Final
Fantasy 8: After the Storm
A/N:
Well, here I am again. Writing a
whole new fic. I know, I know. Yell at me.
I haven't finished most of my stuff yet. But I just had to write this.
In this story, I wanted to achieve something that no other writers
have. A realistic look at the lives of
our characters ten years after the game.
And unlike most stories, this wont be about the characters kids, though
they do play a major role. It'll be
about them. This is one
chapter of it only. It's a Selphie/Irvine,
Quistis/Seifer, Squall/Rinoa, and Zell/Library girl (Mirae). Enjoy!
-SB
PS- If you're confused, an
explanation is at the end of the story.
And I'd like to thank some of my friends for helping me out with
this. Butterfli, Fly, superviolist, Rhyein,
X Launcher, Ellone Leonhart-Loire, Vendrin, and Meekychunky. You guys rock!
Chapter
One: For Every Story
It
was a lovely autumn day. The girl had
to admit that. Green hills stretched
for miles, here and there dotted with the sparse wildflowers that Winhill was
so famous for. A sweet-smelling breeze
blew about her, causing her dark hair to fall in front of her face, and she
pushed the offending tendrils away in frustration. Bending down, she touched a flower lightly with small white
hands, admiring its delicate beauty, brilliant yellow petals bent towards the
warmth of the early September sun. She
picked it absently, braiding it into her glossy black hair deftly, then glanced
about. Farther off, her mother stood,
back turned. "Mom?"
Rinoa
smiled and ran over to where her daughter stood, dark hair flying behind
her. "Brook, can you hear it?" she
asked, putting an arm about the nine year olds slim shoulders. Brook's brows creased in confusion.
"Hear
what?"
"The
humming," Rinoa explained patiently.
"The vibrating coming from the air.
Can you?" The little girl closed
her eyes, concentrating. Finally, clear
blue orbs stared into soft brown ones.
"No,
I don't hear anything. Maybe it's a
sorceress thing." Rinoa's face fell,
and she shrugged.
"Probably." Lately, the powers she had acquired ten
years earlier were appearing stronger than ever, and it wasn't uncommon for her
to be able to sense things that others couldn't.
"Look,"
Rinoa pointed, and Brook followed her gaze down the hill to where her father
knelt gravely, ignoring the wind as it played with his brown hair. His black leather jacket was on the ground
beside him, and he wore only a white tee shirt and leather pants as he stared
at his mother's grave. The whole air
seemed to vibrate around him, shimmering in emotion like Rinoa had insisted she
could hear. Peering at her daughter's
face, she smiled with satisfaction.
"Isn't it amazing?" Brook nodded
slowly, and continued to watch as Squall stood and turned, beckoning her to
join him. Brook obliged warily, and ran
down the hill, slowing once she got to the gravestone. She touched the smooth marble, cold even on
such a warm day. Her finger traced over
the grooves that spelled out her grandmother's name. Raine Loire. Then she
glanced up at her father.
"Do
you think she can see me right now?"
Squall thought about it, then shrugged.
"I
don't know, Brook. Nobody knows what
happens after you die."
"Grandpa
Laguna says that she's an angel with Hyne up in the clouds, and that she
watches over me to make sure I'm being good."
"Laguna
doesn't know everything," Squall answered slowly. "But I'd like to think that she can see us. I never knew my mother, but I would have
liked her to meet my daughter." Brook
smiled slightly.
"Maybe she watches me when I dance onstage, and helps me to get good
scores in my routine." She was pleasantly surprised when her father bent
down to kiss her lightly on the cheek, and took her hand in his gloved one.
"Maybe." Grabbing his jacket, he tossed it over his shoulder and started
down the hill,
daughter in tow. Rinoa met them at the
bottom and embraced her husband, then took Brook's other hand, and the little
family of three went home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Deling
City was a loud place. During the day
it was tolerable, as most people were inside working and the streets were
clear. But at night the capital of
Galbadia became alive with young people.
