with Squall's gunblade, he needs to walk today," she had said. Poor uptight Squall who had been there, for once, actually flinched. The doctor was putting her all into forcing Seifer to recover. She knew that he had it in him to heal quickly and so there was no reason to delay.

"So Seifer, we're supposed to get you to walk today...How do you feel about that buddy?" To their surprise, Seifer nodded his head. Zell and Irvine smiled happily at each other. "Okay then, class begins!"

Seifer would later be teased for taking his "first steps" towards Irvine. The first day of attempting to walk again had been a failure and had left a gloomy air over the three. So when the next day came around, Seifer was determined to set his weak and wobbly legs to work. Zell was holding his arm around his elbow.

"Okay Seifer, just walk like three steps and Irvy and I will buy you a candy bar." Seifer had been eating the mushy glop at the infirmary since the accident and had lately been pushing the plate away from himself. OF course, it wasn't a very dramatic widespread gesture. His fingers would tap against the plate as one of the boys attempted to get the spoon into his lips. They took this, surprisingly, as a good sign. Perhaps they could bribe him to recovery with real food.

Seifer's head turned to look at him. The eyes were still relatively lifeless, but there was a spark to Seifer that Zell could always see. It was one of the things that he loved about Seifer. "Hey Irvine, I think he's ready to work for his meals!"

Irvine grinned. He held out his arms. The distance between them was laughably small, but it looked like miles to Seifer. He closed his eyes, as if it wouldn't be so hard if he didn't see how far away Irvine was. The other two watched with intense excitement as ever so slowly, one slippered foot slid about 6 inches. Seifer paused. Even he needed to have more courage sometimes.

"C'mon Seifer, I'll cover you with kisses if you just come and get them," cried out Irvine happily. Teasing seemed to be the only thing that would get Seifer Almasy to act like a man. Sure enough, the goading worked. Seifer's eyes flew back open. He looked...annoyed.

Zell glared at Irvine. "Or you can do it for the hot dogs man."

Another small slippered step. With the next step, Seifer would be out of Zell's grasp and he knew it. The tall blonde had more courage than the other two and they realized that when he took that next step. He was free-floating. Zell still held out his hand close just in case, but with only two more wobbles, Seifer was touching Irvine's hand.

Zell could only see the back of Seifer's head when he stepped into Irvine's arms. It had been magnificent to watch. The small journey had had them all wound up so tight. Once he was safe in the cowboy's arms, Zell bounced a little. He had done it!

True to his words, Irvine kissed Seifer's cheeks and if it hadn't been for the weeks of paralysis, Seifer would have knocked him out cold. "You did it! Hot damn! Let's get you some real food huh?"

When Irvine finally got back from his meeting with the Headmaster, Seifer had already been put to bed. He crept into the infirmary room. It wasn't as dark as it could have been, because of all the machines with their blinking lights. Also, the window was open and the moonlight was shining down on the sleeping man. And the lump in the chair.

Zell. He was curled into a ball with a book stuck around his thumb. Usually Zell could make up his own stories to tell Seifer, he must have run out of new ideas. Irvine stepped across the floor to stand next to the small fighter. It was chilly in the room, so as quietly as he could, he closed the window above the bed.

Zell didn't wake up. He also didn't wake up when Irvine pulled off his duster and spread it over the sleeping mass. Irvine stared down affectionately at the two boys. They had been the focus of all his attention for so long now. Not even Garden related issues had made it to his brain lately. It was all about making Seifer better.

Irvine sighed. With Zell in the chair, it meant that he couldn't spend the night with Seifer. It was nice when he got the opportunity. There was that wonderful feeling of excitement when he would see Seifer's eyes awake and the day would be a new one of progress. Each day that Seifer was alive was a miracle.

And Zell seemed to think so too. Their attachment had become more than just a sense of guilt. It was obvious to the two of them. They were both seeing Seifer in a new light. Seifer had been all gloating and cruelty before. Now he was strength and determination. Irvine respected him now. Not that he hadn't before. Just the way he handled his gunblade had been inspiring. Recovering from a coma was like something only a hero could do.

Their affection for him had to be obvious to Seifer. Who knew what Seifer would have to say about that when he could talk again?

Irvine smiled as he reached down to run his fingers through Zell's hair. His little comrade in arms. He was always so eager to help. Zell was so *sweet*. With a hopeful heart, Irvine headed back to his room. They would see what happened once Seifer woke up. Perhaps he would tell them both to go to hell. But maybe, just maybe Irvine wouldn't have to head back to his lonely dormroom anymore.