Selphie x Zell

Chapter 1 - To Esthar

Balamb town stood quietly in the early morning sunshine as a lone figure, back on their back, gently padded along the path under the stone archway, smiling politely at the man opening the shutters of the car rental shop. Within the town, several people were walking around, locking house doors and heading in the direction of the train station where Selphie herself was bound. As she approached the fork in the road, a door opened and a familiar figure stepped out pulling the door closed quietly after her.

"Good morning Mrs. Dincht!" Selphie called beaming at the older woman.

"Selphie! How nice to see you my dear, how are you?"

"Good, thank you." Selphie nodded with a smile.

"Now I know you can't be here to see my lazy lay-about son at this time in a morning!" Mrs. Dincht smiled warmly putting her hands on her hips.

"Definitely not!" Selphie laughed shaking her head, her auburn hair swinging about her petite face. "I'd never expect to see him this side of lunch on a leave day. I'm actually going shopping … to Esthar…" She added hesitantly.

"Esthar? Alone? My dear, are you sure about that?" Mrs. Dincht furrowed her brow. "It's an awfully long way and if anything were to happen to you…"

"It's alright Mrs. Dincht! I know some people in Esthar, I can call on them, they won't mind at all!" Selphie shrugged slightly - while this wasn't technically a full blown lie, she doubted that calling in on the President of Esthar would be a possible task, Mrs. Dincht didn't seem to buy it either.

"What the… Selphie!? That you?" A confused and sleepy voice called from overhead. Mrs Dincht and Selphie both looked straight up to see Zell hanging out of his bedroom window looking blurry-eyed and with serious bed-hair.

"Hey Zelly!" Sephie smiled, waving.

"What're you doin' in town at this time in a morning'?" He grumbled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you!" She winked.

"Selphie was just saying that she was planning a trip to Esthar, alone!" Mrs. Dincht chided slightly.

"Ma, if you saw her out in the field you'd know there was no need to worry about that!" Zell grinned running a hand through his hair, leaning on the window sill, his head in his hand. "But even so, you'd really be best going with someone, just in case, y'know!"

Mrs. Dincht smiled down at Selphie before she excused herself to the store and left them alone.

"You wanna come in a while?" Zell asked nodding inside, his hand hanging over the edge of the sill. Selphie bit her lip glancing at the train station anxiously before nodding and grinning.

Opening the door and letting herself in, Selphie took a deep breath of the yummy food smells drifting from the kitchen.

"Come on up!" A disembodied voice called down to her. Slowly she headed up the stairs and toward Zell's room where she paused ready to knock when it was practically wrenched from it's hinges.

"Hey you!" Zell grinned at her dressed in baggy cut-off jeans and a simple black vest.

"Hi!" Selphie smiled softly.

"So, what's up with shopping with Quistis or Rinoa?"

"Didn't really feel like it. Plus Quissy is pretty stressed about preparing for the new students and Rinny is helping Squall practically all of the time!"

"Irvine?" Zell asked sleepily, ruffling his hair with a hand. Selphie snorted in response. "I'll go ahead and take that as a no then." He smiled, then sighed. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can't let you go alone…"

"You said yourself I'll be fine."

"True, and I'm very much sure that you would be, but if I let you go on your own, Ma would kill me!" He cringed. "So… is it okay?"

Selphie looked up him, grinned and nodded.

"Fine - but sort your hair first?" She giggled.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Zell smiled slinking past her to the bathroom. "Besides…" Zell called back to her. "Ma's birthday is comin' up and I need serious help!"

"Alright - you guard me, I'll help you shop!"

"Deal!" He nodded, reappearing before her grinning, his hair back to it's usual style. "So, we gonna get a train or what? I'm guessing there was one pretty soon? Or it's gonna be one heck-uv-a wait!"

"No, no, no! Can't wait! I need a dress fro the dance tomorrow night!" Selphie replied retracing her steps down to the kitchen.

"You don't have a dress yet? I heard Quissy and Rin talking about theirs weeks ago!" Zell shrugged. "Even I'm sorted!" He grinned.

"Zell, you wear your SeeD uniform!" Selphie chuckled.

"Yeah, but I still gotta get it out of the wardrobe!" He grinned.

"Well, with arranging everything for the dance and everything, it kinda slipped my mind!"

"Slipped you mind? Sheesh Sephie, I thought nothing got in the way of you girls and your dresses."

Selphie stuck her tongue out and grinned back at him as the door opened and Mrs. Dincht walked in carrying groceries.

"Ma, I'm headin' out to Esthar with Sephie, that alright?"

"Of course dear, good boy! You two take care and have a good time!"

"Bye Mrs. Dincht!" Selphie waved as she headed out of the door.

"See-ya Ma!" Zell winked grabbing his jacket from the coat hook nearby and pulling the door closed after him.

"Goodbye dears!" Mrs. Dincht called out as the door clicked shut.

They quickly hurried across the road into the station and rushed toward the ticket sales office already squabbling over who would pay. Zell finally won pulling a face as Selphie sulked away grumbling with her arms folded over her chest. Grabbing her hand, Zell led the way to the train platform and shooed her on board.

"Whew, made it!" Zell smiled as he followed Selphie down the carriage toward four seats with a table in the middle. "Man it's quiet!" He muttered looking out of the window as Selphie shuffled into the seat facing the back of the train and he collapsed into the one opposite.

"It is rather early you know!" She giggled.

"Trust me, I know!" He groaned rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand and resting his head on the table.

Selphie smiled wriggling out of her backpack and sliding it onto the seat beside her before tugging at the drawstring fastening. Zell lifted his head and twisted in his seat to rest his legs on the rest of the seat and lean back against the window as the view suddenly went black as the train headed into the tunnel taking them to Timber.