Lights flashed, music blared, and teenagers laughed and joked, leaning
casually against the cold, dirty buildings of the inner city as they chugged
their beers, getting inebriated until they fell unconscious. A lucky few were dragged inside, or brought to
the local hospital. Most spent the night
outside in a drunken slumber, hoping to Hyne that one of the local gangs
wouldn't come along and try to take advantage of their helpless state. Irvine used to take part in the deadly night
chain of events. Then he turned 21, and
found sleeping in bars much more preferable than spending the night on the
streets.
So
it was no surprise that when ten p.m. came, Irvine found himself walking
towards the local bar. Gloved hands in
the pockets of his long tan duster, he walked with his head down, face shadowed
by his black Stetson. The sleek silver
gun he carried everywhere was strapped to his shoulder, and he tightened the
buckle as an extra precaution. It was
his only reminder of his short time at Balamb Garden, and he couldn't afford to
lose it. All around him the darkness
seemed to condense, a shroud of cold abysmal black settling around the cowboy's
tall, lanky form. The sky was an odd
purple, clouds of gray drifting low through the streets, and the lamps sputtered,
giving off a sickly golden light.
Irvine walked faster. The
welcoming flashes of red bulbs from the bar were just ahead, and he opened the
door, slipping inside, grateful to be away from the ominous presence of the
streets.
The
bell tinkled as the door swung closed behind him, and a few people looked
up. Seeing that it was a regular, they
went back to their mugs again, and the talk continued. Shrugging Exeter off his shoulder, Irvine
sauntered across the shabby red carpet to the counter, and dropped his gun
carefully to his feet as he made himself comfortable on a stool.
"She
called for you, Kinneas."
Irvine
turned around quickly, and frowned at the man next to him who had spoken. He wasn't very tall, but he more than made
up for it with muscles and bulk. He
looked about 30 years old, his face weathered and brown, covered by a scruffy
beard and a shock of shaggy red hair.
He gave one the impression of a good-natured mutt.
"Who
called, Kal? Sharon? Andira?
Talea? Its over with all of
them," Irvine said bitterly, and rapped his hand on the counter. The bartender rushed over with a beer.
"No,"
Kal told his friend, running a big hand through his hair. "Her.
Selphie. You're supposed to call
her back."
Selphie. Like a dead weight, it all came rushing
back. A torrent of memories and
emotions sent his mind reeling. A
pretty little pixie of a girl, vibrant green eyes overflowing with tears of
hurt and confusion. Harsh words, filled
with anger. He had been drunk that last
day. Hyne, how he regretted what he had
said. And she had stood there silently,
head bowed, not even flinching as his verbal barbs came at her blow by
blow. And when it was all over, all she
had said…all she had done was kissed his cheek, whispered goodbye, and walked
out of the room. Forever. His voice shook with suppressed emotion as
he tried to reply. "She…she's better
off without me."
Kal
shook his head, scratching at his beard.
"Maybe so, but she sure as hell ain't any happier. I met her-what, once? Even I can tell that she's miserable."
The
cowboy took a swig of his beer, and looked away. "10 years…is a long time…"
"Hell
yeah," the big man agreed. "Here." A cell phone slid over the counter towards
Irvine. "You remember her number?"
Irvine
glared at him. "Damn right I do." A long finger ventured out to touch the cell
phone warily. "…What did she say
before? To you?"
Kal
chuckled. "Just call her, man. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."
Taking
a deep breath, Irvine nodded shortly, took another long drink of his beer, and picked
up the phone. It rang once. Then twice.
He prayed fervently that she would be home. He doubted he could get up the courage to call her again. Three times. Then a message. Not
Selphie's voice, but a little girl's.
"Hiya, you've reached Selphie and Bria Tilmitt! We're not home, or we're ignoring the phone
or…something…umm…" The girl giggled
nervously. "So like, anyways, leave a
message and we promise to call back!
Mwah!" Irvine stumbled with
shaky fingers to hang up the phone.
Kal
looked at him questioningly. "Not
home?"
Irvine
shook his head, wiping his sweaty palms on his chaps. "Who's Bria?"
