A/N: This story will start out as a Selvine, but will eventually also be a Quifer. The first two chapters are basically my attempt to show how each character has grown since the game left off. After that, there will be an actual plot. Enjoy!!!
It had been a six months, six whole months since the world as the SeeDs knew it almost ended. Most of the gang had rested in the time since their battle with Ultimecia. Selphie on the other hand had never been so tired in her whole life. She split her time between Balamb and Trabia Gardens. She often felt as if the Rangnorak was more her home than anywhere else. She was thrilled that this flight to Balamb would be her last flight for awhile. She had gotten the reconstruction of the Trabia Garden well under way and wouldn't need to be present for the remainder of it. She needed sleep and she missed her friends. Rinoa, Quistis, and Selphie had gotten along so well over the past few months and Irvine was constantly trying to catch her attention.
Irvine. Did she like him? People were constantly asking her if she did. She definitely had feelings for him, but she didn't feel like being just another feather in his hat. She smiled slowly at the thought of him. Piloting the Rangnorak was second nature, so her wandering mind put her in no danger. Besides, Balamb was quite awhile away. On her last trip to Trabia, Irvine had accompanied her. Irvine. There he was in her mind again. He was always doing little things for her to show that he cared. She had confided in Rinoa once that she would date him if she knew that she wouldn't get hurt. Rinoa sensibly told Selphie that every relationship has risks. After that, Rinoa tried to play matchmaker, carefully observing their every move and interaction. Selphie smiled tiredly as she saw Balamb in the distance.
Irvine stood at the gates to Balamb patiently watching the sky, waiting to see the Rangnorak. The thought of seeing Selphie brought a warm smile to his face. Since Ultimicia, Irvine had rarely thought of another woman. He had tried all his best tactics to get her to give him a chance. It was during his trip to Trabia with her that he realized that he would just have to come up with some new tactics. He just couldn't give up on her. One night at Trabia, after dinner, they had gone on a walk together. He had almost told her then how he felt about her. Ever since they were separated as children there had been something missing. He always wondered what had happened to his friends from the orphanage. He would never forget the day at Galbadia Garden when he saw Selphie again after all those years. It was like all of a sudden, all that mattered was her safety and happiness.
Suddenly the Rangnorak appeared in the distance and within minutes the ship landed. Irvine approached the ship a half a step quicker than his usual lazy stroll and smiled as Selphie emerged from the Rangnorak. She walked up to him and he was stricken at how tired she looked. He noticed that she had lost weight too and had dark circles under her eyes. She smiled warmly, though and hugged him. Taking a reluctant step back from her embrace, his eyes met hers. "How was your trip?"
"It was okay," she said, "I am so tired though." He picked up her small duffel bag and walked with her towards the dorms.
"I'm happy that you're back Sef, once you get some sleep, I need to talk to you." She noticed that he was not meeting her eyes as he spoke.
"Okay, is everything alright?"
"Of course," he said with a reassuring smile, "Just need to talk." They were at Selphie's door then and Irvine's hand brushed Selphie's as he gave her the duffel bag. He quickly bid her goodbye and left to think about what he was going to tell her tomorrow during their "talk." Perhaps Squall would have some insight on this, or Rinoa and Quistis, they knew Selphie better than anybody. Irvine walked off quickly in search of his friends.
The next day, Selphie did not awaken until lunchtime. She showered quickly and dressed in her familiar yellow dress and boots. Selphie was excited at the thought of seeing Rinoa, Quistis, Zell, and Squall, but was a little worried about seeing Irvine. What would he say? She decided to go and eat with the gang and then talk to Rinoa alone to see what she thought.
The cafeteria was crowded, but Selphie had no trouble spotting her friends. They always sat together in the same area of the large room. The trial they had been through together had inexplicably bonded their diverse little group. She observed her friends talking casually as she stood in line for food. Squall sat back in his seat, his arm thrown casually around Rinoa. Zell had his mouth full of hot dog and had another one on his plate waiting to be eaten. His new friend from the library, Malia sat beside him looking a little less than comfortable around the tight-knit group. Quistis sat at the next table but her chair was turned towards Rinoa with whom she appeared to be making idle conversation. Selphie's gaze rested finally on Irvine who seemed to be deep in thought in his chair across from Quistis.
When she got her food, she approached her friends with her usual sunny smile. Everyone smiled up at her and offered her warm greetings. Rinoa jumped out of her chair and squeezed Selphie in a tight hug. "I have to talk to you," Selphie said into her friends ear.
"I figured," Rinoa replied.
As Selphie went to sit down, Irvine got up and pulled out a chair for her. She thanked him with a warm smile and sat in the chair. Everybody seemed genuinely glad to see their friend. During the meal, she was hit with a barrage of questions about Trabia. She answered all of them and her friends listened attentively and filled her in on how their lives had been going over the two and a half weeks that she was gone. After about an hour, Quistis had to go teach a class, Squall was called to Headmaster Cid's office, and Malia and Zell were leaving on a short trip to Deling City. Rinoa joined Selphie and Irvine at their table then to finish their conversation. Selphie noticed that Irvine was totally attentive to her, asking her questions and listening to her answers. At one point a group of girls came by to welcome Selphie back. She looked expectantly at Irvine, waiting to see what new lines he'd come up with to woo the girls since she'd been gone, but he just patted Selphie's hand and said, "Yes, we are quite happy to have Selphie back." She smiled up at him and then turned to look at Rinoa with wide eyes.
