Chapter 2 – Confusion, Illusion, Misunderstanding a Lot.
Selphie skipped along the wide corridor to the Great Hall, checking her reflection every few seconds in the mirror-like windows. She was smiling, and humming a happy tune to herself, when she bumped into Irvine.
"Heeey Irvy!" she called, and was very surprised when he didn't answer. She watched him walk into the hall then followed him in.
Inside the hall a band was already playing, sounding a lot better than when she had organised it. The ball was one of the events in the new improved Garden Festival, which Selphie had long since resigned from running. Edea now organised the parties with a little help from Sakuya on the technical side of things, and Seifer when heavy things needed lifting. She smiled at the memory of watching Seifer struggle with lifting a huge mega-bass amplifier to the bracket set in the wall, then watch Rinoa levitate the next one up after it. Rinoa was less involved in SeeD activities now. She never helped take classes, or ate in the cafeteria with the others, or even stood on the bridge with Squall anymore. She was more aloof and proud than ever, she had never really been one of the gang anyway, but now…
Selphie was interrupted from her brief reverie by Squall saying
"Going into the party, or have you decided they aren't your thing anymore?" Selphie blushed, embarrassed. Rinoa had been really angry.
"Sure!" she chirped, then wandered away from the doors and over to where Quistis, Xu and Irvine were standing. As she got there, Irvine turned to leave.
"Hey! Wait!" she called to him, starting to get a little annoyed. Irvine turned around and laughed.
"I don't like Selphie," he said callously "So why should I want to talk to you either?" The others laughed unkindly, and he strode off towards a group of new female cadets. Squall wandered over with Rinoa in tow.
"What was all that about?" she asked. Selphie frowned.
"I don't know." She sighed, maybe Irvine was too good to be true. She decided to go and do something about it, and stormed off after Irvine.
She reached him at the other side of the room, surrounded by a group of tall young SeeDs.
"As I was saying" he drawled, "They couldn't have defeated Ultimecia without me. I was really the star of the show." Selphie was taken aback, then ran over, reached up and kissed him, much to the surprise of the girls.
Irvine seemed just as surprised, and jerked back, away from her.
"What're you doing here! I thought I told ya to clear off! I don't like ya, and I don't wanna know ya!" he yelled. One of the girls stepped forward, a tall slim girl with silver-blonde hair, he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Me and Lani here were having a good time until you showed up," he said, venom in his voice. "I suggest you let us get on with it."
Selphie was close to tears. She ran back to Quistis, crying.
"Quistis!" she sobbed "Irvine hates me!" Quistis pushed her back.
"Of course he does, after today, who wouldn't?" Selphie stepped back, horrified. Even her closest friends were deserting her. There was a crackle from the PA system, and a voice cut through the music like a knife.
"Would Selphie Tilmitt please report to the training centre, Section 16. I repeat, would Selphie Tilmitt please report to the training centre, Section 16 immediately." Selphie didn't even stop to wonder why, she just ran out of the hall, grateful for an excuse to leave.
By the time she reached the training centre, tears were streaming down her face. Her hair was wilting and she found that she couldn't string a coherent sentence together without sobbing. She saw Seifer waiting at the end of the path, but ignored him. He had never really spoke to her, so why should she bother? He stepped out in front of her, a look of genuine concern on his face.
"Baby," he murmured, cupping her tear-streaked face in his hand "What happened to you?" she looked up at him, and his green eyes fixed onto hers. She looked into his eyes, and found herself mesmerised by them, losing herself in their caring, loving expression. She fell into his arms and he held her tightly, resting her head against his chest and allowing the tears to fall freely onto his coat. He stroked her hair and whispered something, gently. She was surprised, this was Seifer – they had never really talked to each other, but here he was, comforting her. She relaxed, allowing herself to feel safe, and slipped her own arms around him. He sat down on the stone edge of the fountain and held her in his arms.
After a few minutes her crying stopped, and her body relaxed completely. She had fallen asleep. He picked her up carefully, cradling her head in his arms and carried her back to his quarters. He lowered her carefully to the ground at the door only long enough to unlock it, then carefully set her down on the sofa.
Some hours later, selphie awoke to the sound of someone singing, carelessly off key. The voice was deep and melodic, slightly accented, and was accompanied only by the hissing of a shower. Obviously, Seifer thought that she was still asleep, or he would never dare to actually sing. She remembered the karaoke last year, when he had been asked to sing a duet with Sakuya. Both of them had agreed, but then mysteriously vanished. Seifer's confidence apparently ended as soon as someone handed him a microphone. The singing degenerated to a mumble, then the shower stopped abruptly. There was the sound of someone unfolding a towel, then a click as the door opened, to reveal Seifer in a grey dressing-gown that looked spookily similar to his trenchcoat.