"Bria? Oh.
Her kid. Pretty cute, from what
I hear. Looks just like her daddy."
Selphie? A mom?
Irvine blinked, and tugged his hat down over his eyes, all hopes of
reuniting with his childhood love dashed to pieces. "She's moved on, then."
His voice was low and emotionless, and he kicked at the metal rod under
the counter almost angrily.
Kal
spit his beer, amber liquid flying across the room to splatter on the mirror
above. "The hell?!? Kinneas, don't tell me you never knew! Its been ten years, man!"
Irvine
looked at him blankly. "Know what?"
The
older man coughed and stared, still unbelieving. Finally, he croaked out "The kid is yours, Irvine."
The
cowboy reached down for Exeter, settling it on his shoulder, then got up. "I'm gonna head home. See ya around." He started out.
"Wait! Irvine!"
Kal yelled, standing up. Irvine
didn't look back. His mind was numb. Opening the door, he stepped outside into
the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yeah.
So, like after that I took a big step backwards, y'know? Like I saw you do, Pa! Then I whopped him one! Pow!
Right in the…err…"
"Kisser?"
Zell supplied, trying to hide a smile of amusement.
Gavin
nodded emphatically, bouncing up and down where he stood. "Uh huh!
Right there! It was like so
cool! You should've seen it!"
"Gavin,
I really don't want you fighting with Skylar," Mirae sighed. "After all, he's a friend of the family."
The
little blonde rolled his eyes, collapsing into a chair with his short legs over
the side. "He ain't my friend. Ain't anyone else's either!"
His
mother frowned, blowing a wisp of black hair away from her face. "Ain't isn't a word, Gavin. Didn't Mrs. Chan teach you that?"
Gavin
wrinkled his little nose. "It sucks
having a librarian for a mom, don't it, Tasha?"
Tasha
looked up from the floor where she was struggling to build a castle of blocks,
and waved her chubby arm in the air, smiling innocently. "Yup!
Sucks!"
Zell
couldn't stop the laughter this time, but he tried to keep a straight
face. "Gavin, I agree with your
mother."
Mirae
smiled approvingly. "Thank you, dear."
Gavin
looked confused. "But Pa-,"
"About
saying ain't. I don't give a rats ass
who you beat up at school as long as you do it professionally," the
spiky-haired man said with a wink, then shrank from his wife's icy glare.
The
little boy giggled uncontrollably. "Hear
that, Tash? Pa says I can beat Skylar
up!"
"Rats
ass!" the tiny girl agreed, and Mirae sank into a chair with her head in her
hands.
"Zell,
you are corrupting our children. Tasha
just said her first swear word, and she's four years old!"
Zell
smiled sheepishly, and walked over to give his wife a quick kiss. "Sorry."
"I'm
sorry too, Ma!' Gavin echoed, jumping up from where he was sitting to place a
hand on her arm. He would have hugged
her, but a six-year-old boy is too grown up for the hugging stuff. His parents, however, thought
differently. Mirae grabbed her son
around the waist, pulling him onto her lap, and gave him a tight squeeze.
"Ma!"
Gavin shrieked. "Stop it! Pa?"
He looked up at his father imploringly with wide brown eyes. Zell grinned.
"Group
hug!" Wrapping his huge arms around
both his wife and son, he sandwiched Gavin in-between while the boy laughed
helplessly.
"Aaaaahhh!!! I'm getting squished!"
"Me
me me!" Tasha squealed, and squeaked happily as her father picked her up,
letting her join in the tormenting of her brother.
"Can't…breathe…"
Gavin gasped. "Get off me, you
goons!"
Chuckling,
Zell jumped off and picked his son up by the collar of his shirt, dragging him
to the other end of the room. "Better,
kid?"
Gavin
couldn't answer. He was laughing too
hard.
The
phone rang, and Mirae stood up to answer it, Tasha following her into the
kitchen. In a second, she stuck her
head out of the doorway. "Zell? It's Rob.
You've got a recording session now.
Better run."