Irvine saw the look in Selphie's eyes when he let the girls go by without flirting with them. He smiled to himself as he realized that Selphie had finally noticed a bit of a change in him. He got up from the table then, and told Rinoa and Selphie that he would let them catch up but that he would find Selphie later. Before he left, he picked up Selphie and Rinoa's trays to throw away their trash and put the trays up. He was rewarded with a big smile and "thank you" from Selphie.
Irvine walked through the garden thinking about his group of friends. Each had changed in immeasurable ways. Squall had opened up more. Sure, he wasn't sharing his feelings openly or singing songs around a campfire, but he no longer answered every question with, "whatever." Rinoa was the one who had "brought him out of his shell," so to speak. She served as a sort of mother hen of the group. Constantly checking up on how the others were doing and making sure that everyone in the group was getting along well. Zell had calmed down remarkably which made him much easier to tolerate and Quistis, although still responsible, was more care-free and less sulky. Quistis had let go of her crush for Squall and was therefore able to be friends with Rinoa. Then there was Selphie. Selphie had grown more than any of them. The responsibility of her duties at Trabia had mellowed her slightly. She was still always happy and she still had that same old care-free spirit and exuberent energy but she was less flighty now. The group still looked to her to brighten dark situations, but they didn't expect her to be constantly cheerful. Her personality was more magnetic and addicting than ever, but she now occasionally even showed sadness or weariness, something she would have never shown to anyone a year ago. Irvine knew he had changed. Selphie had, unbeknownst to her, helped him kick all the habits he had wanted to get rid of for so long. He was entranced by her. He didn't quite know if it was love, but it was definitely more powerful than any other feelings he had ever had for anyone else. He just wished that there was some way he could tell her. He also wished that there was some guarantee that she felt the same way about him.
When he talked to Quistis and Rinoa about what they thought he should say to her, they both just told him to be honest. Rinoa gave him a knowing smile and told him that she was sure that everything would be okay. This had reassured Irvine slightly, but now, the more he thought about it, the more worried he got. He had never been this scared before. Usually this stuff came so easy to him, but this was different. He didn't want this to be like his other relationships and conquests. He wanted Selphie and he wanted her to want him back.
Selphie's talk with Rinoa lasted for nearly an hour. They strolled around the garden as they chatted and eventually, ended up back at the dorms where Selphie decided to take a quick nap before finding Irvine. The work at Trabia was tough and she would go many days at a time without getting a good night's sleep. The lack of sleep had caught up with her and despite sleeping late into the day, she still wasn't totally rested and she also needed the time to think about what Rinoa had said. Selphie was happy to learn that Irvine never spoke of or really flirted with other women lately. He still flirted with Selphie though, although the innuendoes had lessened considerably. Rinoa said that he had mentioned Selphie many times during her trips and how much he missed her. This was all so strange to Selphie. She was quite inexperienced at the art of dating. Just after Ultimecia, she had flirted with Irvine, worn his hat and danced with him at the celebration, but that was just harmless flirting. Now as the prospect of them getting together became more and more real, she was cautious about every move she made. Rinoa said once that the sexual tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. At the end of the conversation, Rinoa just told Selphie that maybe it was time to give him a shot. Selphie had already pretty much made up her mind that if he asked her out, she would agree.
Irvine used his time after lunch to work on his shooting skills. Whenever he needed to think or work something out, he could always take his Exeter and train. When he was in training, it was just he and his gun. All his thoughts and emotions went into each bullet. He couldn't stop thinking about Selphie and how happy she looked when he did not flirt with those girls at lunch. It had been a hard habit to break, but he had seen the pained look in Selphie's eyes too many times when he had flirted with her and then turned around and flirted with someone else. That's what it had truly been to him, just a habit, just as Selphie often touches her boots and Quistis wrings her hands, Irvine has the habit of flirting. Had, had the habit of flirting. He finished up his last round of bullets and left the training area more than a little sweaty. He walked through the Garden with his duster draped over his arm. He tipped his hat to all the ladies that passed him. Some habits just can't be broken, he thought with a grin. He passed Selphie's dorm room on the way to his own and smiled briefly at the thought of her. Come on Kinneas, what has gotten into you?
Irvine showered quickly and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He pulled his hair back into its familiar pony-tail and set his hat atop his head. With his boots on and Exeter holstered, he started out of his room to find Selphie. Passing Selphie's door, a yellow figure threw opened the door and looked as startled as he did. "Irvine, I was just coming to find you."
He flashed his trademark smile, "Well, I was coming to find you."
"Do you want to go somewhere, or we could just go into my room and talk if you'd rather..."
"Yeah," he said, "let's just stay here, its quiet." As she turned back towards her room he took a deep breath and followed her in.
She sat on the edge of her bed and he sat in the chair next to it. "Sefie, I hadn't noticed how long your hair has gotten."
Her hand immediately flew to her head, "Well, I really haven't had time to cut it, and..."
"No, no, I like it you should keep letting it grow."
"Thank you Irvy...not that I don't love the compliment, but is everything alright?"
"Um...why do you ask?"
"You seem preoccupied. Actually, you've seemed a little...tense all day."
"Nah, I've just been thinking about things lately," he said. "Sel-"
"Ir- sorry, you go ahead."
"Well, it's just that..." his mind was swimming trying to figure out just the right thing to say, but at that moment, all the statements he had prepared and practiced left him, and the only thing that came out was, "I-think-I'm-in-love-with-you."
What the hell did he just say?
What the hell did I just say?
To Be Continued...
A/N: Well, I hope everyone liked it. Please review so I can know whether or not to post the other chapters I have done.