Selphie struggled to sit up, feeling slightly undignified, she had just fallen asleep, probably on Seifer….. she shook her head. Well, she thought, at least she didn't have to pretend to be Sakuya anymore, the party was probably over, and Sakuya would be home in a few hours. She grinned, but Seifer's look killed her. He was hurt, and angry. She looked at him questioningly, wondering what was wrong. Under the flush that the heat of the shower had given him, his skin was a pallid grey. He was visibly shaking.
"I watched the CCTV of the party." He stated, coldly. "I thought it was settled, you wouldn't go anywhere near Irvine. You know how much it cuts me up to see you with him, when you know that you belong with me." Selphie was amazed.
"But I belong with Irvine!" she protested. "I don't belong with you! You're Seifer! Im Selphie, remember?" seifer frowned.
"Come on," he said "Its just me. You don't have to pretend anymore. You know that I love you, and I thought that you loved me." Selphie opened her mouth to speak, and he took the oppurtunity to kiss her. She struggled free, and ran to the other side of the room. He wiped his lips in despair, and said:
"You really don't love me, do you? You prefer that cowboy, Irvine." Now it was Selphie's turn to frown,
"Of course I prefer Irvine! Who wouldn't! He's nice, and kind, and funny, and virtually the exact opposite of you! And I love him!" she yelled. Seifer snarled, then turned away, locking himself in his bedroom. He searched the room for his clothes, pulling it apart in the process, throwing the picture of himself and Sakuya into the wall so hard that the frame broke and the glass shattered. The flying shards cut his face, but he didn't care. All he wanted now was revenge. He pulled on his black jeans and heavy Doc Marten boots, the oxblood leather cracked with time. A maddened search found his cross T-shirt, and he pulled it on one-handedly. His other hand was searching frantically under the bed. He smiled evilly as his palm closed around the steel handle of his gunblade, and drew Hyperion out into the wreckage of the room. He tested the blade, then brought it down onto a chair, shearing through the solid oak as if it was butter.
"Excellent," he hissed, his eyes gleaming a malevolent green, "This'll teach Irvine not to mess with the big boys. Well, he can have his whore, if he escapes with his life!"
Selphie skipped along the wide corridor to the Great Hall, checking her reflection every few seconds in the mirror-like windows. She was smiling, and humming a happy tune to herself, when she bumped into Irvine.
"Heeey Irvy!" she called, and was very surprised when he didn't answer. She watched him walk into the hall then followed him in.
Inside the hall a band was already playing, sounding a lot better than when she had organised it. The ball was one of the events in the new improved Garden Festival, which Selphie had long since resigned from running. Edea now organised the parties with a little help from Sakuya on the technical side of things, and Seifer when heavy things needed lifting. She smiled at the memory of watching Seifer struggle with lifting a huge mega-bass amplifier to the bracket set in the wall, then watch Rinoa levitate the next one up after it. Rinoa was less involved in SeeD activities now. She never helped take classes, or ate in the cafeteria with the others, or even stood on the bridge with Squall anymore. She was more aloof and proud than ever, she had never really been one of the gang anyway, but now…
Selphie was interrupted from her brief reverie by Squall saying
"Going into the party, or have you decided they aren't your thing anymore?" Selphie blushed, embarrassed. Rinoa had been really angry.
"Sure!" she chirped, then wandered away from the doors and over to where Quistis, Xu and Irvine were standing. As she got there, Irvine turned to leave.
"Hey! Wait!" she called to him, starting to get a little annoyed. Irvine turned around and laughed.
"I don't like Selphie," he said callously "So why should I want to talk to you either?" The others laughed unkindly, and he strode off towards a group of new female cadets. Squall wandered over with Rinoa in tow.
"What was all that about?" she asked. Selphie frowned.
"I don't know." She sighed, maybe Irvine was too good to be true. She decided to go and do something about it, and stormed off after Irvine.
She reached him at the other side of the room, surrounded by a group of tall young SeeDs.
"As I was saying" he drawled, "They couldn't have defeated Ultimecia without me. I was really the star of the show." Selphie was taken aback, then ran over, reached up and kissed him, much to the surprise of the girls.
Irvine seemed just as surprised, and jerked back, away from her.
"What're you doing here! I thought I told ya to clear off! I don't like ya, and I don't wanna know ya!" he yelled. One of the girls stepped forward, a tall slim girl with silver-blonde hair, he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Me and Lani here were having a good time until you showed up," he said, venom in his voice. "I suggest you let us get on with it."