Zell
scratched his head. "Now? Huh.
Is he mad?"
"I
could 'ear him yellin' an' I was standin' by mommy, not even listenin' to da
phone!" Tasha chirped.
Zell
smiled fondly, and strode across the room to pick his little daughter up,
kissing her cheek. "Be good for mommy,
Tash."
The
dark haired toddler smiled sweetly.
"I'm always good!"
Zell
chuckled. "Sure, sweetheart." He turned to Gavin. The boy sat staring at the wall, his arms
crossed.
"Its
not fair!"
"What's
not fair?" Zell asked, crossing to sit beside him.
Gavin
stuck out his lower lip. "You're always
recording for your stupid band! And I'm
gonna have a basketball tournament tomorrow and you aren't gonna be there cause
you have to play in Timber!"
"Oh…"
Zell sighed and looked at the ground in embarrassment. "Y'know, Gavin, I try to be there for you as
often as I can, but-."
"-You're
a rock star," Gavin finished sourly.
"Everybody adores you and wants to hear you play. So you're never home. Pa, everyone's got a dad but me! Except for Bria, but…" Frustrated, Gavin
jumped up and stomped his foot. "Coach
is letting me play point guard! Point
guard! The position that I never get to
be! He says I'm getting' really really
good! And it's against Deling City, Pa! You gotta watch! You…you just gotta!"
The
martial artist frowned, and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a
planner. He flipped it open and paged
through, then looked up. "Gavin, I've
been really busy lately working on my second cd. But I think next Saturday I could take you kids to the beach…"
That
did it. Gavin exploded. "I DON'T WANNA GO TO THE BEACH!!!" Bursting into tears, the little boy ran out
of the room. Instinctively, Zell
started after him, but a gentle hand on his shoulder slowed him.
"Zell…"
Mirae said softly. "I'll deal with
him. Get to the studio. And don't be too late coming home, okay?"
Zell
glanced down the hallway guiltily, then nodded. "Alright. I'll see ya
later." Mirae grabbed his coat and
guitar case from the family room, and handed them to her husband, then gave him
a quick kiss, ushering him out the door.
"And…" Mirae stopped and looked at him, and Zell
rubbed his hair sheepishly. "Tell Gavin
I'm sorry for me."
"I
will."
"Later." Zell jumped into his car and drove off.
~*~*~**~*~*~~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The
door swung closed behind him, and Seifer winced at the loud slam. Crossing the wooden porch, he leapt off the
stairs, landing on the cobblestones with catlike grace. It had been ten years since he served as
Ultimecia's knight, but he hadn't lost his touch. Glancing around Balamb, he started down the street. It was getting late, and people bustled
about, ushering children inside, a few of them even waving to Seifer as he strolled
down the path.
"Seifer!"
Mrs. Dincht called from her front door, a smile on her round face. "Are you looking for your son?"
Seifer
stopped, and nodded. "Yeah, have you
seen him?"
Mrs.
Dincht came out to greet him as he walked towards her. "Yes, I did. About an hour ago he ran past here, and down towards the hotel."
"I
bet he's at the docks," Seifer said.
"Thanks, Mrs. Dincht."
Mrs.
Dincht beamed. "No problem,
dearie!" She started back in the house,
then paused and turned around again. "Oh, and next time you see my Zell, tell him to come visit me, and
to bring his adorable grandchildren with him, will you?"
Seifer
grinned. "I'll do that. See ya."
Waving casually, he walked away.
The
sun was just setting when Seifer found him.
One long leg dangling off the dock, his white-blonde hair blown by the
wind, Skylar looked so much older than his nine years. Leaning back against a wall, Seifer watched
his son silently, studying his handsome, almost feminine features, and bright
blue eyes, one rimmed with a large purple bruise gotten earlier in the
day. When Skylar had been questioned
about it, the boy had quietly acknowledged that he had been involved in a
fight, but it was nothing serious, and he had refused to speak of it
further. Seifer shook his head,
crossing his arms. Someone up above
must be playing a joke on him. This
kid, this serious, intelligent boy, couldn't possibly be his. All the same though, he felt a peculiar sort
of fondness for him.
