Lost Within Blood and Tears Chapter 3- Keychains "Girls just wanna have fun" - Cyndi Lauper Characters are property of Squaresoft except for some of my own. "Brace yourself man. We're about to enter the forbidden world of hair and make-up." Zell muttered to Squall as they stepped off the landing platform of the Ragnorok onto the coarse sand of the Dollet beach. "We heard that!" Both Selphie and Rinoa said turning around and glaring contemptuously at the boys. Rinoa stick out her tongue at the men while Selphie chucked a bouncy-ball she had in her pocket directly at Zell's head. Turning around with her back to them Rinoa said," You know we don't have to help you. I f you had rather just leave your mom with a #1 MOM keychain then you boys can just stay here. Selph and I could just take the Ragnorok to Esthar and look for that dress she wanted. Isn't that right Selphie?" "Yup. You boys can just swim home." Squall knew the joking tone out of both girls and had found their false contempt rather amusing. Zell on the other hand was so desperate for help that Squall was shocked to see that he took their little quirk seriously. He ran over to the women and plopped down on his knees in the sand in front of them. Grabbing their hands in his he began apologizing vigorously to the both of them. "Wow, he needs more help than we thoguht." Selphie whispered aside to Rinoa as they pulled him off his knees and out of the sand. "Zell we were just kidding." Rinoa said with a look at Squall who just shrugged his shoulders puzzled himself at how desperate and stressed out the care-free guy really was. " Yeah I knew that..." Zell said turning away to cover his blushing face. "So what would she want?" Selphie asked Zell to help rid him of the blush. He had gotten over the whole episode already. "Well you guys know her. I'm not good at this type of stuff." " No shit sherlock" Squall muttered under his breath. Rinoa saw this was going absolutely no where so she decided to ask him what he had gotten her for all her other birthdays. "Ummmm...... let's see... last year it was a keychain, the year before that it was a pink one with the little heart on it, and the year before that..." Selphie interrupted before he could finnish his saga of the keychains. " Wait, wait, wait! You got her a keycahin for her birthday every year?!" "Yeah..." Zell answered after thinking it through for an minute. "I had gotten one once and thought it was really cool and yeah..." Zell said acting as if he had just come to terms with a revelation. "And how old were you Zell?" Squall asked participating in the conversation for the first time. " Six... Okay I get the hint. A keychain is not the way to go on your mom's birthday. Now what am I going to get her? There was always I guess a sense of sercurity in a keychain... I don't know... Just forget it." Zell spoke the last part more to himself than to anyone else. "Hey just give her the keychain and another gift." Rinoa suggested gently, snapping Zell out of his trance of self-loathing. " Hey never thought of that" Zell said concideringly. "That's a good idea! That's what I'll do!" Zell exclaimed falling back into his regular self and attitude, much to the relief of the others. "So what do you ladies suggest?" He asked hooking arms with the girls and walking off down the street. ***** Two hours. Two long long hours and they had been to practically every store, shop, stand, and booth in Dollet. All this looking and still nothing, NOTHING, for Zell's mom. " I give up!" Zell stated blatently. It was obvious that the strain of this whole ordeal was beginning to take it's toll on him both psychologically and emotionally. "Come on one shop left." Selphie said trying to cheer them up despite the weariness she herself was feeling. She pushed the depressed Zell by the small of his back down the street. Neither of the girls had ever had such trouble finding anything before. And here they were hours later with still nothing and the boys weren't helping much. "Great. Just my luck. Of all the things..." Zell collapsed against the last brick building sitting down on the cobbles and holding his weary head in his hands. "What?" Squall asked wondering what had made Zell give up so easily and suddenly. Zell just vigourously pointed to the wooden sign above the archway without making any attempt to lift his head. He had almost laughed from the hoplelessness of the situation as he saw his friends read: Dollet Gift Shop: All Your Gift Needs CLOSED Closed! Of all the things to happen! The three sat down next to him. The hard, cold cobbles almost seemed cheery in this type of situation. Minutes passed by with them just sitting there. Zell with his head hung in depressed defeat, Selphie fidgeting with loose stones trying to think of what to do next, Squall and Rinoa in between them, her head on his shoulder and him staring down the street replaying the irony of it all over and over again in his head. The minutes kept ticking away as they sat depressed on the ground. "Let's just go guys. It's getting late." Selphie said softly breaking the long, drawn-out silence. The picked themselves up slowly and began not walking but trudging down the road towards the beach and the Ragnorok. The journey was rather uneventful Unitl they reached the Dollet bar. A man stumbled out reeking of alchol among other various things. He grabbed for Rinoa... "Get the HELL off me!" She screamed turning a livid purple with anger as he reached for Selphie as well. "What?" He asked with a slow drawn out and drunken lisp. " Oh. just wanted to dispose of some crap." The man whimpered as both Squall and Zell jerked him back from the girls and pinned him against the wall. He thrust a cardboard box he had been holding into their hands and stumbled away. "Just a little creepy" " Yeah..." They looked cautiously in the box and heard Zell whisper "She'll love it." with a grin spreading across his face. Author's note: Chapter 4 is coming and it's going to be... interesting to say the least.