"You want something to eat?" Selphie asked rummaging around in her bag.

Zell lifted his head sharply, grinning as she placed one blueberry and one chocolate muffin between them on the table.

"Oh Sephie, you are an absolute star! You know me so well!" He smiled broadly.

"Ah-ah, one or the other!" She warned. "I want one too!"

"Aww! Spoil-sport!" Zell stuck his bottom lip out briefly before reaching for the chocolate, grinning at Selphie's reaction of slight disappointment and then choosing the blueberry.

"Am I that predictable?" She smiled.

"Uh-huh!" He nodded with a smile.

"Darn it!" She sighed turning to her backpack again.

"I may not be all that smart but I know not to come between a woman and her chocolate! Heck Sephie, what you got in there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!" She winked.

"Certainly would now!" He nodded.

"Well… it was quiet in the cafeteria this morning and I didn't fancy sitting on my own, plus I didn't know how much time I'd have after walking from Garden before the train so I grabbed a few things and left."

"Wait up! So you're telling me that not only were you in town at an unnatural time for a leave day, you also walked from Garden, headed to the cafeteria and had to do whatever it is that girls do first thing in the morning? What time did you get up?"

"Early." Selphie grinned. "And watch it cheeky!"

"That was pretty self explanatory. Everything okay?" He added, slightly concerned as he watched her place a small bottle of orange juice before him and take another out of her bag for herself.

"Just… couldn't sleep." She shrugged. "Been that was for a while."

"Sephie, we're supposed to be on a break, remember? This is the time we do get to sleep!"

"I know!" She smiled slightly. "But apparently the rest of me doesn't!" She sighed lifting and opening the bottle, taking a drink before replacing the cap.

"You sure you're okay?" Zell repeated, watching her carefully now.

"Fine!" She nodded firmly. "I might crash and burn later mind, I've not had my early morning caffeine injection this morning."

"You are the only person I know that most definitely does not need caffeine!" Zell smiled at her.

"What are you trying to suggest?" She smiled sweetly.

"Not a thing! Wish I could be the same!"

"You are!" Selphie laughed at him.

"Yeah…" He chuckled. "Hey, weird - it's usually you checking up on everyone, now I'm checking up on you!"

"A change in career perhaps? I hear they're looking for a new councillor for Garden."
"Hyne no!" Zell snorted back. "Can you imagine how many breakdowns there'd be if I took that job?"

Selphie laughed and nodded.

"Perhaps not then." She agreed, breaking a piece off of her muffin and popping it in her mouth.

"Hey, it's Quissy's birthday soon isn't it? You're arranging something I'm guessing?"

"Trying to!" Selphie replied finishing her mouthful. "But with the dance it's been tricky!"

"Does Quissy know?"

"Yeah right! Like she'd allow me to plan anything like a party for her if she knew about it. She probably suspects that I might try something but with any luck it'll be too late by then and it will all be planned. So long as she keeps busy with the plans for the new students I should be alright."

"You're mean!" He chuckled.

"Not at all! It won't be anything big - I'm kinda beat what with sleep deprivation and everything. It'll just be friends."

"Are you sure that you're fine? In all the time we've known each other I cannot recall you feeling beat once!"

"There's always a first for everything!" She shrugged before looking down at the table. "Actually, Zell, can I tell you something? If you don't mind I mean…" She asked quietly examining her nails as she intertwined her fingers, resting her hands on the table.

"Sure, if you think I can help!" Zell shrugged swinging his legs down from the seat so he could face her.

"Not help, just… listen, I guess." She took a deep breath and glanced up at his now anxious face. "You've probably noticed that me and Irvine have been hanging out less and less…"

"I didn't like to pry but yeah…"

"Well you won't be seeing much of him at all now, he's going back to Galbadia Garden… today."

"Sephie…" He furrowed his brow instinctively reaching for her hand.

"It's alright!" She nodded. "It's a good thing. We… well, there wasn't really much of a we anymore. Things kinda drifted apart. Irvy never really seemed a one girl guy and I think some people took advantage of that. It's better this way!" She smiled slightly. "He was the one to suggest the move. Because we are all friends and he was the last one to join us, he thought it was the right thing to do."

"Oh…" Was all Zell could managed as she finished and looked up at him. "He didn't… I mean, he didn't hurt you in any way did he? And you realise this is just me being dump and over-protective and all that crap…"

"No, he didn't hurt me. And thank you Zell, it's nice to know that you care!" She smiled fondly. "Just don't go broadcasting it okay? I'm sure the others have figured something is going on but for the moment… Squall knows. He helped arrange everything. Irvy was only on transfer after all so perhaps that made things easier."

"I remember an exchange student coming to Balamb a while back and we're still stuck with her!" Zell smiled putting a hand over hers. Selphie looked up at him and grinned, flicking a stray chocolate chip at him.

"Hey! Watch it - if you're throwing them away at least aim them at my mouth!"

"You and your stomach!" Selphie shook her head in exasperation.

"At least you're smiling again! I don't like seeing you down in the dumps, it weirds me out, not used to it! Now Squall being moody, that's pretty much expected!"

"I'll tell!" Selphie warned with a grin. "Thanks for listening Zelly."

"No sweat!" He smiled. "So, Quissy's birthday bash - what's the plan?"

"I can't decide whether she'd prefer something small and formal-ish with her friends on the 3rd floor, or whether to drag her out into Balamb town for something. Of course getting everyone there could be a problem since they're all pretty much crucial to the running of Garden! So I might be limited there." Zell nodded as Selphie continued her musings, glancing out of the window to see Fisherman's Horizon approaching at rapid speed.