"Dad?" Seifer jerked his head up quickly, lost in
thought. Skylar had finally noticed his
father there, and regarded him with a calm look of appraisal. "Did mom send you?"
Seifer
nodded, a small smile crossing his face.
"Yeah. She gets worried. If I were you I'd stop sneaking out of the
house like this." He walked down the
dock to sit beside his son on the edge.
"Something wrong?"
Skylar
shook his head violently. "No. I was just thinking." He stared out at the lapping waves
pensively, and then turned back to his father.
"I let him punch me." His words
were soft, his tone absent as again he turned to the sea.
"What?"
Seifer stared at his son. "Let who?"
The
answer was a long time in coming.
"…Gavin. I let him."
Seifer
blinked. "Skylar, what for?"
Skylar
looked at his father as if he were stupid.
"Gavin's been having trouble lately, with Zell being off at concerts so
often. So when he picked a fight with
me today at school, I did what he wanted me to do. I teased him until he punched me. He was much happier afterwards."
The
silence was almost unbearable. Wind
whistled around them, stirring up the water as the sky grew darker, and the
shadows came out to play, gliding along the wooden planks of the old dock. Just when Seifer thought he might have
understood his son, he went and did something so…confusing, that he was forced
to start all over again. Carefully, so
as not to startle Skylar, Seifer raised his voice a bit. "Why?"
Skylar
didn't answer. Instead, he shifted,
laying down on his stomach, and stretched out a hand to touch the dusky water
below. It swirled and rippled under his
touch, and Seifer watched it absently.
"You know…I've got a lot to live up to." Skylar began.
Seifer
waited for him to go on, but Skylar took his time, apparently fascinated with
the movement of the water. He sat
up. "I'm surrounded by heroes and
legends. I'm learning about my own
parents in history class at school.
People expect a lot of me. I'm
supposed to be arrogant and brave like my father, intelligent and wise like my
mother…" Skylar's voice became very small, and hardly heard of the incoming
storm. "But y'know…sometimes…I just
wanna be…myself."
"Skylar! Seifer!"
Quistis ran down the street towards the dock, her blonde hair flying
behind her. It was starting to rain now,
and she paused, taking off her glasses and wiping them on the sleeve of her
white shirt, then placed them back on, smiling as she saw her husband and son
just ahead. "Come home, you two!"
"Its
pouring out! Didn't you notice?" a
golden-haired little girl added, putting her hands on her hips, her nose
upturned in an expression of superiority that Seifer had seen so often on
Quistis in earlier years.
"We
noticed," Skylar said, standing up and walking towards his younger sister and
mother. Seifer followed him, brushing
the raindrops off his trench coat in a futile gesture. He took his wife's arm as she extended it to
him, and pulled her close, wrapping her in an embrace. Their children watched in impatience as
their parents kissed, and finally Nira broke the moment.
"Hate
to bother you guys, but I'm cold, wet, and miserable…and I'd rather like to
head home. So if you don't mind?"
Quistis
laughed and pulled away from her husband.
"Come on, Nira. I'll race you
home." Nira's green eyes lit up in anticipation.
"You
sure, mom? You may be an esteemed
Instructor of Balamb Garden, but you're getting old. I'll leave you in the dust!"
"Oh
really? Onyourmarkgetsetgo!" Quistis sped off down the street, Nira
squealing as she tried desperately to catch up.
"Cheater!"
Seifer
grinned, watching his wife and daughter run out of sight. Then he looked down at his son. "So, Skylar…what are you doing tomorrow?"
Skylar
shrugged, kicking at a puddle with soaking sneakers. "If I don't catch pneumonia, I'll probably just stay home and
play Playstation until Mom yells at me.
Why?"
"Well…I
was thinking maybe you and I could catch a train to Timber. Zell's performing there, and I bet I could
get tickets from him. Just us guys. Whadda ya say?"
"Cool!"