Selphie was close to tears. She ran back to Quistis, crying.
"Quistis!" she sobbed "Irvine hates me!" Quistis pushed her back.
"Of course he does, after today, who wouldn't?" Selphie stepped back, horrified. Even her closest friends were deserting her. There was a crackle from the PA system, and a voice cut through the music like a knife.
"Would Selphie Tilmitt please report to the training centre, Section 16. I repeat, would Selphie Tilmitt please report to the training centre, Section 16 immediately." Selphie didn't even stop to wonder why, she just ran out of the hall, grateful for an excuse to leave.
By the time she reached the training centre, tears were streaming down her face. Her hair was wilting and she found that she couldn't string a coherent sentence together without sobbing. She saw Seifer waiting at the end of the path, but ignored him. He had never really spoke to her, so why should she bother? He stepped out in front of her, a look of genuine concern on his face.
"Baby," he murmured, cupping her tear-streaked face in his hand "What happened to you?" she looked up at him, and his green eyes fixed onto hers. She looked into his eyes, and found herself mesmerised by them, losing herself in their caring, loving expression. She fell into his arms and he held her tightly, resting her head against his chest and allowing the tears to fall freely onto his coat. He stroked her hair and whispered something, gently. She was surprised, this was Seifer – they had never really talked to each other, but here he was, comforting her. She relaxed, allowing herself to feel safe, and slipped her own arms around him. He sat down on the stone edge of the fountain and held her in his arms.
After a few minutes her crying stopped, and her body relaxed completely. She had fallen asleep. He picked her up carefully, cradling her head in his arms and carried her back to his quarters. He lowered her carefully to the ground at the door only long enough to unlock it, then carefully set her down on the sofa.
Some hours later, selphie awoke to the sound of someone singing, carelessly off key. The voice was deep and melodic, slightly accented, and was accompanied only by the hissing of a shower. Obviously, Seifer thought that she was still asleep, or he would never dare to actually sing. She remembered the karaoke last year, when he had been asked to sing a duet with Sakuya. Both of them had agreed, but then mysteriously vanished. Seifer's confidence apparently ended as soon as someone handed him a microphone. The singing degenerated to a mumble, then the shower stopped abruptly. There was the sound of someone unfolding a towel, then a click as the door opened, to reveal Seifer in a grey dressing-gown that looked spookily similar to his trenchcoat.
Selphie struggled to sit up, feeling slightly undignified, she had just fallen asleep, probably on Seifer….. she shook her head. Well, she thought, at least she didn't have to pretend to be Sakuya anymore, the party was probably over, and Sakuya would be home in a few hours. She grinned, but Seifer's look killed her. He was hurt, and angry. She looked at him questioningly, wondering what was wrong. Under the flush that the heat of the shower had given him, his skin was a pallid grey. He was visibly shaking.
"I watched the CCTV of the party." He stated, coldly. "I thought it was settled, you wouldn't go anywhere near Irvine. You know how much it cuts me up to see you with him, when you know that you belong with me." Selphie was amazed.
"But I belong with Irvine!" she protested. "I don't belong with you! You're Seifer! Im Selphie, remember?" seifer frowned.
"Come on," he said "Its just me. You don't have to pretend anymore. You know that I love you, and I thought that you loved me." Selphie opened her mouth to speak, and he took the oppurtunity to kiss her. She struggled free, and ran to the other side of the room. He wiped his lips in despair, and said:
"You really don't love me, do you? You prefer that cowboy, Irvine." Now it was Selphie's turn to frown,
"Of course I prefer Irvine! Who wouldn't! He's nice, and kind, and funny, and virtually the exact opposite of you! And I love him!" she yelled. Seifer snarled, then turned away, locking himself in his bedroom. He searched the room for his clothes, pulling it apart in the process, throwing the picture of himself and Sakuya into the wall so hard that the frame broke and the glass shattered. The flying shards cut his face, but he didn't care. All he wanted now was revenge. He pulled on his black jeans and heavy Doc Marten boots, the oxblood leather cracked with time. A maddened search found his cross T-shirt, and he pulled it on one-handedly. His other hand was searching frantically under the bed. He smiled evilly as his palm closed around the steel handle of his gunblade, and drew Hyperion out into the wreckage of the room. He tested the blade, then brought it down onto a chair, shearing through the solid oak as if it was butter.
"Excellent," he hissed, his eyes gleaming a malevolent green, "This'll teach Irvine not to mess with the big boys. Well, he can have his whore, if he escapes with his life!"