Oh, truly mine!
**Disclaimer: You know I didn't invent these characters, so why should I even bother?**
**Please review me: It helps me to decide which parts were better than others and what needs improvement and what doesn't…**
"What?"
The word cut into the silence like a knife; so rude, so – unshapen. The unspoken eloquence flooded out in a muted crescendo, linking all of their thoughts as one. The first question, Selphie reflected later, was "Why?". The second, following not soon after, was "Why?".
Zell's milky face regained a little of its colour. Although his cheeks and eyes were dry, his flushed skin and swollen eyelids betrayed his salty tears. He had to explain to them. He had to.
"We went to the Training Centre – there was a fire…"
"I came to get Squall…" Selphie whispered in consternation. Maybe if she'd got there before Squall…had disappeared…maybe she could have done something…
"Where is Squall?" Zell looked around the ruined room as if for the first time. His glance fell on Selphie's tearstained, terrified face that was only now recovering. "And – what happened?"
"It doesn't – it doesn't matter. You – you explain about…"
About Quisty. The unspoken words were heard as if they had been said aloud. "When I got there, I met Seifer." Zell started in a choked, closed voice. It was almost monotone.
"He was real choked up, you know? He said that Quistis was – trapped in there. He didn't say why. She was just injured, by a T-Rexaur, and we had to go in a save her.
We managed to quench a path through the flames and finally reached the small cranny where Quistis was lying. The flames hadn't reached her yet, but the smoke had. Seifer's face went grey. I thought he was going to fall unconscious. I don't know what had happened between them in there, but it sure meant a lot to him. And then we saw her body."
"She was dead. We knew the second we looked at her. We had no time to spare. The flames were advancing ever closer with every second we waited. So we picked her up and carried her out of there. Seifer was controlling the flames. The heat was stifling. We were stumbling, blinded by the smoke. We thought we were going to die. Seifer looked as if he wished he could.
Seifer and I took her straight to the Infirmary. We tried Full-Lifes and Phoenix Downs but she was too far gone for those. So we washed away the blood, ever so gently while Dr. Kadowaki went to tell Cid. It was a living hell in there. Silence, except for Seifer's crying. Quisty's dead body in front of us. And a tiny teddy bear lying forlornly on the floor by the bed.
Cid sent some people to dig a grave for her in the Quad. He was really – I can't say upset. It was so much more than upset. It was something deep inside, you know? Something dead. That can never be revived.
Seifer took Quistis to the Quad in her coffin along with Cid. I think – he wanted to spend some time alone with - with her. They told me to come and find you. And so I did."
Selphie and Irvine were crying softly now. The sound almost broke Zell's heart. Right now he just wanted to go to his room, lie down in bed and never get up again. Get away from it all. No Rinoa. No Quistis. And now…no Squall?
"Where is Squall?"
"I don't know." Selphie looked down. "I got here, and I found – his gunblade, broken into a million pieces. Griever – the monster we'd defeated was somehow released from his ring – and he attacked me. Irvine arrived, just in time, and saved me."
Griever – Squall – too much! It was too much to think about or talk about. He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was;
"Quisty's funeral is tomorrow."
With that he turned on his heel and left quietly, the tears falling down his face as he turned away.
Irvine realised that Selphie was still in his arms. He looked down at her. Somehow the dim morning light made her features softer. He eyes were soft in the dimness, and her lips were shining too. Her cheeks? Highlighted with all the shimmering lowness of blushes in the morning sunlight. She was beautiful, he realised. Involuntarily, he reached down with a hand and stroked her soft, shining, brown hair. Her jade green eyes were filled with tears. He was going to remove those tears, every one. An intoxicating blend of scents wafted up form her, mingled together in a beautiful cocktail of violets, daffodils, spring air, summer air, jasmine, ylang ylang, Selphie…
How could he resist her? He was pulled into a whirwind of emotions. Her arms were around his neck, clinging on desperately. She was so frightened, and sweet, and willing…
His hands were tangled in her hair. He didn't want to let go. Maybe, in this mess, the world that was collapsing around them, they could hold onto eachother, something tangible…he increased the passion behind the kiss, losing himself in the utter bliss that enfolded him like angel's wings. He was holding onto her, and she was holding onto him, as if they were the most important things in the world…
"Irvy?"
"Yes, Sefie?"
"Do you love me?"
Irvine looked down at the sincere, beautiful, open face. A tangled web of emotions burst inside him. He held the small, fragile girl close. He wouldn't let anybody hurt her. Because –
"I do love you, Selphie."
Then their mouths were inexplicably locked again, their eyes closed with eagerness. Her hands were sliding from his neck into his hair, with rising, mounting passion. His remained in her hair, pulling her towards him. He loved her so much – her heady scent was overpowering him now…
In a moment of daring, he placed his hand on her hip. She smiled underneath his lips and snuggled closer into his arms, her hands kneading the sensitive skin by his neck. They were one. They fit perfectly together.
He pulled away suddenly, one of his hands looped loosely around her waist. Her lips were rosy from his last kiss. "Selphie…"
"Mmmm?"
"We love eachother…right?"
"I do Irvy. I love you." She sobbed slightly on the last word. "Everybody is dying or disappearing around us, but in this world and the next Irvy, I love you."
Irvine leant down over Selphie, his dark brown eyes melting into her green ones.
"Marry me, Selphie."
"What do you want me to do?"
His green-blue eyes burned with a fiery heat. He wouldn't let them hurt Rinoa. She was his angel and always would be.
"Nothing, for the moment."
The room was changing around him. The walls were melting away, the room was becoming smaller. Ultimecia and Ellone faded fainter, fainter…the room went black, then flashed red and white, and then the smoke cleared.
He was in a small dungeon room, no more than 5x5 metres. No windows, no door…where was he?
"Squall!"
He whipped around. Next to him, in the small, dank dungeon, was his angel, Rinoa. For an ephemeral second, they stood apart, and then she collapsed into his arms, the tears running down her cheeks at last. He wrapped his arms around her so that she would feel secure in his embrace. As he held her, rocking her slightly, he was filled with a hope and joy that he was finally reunited with her. They would get out of this together.
After…well, it could have been seconds, minutes…he felt his shoulder becoming damp. He pulled away and looked at Rinoa. Her eyes were shining with the tears that she was barely trying to hold back. He knelt down and let her stay safe in his arms. "What's wrong?"
He wiped away the solitary tear from her cheek with his hand. The leather of his jacket squeaked reassuringly against his shoulders. He hugged her close again and placed his lips on her inky black hair. She was warm against his chest. "What's wrong?", he repeated.
"I – I was wondering about our friends back in Balamb. I – I don't want to become a memory."
I don't want to become a memory.
Squall had thought those exact same things, once, in Galbadia Garden. Now he understood what Rinoa was going through. "You won't become a memory. You'll live, as an entity, a being, in everyone's hearts that you've touched, even after you've died. But you will never be dead for me, Rin."
"Squall – why?"
"I will never let you die."
Rinoa gazed upwards into the beautiful, sensitive eyes of the man she loved. She let her fingers slip under the leather of his jacket. It felt so blissful just to be with him again.
"I just feel worried; what if we return and nothing is the way we left it?"
"Trust me, Rin. Our friends will all be there to welcome us when we return. Whenever that may be."
Rinoa felt his strong arms tighten around her waist and knew that he spoke the truth. It had to be the truth.
I know this chapter was awfully short, but review it all the same. Do you want a continue or not??????