Skylar cried. "Can we go to the Timber
Maniacs headquarters too?"
His
father chuckled. "Anywhere you wanna
go, kid. Me and you." At first, Seifer thought he might regret
bringing up the idea of a father/son outing, but the look in Skylar's eyes
melted all doubts away.
"Thanks,
Dad."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The
sun was late in rising that morning, but when it did, the sight was
ethereal. Golden mist shone upon trees
just barely changing color, and even the ocean was splashed with amber. So when Bria woke up, instead of jumping out
of bed like she usually would, she lied curled up in the warm blankets, gazing
outside her window calmly with large green eyes. Something is different…
She felt it all around her. That
peculiar sensation that while everything seemed perfect…something was not quite
the same. Slipping out of the sheets,
she padded down the hallway to her mothers room, bare feet curling at the
coldness of the tile floor, and rapped softly at the door. "Mommy?"
There was no answer. Frowning,
Bria pushed open the door and walked in.
Her
mother's bed was empty, untouched. The
room was dark, the windows…closed? Bria
blinked. Her mother always had the
windows open. Always. Crossing the floor, she unlatched the
shutters and pushed them open. Sunlight
danced lazily through the room, alighting first on the bed, then on the
dresser, and finally on the carpeting by the closet where her mother lay fast
asleep, an upturned box at her feet.
Bria went to her, and knelt, studying her mother absently. It had been ten years, but Selphie looked
exactly like the energetic seventeen year old she had been. Her brown hair was longer, and fell in
ripples about her slender shoulders, and she wore a large white t-shirt that
Bria thought might be Zell's. The two
were very close. Bria thought about
waking her, but decided not to. She had
been acting rather odd lately, staying up very late and not getting any sleep
at all. Instead, Bria focused her
attention on the contents of the box her mother had been rummaging through the
night before. Reaching a small hand
into the box, she pulled out a pile of papers and began reading.
Butterfly,
I'm sorry. I know
you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. Squall suggested I go to a counseling group, and I think I'll
take him up on his offer. Hyne, if it
makes our relationship better, I'll try anything. For now, I'm gonna try to stay out of the pub. I'll swear off drinking for awhile and see
if that helps. You know I love you.
-Irvine
Bria
frowned at the letter, then tossed it aside.
Who was this Irvine guy, anyway?
The next piece of paper wasn't a letter, but a picture. A stunningly handsome young man sat on the
cement steps to an old building. His
auburn hair was long and held back in a ponytail, and he wore a cowboy hat and
duster. His long legs were stretched
out in front of him, and he had his gloved hands behind his head as he leaned
back casually. But when Bria looked at
his face, she got the oddest feeling.
As if she had seen the man somewhere before. She squinted at it for a long while, and the realization came
like a lightning bolt. That was her
face! Hers was a little softer, a
little rounder, and she had green eyes instead of blue, but the resemblance was
amazing. Was this…her father? Maybe.
Her mother never talked about him.
And even now, she didn't know his name, or anything. Flipping the picture over, she recognized
her mother's round, neat handwriting.
Irvy at the orphanage
Irvy? Irvine, then? "Irvine…" Bria whispered, testing the name out. There was no recognition. The name sounded strange to her ears. "Irvine…" She put the picture carefully back
in the box, and took out a folder, yellowed with age. It fell apart in her hands, paper floating down all around
her. She picked a piece up and glanced
at it, then smiled. Now this was
something she understood. Guitar
music! Scrambling to her feet, she
grabbed her guitar from her mother's closet and opened the case. She picked the guitar up carefully, and
making sure her mother was still asleep, she began to play. The song wasn't all that difficult, not for
her at least. One thing her mother had
said about her father was that he had the gift of music, and Bria had inherited
it. Her small fingers danced over the
strings, playing the hauntingly beautiful melody, and after awhile she began to
hum along to it softly as she played.
The tune danced upon the sunlit morning, making everything somehow seem
more beautiful than it already was.
Whoever wrote this piece was a genius.
