Irvine chuckled lightly as Squall refused to ask whom he cared for. He remembered his line to them on the train so long ago. About being misunderstood. About being a loner. Well, the loner part fit Squall better then himself. He recalled when they had arrived at Galbadia Garden...

His friends... And not a single one of them knew who he was. The only one he didn't know was the girl in light blue, pretending to be a Seed. Selphie was wearing yellow, her favorite color. He never could look at it, without thinking about her. The one little ray of sunshine. Zell was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, overactive still. He wasn't surprised when he saw the gloves he was wearing, even as a youngster Zell refused to play with pretend swords or guns. Quistis, beautiful still. Though her eyes were different, more aged then they should be. She had been the "adult" of them... But nothing like this. Finally, his gaze landed on the leader. Squall. The sullen boy had becoming a brooding teen. An angry scar decorated his face, and he figured only Seifer could have given it to him. They had always fought, with Quistis usually breaking them up.

"So, who is it?"
Irvine blinked. He didn't often lapse into inner monologues... That was something they left for Squall. He was also surprised that Squall was actually asking, instead of suggesting a name.
"You really wanna know?" Irvine turned, his back resting against the wall, elbows propped along the edge. Shadows were cast over his face, due to his hat. Squall was sure he saw a smirk forming.
"Yes."
~ Ah, the crucial moment, and I can't tell him. Why do I always cramp up like this? ~
Squall frowned when he saw Irvine start to shake lightly. It was a tad colder now, due to the wind picking up. Auburn locks danced around Irvine as he looked up. Though he couldn't see those eyes, Squall knew they were locked on him.
"Th' person I care about.... Is ... You."
The last part came out so softly, Squall wasn't sure he heard him correctly. He blinked, then leaned forward while placing a hand on his hip. "Did you say me?" Irvine nodded once, slowly. The two stood there, while Squall tried to sort this one out in his mind.
~ Okay. Irvine just told you that he cared for you. *Cares* for *You* ... In that way. What am I supposed to say to that? Thanks? Whatever? You're kinda cute to? ~ Now... Where had that come from?
Irvine sighed, looking away. Squall arched an eyebrow, studying the cowboy. Irvine reached up with one hand to remove his hat then brushed back his bangs. Squall still pondered why the cowboy had decided to confess his feelings. ".... How long?"
"What?" Irvine glanced over at Squall. "How long have you felt this way?" A sad smile played around Irvine's lips as he shrugged. "I dunno. A while... " ~ Actually, ever since we were younger... ~
Irvine dared to look into those gunmetal eyes again. The color sometimes reminded him of Exeter, his most treasured weapon. But he was looking to see if he could tell how Squall was feeling about this confession. But those eyes showed him nothing. There was a snowy veil draped over them, blanking everything out. It hadn't always been that way...

They were the last three left at the little stone house. Since Quistis was no longer there to pull apart the two warriors, the task had fallen to Irvine. And while he tried, he could never handle it as well as she could. Seifer responded to her, in a way that only a girl could get a boy to do. And one day, while breaking up a fight, Seifer had unleashed some anger on Irvine.
It was basically name calling, until Seifer grabbed hold of Irvine's small ponytail. He yanked him along into the kitchen, and grabbed a pair of scissors. Tears started to form in Irvine's eyes, unsure of what the blonde boy's intentions were. Was he going to cut his hair, or cut him? He started to shake, as Seifer pulled on his hair even harder.
He heard the snip sound, and felt something brush against the back of his neck as it fell to the floor. Just as Seifer was about to cut off the rest, he let out a grunt of pain and let go of Irvine's hair. He wriggled around, wondering who had saved him. Squall stood there, glaring at Seifer. "Leave him alone." A pause. "You jerk."
Seifer's eyes widened, preparing to rush Squall, scissors held aloft. Edea came into the kitchen right before he could attack Squall with them. He suddenly froze in place, and the other two just stared, eyes wide. "Go outside, children." "But..." "Outside!" They scrambled, for she never rose her voice. Squall flopped down in the dirt outside, and Irvine joined him, tears streaking his face. "Th.Thank you..."
Squall nodded, wondering why Irvine was shivering lightly. He recalled how Sis used to hug him after Seifer would pick on him. He held out his hand to Irvine, who blinked. Then, he accepted it. Squall pulled him over, and hugged him tightly. It was an innocent hug, meant to give comfort to the one who had just been tormented. But it started a small case of hero worship for Squall from Irvine, which later would turn into so much more....

"Do you remember that, Squall? It seemed he was able to carry out his threat later."
He reached out, lightly brushing the tip of Squall's scar before jerking his hand back. Squall however, just smiled faintly. "That would explain something then."
"... What?"
Squall reached into his coat, pulling out a small lock of hair that had been tied together with a bit of grass. "Matron had to cut the other half, and you gave it to me. Said it would protect me, since I was a hero. I've had it all this time, even though I couldn't remember why... Or who gave it to me."
Irvine blinked, in slight disbelief. He couldn't believe that Squall still had it. Maybe this meant something...?

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A/N - *snifle* Someone didn't want me to continue, but everyone else did.. so I did. Well, next chapter... Should Squall come clean? Please let me know what you think - continue or no? As usual, Square owns them. But I own the figures! ^^ (hugs her Squall)