"That's
my song…" Bria stopped playing and turned around. Her mother had woken up, and sat with one arm propping herself
up. "Irvy wrote it for me," she said
quietly, running a hand through her hair, mussed with sleep.
"Oh…I'm
sorry," her daughter said nervously, inching closer. "I just found the music, and I thought…" Selphie smiled, and
tilted her head slightly.
"Keep
playing, honey. You play it just as
good as him." Bria's eyes lit up.
"Really?" She strummed a chord on the guitar
happily. "I mean, you never talk about
him. I found a picture of him. He's really cute!" she giggled.
Selphie
laughed, and pulled her legs to her chest, watching her daughter. It had been years since Irvine left her, but
she never for a moment regretted being with him. After all, he gave her the light of her life, her ten-year-old
daughter Brionnach. Bria was rather
tall for her age, almost as tall as her mother. Her hair was long and auburn, and she had the most beautiful
green eyes. But the most amazing thing
about her daughter was her smile. There
were times when Selphie just didn't know if she could handle it anymore. Being a single mother was hard beyond
belief. But Bria would just flash her
mother a gorgeous smile and remind her that "Dad might be gone, but you've got
me and you're stuck with me. Whether ya
like it or not." Shaking her head,
Selphie reached over and began sorting through some of the papers on the floor,
placing them carefully back in the box.
A slim hand touched her arm, and Selphie looked up into her daughter's
face.
"Mom…are
these Dad's stuff?"
Selphie
nodded, leaning back against the bed.
"Uh huh. He left them here when
he…" Her face grew pained, and she looked away. Bria scooted closer to her, and leaned her head on her mother's
shoulder.
"When
he what, Mom? Did he die?"
"No…he's
still alive."
"Then
why doesn't he come back? He loves us,
right?" Bria's vibrant green eyes were filled with hurt and confusion, and
Selphie gave her daughter a quick hug, smiling.
"Of
course he does! But you don't
understand your dad. He's very confused
right now, and doesn't know where he belongs.
But when he finally understands, he'll come back to us, and we'll all be
one big family." Selphie's face took on
a wistful expression, then she stood up, pulling her daughter up with her. "But right now its just you and me, kiddo. Right?
And we don't need a man in our lives to be happy. What's that show you and Brook watch? With those three superheroes? Show me your impression again."
Bria
giggled and pumped a fist into the air, lifting up her foot. "GIRL POWER!"
"That's
right, hun!" Selphie grinned, putting an arm about her daughter's neck. "Now lets get some breakfast, okay kiddo? I'm starving!"
"Right!"
Bria declared, wrapping her own arm about her mother. "Us superheroes get hungry sometimes too!"
Laughing,
both left the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
My
friend Rhyein brought this to my attention, and in this IM conversation I
explained it as best I could. I hope it
clears up some things.
SelphieBabe:
^_^ Should I change anything?
Rhyein:
what about the phone call to Irvine
Rhyein:
?
SelphieBabe:
That'll be in the next chapter.
Rhyein:
is that already happened, or does it happen later?
Rhyein:
okay so they kinda go into the past and the present and the future all at the
same time?
SelphieBabe:
Not really. Selphie called last night,
and when Irvine called back she and Bria were out. Now Selphie knows he's alive, like she said earlier, but she
doesn't know he called, so she's not sure about anything besides that.
Rhyein:
ok
SelphieBabe:
Makes sense?
Rhyein:
cos it's kinda confusing if it's all happening at the same time or in sequence
SelphieBabe:
Its not all happening at the same time.
The first part is the earliest part.
That happened in the afternoon.
Deling City has a time difference from Balamb, so while its late there,
its not that late in Balamb, where Quistis and Seifer are. And Selphie and Bria live at Garden.
Rhyein:
ok
Rhyein:
but you need to explain that in the fic somehow
SelphieBabe:
I'll put it at the end of it.
Rhyein:
otherwise others will be confused as well
Rhyein:
ok. :-)
SelphieBabe:
Mmhmm...^_^ Thanks for calling that to
my attention.
Rhyein:
welcome. :-)
