I had thought of something, but so had Irvine. While my plan was to run away, his plan was for the two of us to get married. I wasn't sure I'd heard him correctly.
"You want us to get married? Irvine, we're only seventeen."
"I know, but I love you. You love me, don't you?"
"Of course I do! But we're only seventeen! We have our whole lives ahead of us, we can't just get married."
"Why not?"
I sighed. "Well, for one, we have high school and then college. What's going to happen if we have kids?"
"I hadn't thought of that."
"I figured."
"Well, what should we do then?"
"I don't know."
"That's why I think we should get married. No one will be able to separate us after."
"You have a point there."
"I want us to get married, Selphie. I love you and I want to be with you forever."
"Doesn't it seem like this is happening too fast? What I mean is, we only just met and here we are talking about getting married."
"No...when I met you it seemed like I'd known you all my life. It wasn't like just met."
"It wasn't." I agreed, remembering. It had really seemed like we'd known each other forever.
As I thought about it now, it was still that way. Thinking about marrying him didn't seem like a crazy idea. Actually, it seemed like a good one.
"All right."
"What?"
"I said all right. I'll marry you. It is a good idea. They wouldn't be able to separate us and-" I was cut off by a wild Irvine, one who was jumping up and down excitedly like a little kid with a new toy. As I looked on in amusement, Squall, Rinoa, Ellone, Seifer, Fujin, Zell and Quistis crowded into the bathroom, the guys going over to Irvine to say congratulations and the girls coming over and hugging me. Irvine came over and hugged me tightly, picking me up off the ground, and the other guys came over and we were all caught up in a big group hug.
"This is the girl's bathroom, right?" Seifer asked.
"Yes, genius." That was Quistis.
"Just checking."
*
We didn't tell Irvine's parents. I wanted to at first but he said they'd probably say what I had said and it was doubtful that they would change their minds like I had.
"So, when are we going to get married?" Irvine asked, a silly smile on his face. That wasn't the first time he had said that, I think he just liked saying those words. I didn't blame him because I liked hearing them. It was scary-cool. I was excited, but I was also worried that something would happen to wreck it.
"I don't know. Let's wait until after the play." I said, thoughtfully. "The cast and crew party is afterwards, and we can leave early."
"Who's coming with us? Everyone?"
"Do you actually think they'll let ten people crowd into a tiny chapel or wherever? Where are we getting married, anyway?"
"Oh, you'll never believe it. Raine became some kind of priest before to marry her two best friends. She said she'll marry us."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Booyaka! I can't think of anyone I'd like more. So that kind of resolves the 'who's coming' question."
"I think so."
"I can't wait!" I squeaked excitedly.
"Me either." Irvine said softly. He leaned over and kissed me softly. We'd both been sitting on the floor in his room, I had told Mother I was at Rinoa's house.
It was only a week or so away. Ellone had spoken to Raine and the actual wedding was organized, but I was still very nervous. I was afraid that something would happen, something bad.
When I mentioned my misgivings to Irvine, he just shrugged it off, saying everything would be okay. I wasn't so sure, though.
*
The play was a complete success! No one forgot their lines and the acting was flawless. Everyone congratulated Irvine and I on our chemistry, and said it was almost like we really were in love.
All of us were excited. Squall kept walking around with a dorky smile on his face and every so often Rinoa or Ellone would squeal and jump up and down. It was very silly but we all had fun. Seifer kept sneaking up on Quistis and tickling her. She knew when he was there but she pretended she didn't. Rinoa and Squall were acting pretty silly too, chasing each other around the room with Fujin and Zell cheering them on. Irvine and I were so nervous, but we weren't showing it. We were the only relatively calm ones out of all of us.
"So, how are we getting there?"
"Well, the groom, that's you, can't see the bride before the wedding. So we're going in two separate cars. Selphie, you're riding with Rinoa, Ellone, me and Fujin, and Irvine, you're riding with Squall, Zell and Seifer," Quistis said, taking charge of the situation as usual.
"All right. When are we leaving?"
"Whenever. Right now, I guess," Squall answered, checking his watch. The guys headed out to Squall's car, and the five of us who were left had another group hug, and then we all went to find Rinoa's car, because Ellone had forgotten where she parked it. When we found it we headed towards Squall and Ellone's home.
*
We waited for half an hour. Finally, Squall's car could be heard outside, but Irvine wasn't there. The five of us watched from a window as Squall, Zell and Seifer walked inside, talking excitedly. A few minutes later, Raine walked in.
"Irvine stopped by his house. He should be here in a few minutes. Hurry, finished getting ready." She said and left the room.
There was a problem. I hadn't been able to choose between Quistis, Rinoa, Ellone and Fujin for bridesmaids. I was closest to Quistis and Ellone, but where would that leave Rinoa and Fujin, with whom I was also good friends?
I was ready to just say all four of them could be bridesmaids, but Fujin and Rinoa told Ellone and Quistis they could have the honor and that they wouldn't mind. I gratefully smiled at them and was then faced with the job of picking my maid of honor from the two bridesmaids.
After about ten minutes, I gave up. "Ellone, Quistis, do paper rock scissors or I just won't have a maid of honor." Quisty won and put on the wreath of rosebuds that matched mine, only in pink instead of yellow and Ellone got a bouquet, and I straightened my dress.
My dress was made out of a white silky material, with thin straps holding it up and pale yellow embroidery picked out along the hem. The girls had fashioned a veil out of a white lace tablecloth that Raine had. She said they could cut it up and they had dived into it. A crown of fresh yellow rosebuds rested on my auburn hair, which hung straight down to my shoulders.
Rinoa was wearing a long red dress that looked simply gorgeous on her. Ellone had on a light green dress that looked like the one Rinoa had worn to the dance and Fujin was wearing a blue skirt with a silvery tank top. Quistis was wearing the dress she had worn to the dance.
We looked around at each other. "Are we ready?" Ellone asked.
"I think so." I said nervously, and my voice cracked. Everyone laughed and Raine came in.
"Come downstairs now, he should be here any minute."
An hour later, he still hadn't shown up. My stomach was turning over from nervousness, but I tried not to show it. Why wasn't he here? I knew he wouldn't stand me up...would he?
I pretended like he wasn't even supposed to be here yet and everyone else was early.
Finally I decided I couldn't wait anymore. "I'm going outside to see if I can see him." I left before anyone could say anything.
*
A slight nighttime chill was setting in. I shivered in my summer dress. I'd left the veil draped over the back of a kitchen chair, with the flowers next to it. I stood, looking down that field. Raine's house was surrounded by a large field, and it was hard to see cars on the road at night. After a while I saw headlights, and ran to look if it was Irvine.
My shoes slipped on the wet grass and I tripped, hitting my head as I fell. I could feel something sharp against my arm, for a second, and then something wet spilled down my arm.
My mind was dazed and only just before I lost consciousness did I realize that it was my blood.
*
I slept for a long time, tormented by nightmares of ghosts and monsters, horrifying creatures with too many legs and eyes.
Then I could hear an unearthly sound...it was like singing. A liquid golden voice, the sound that wishes are made of, poured into my dreams, chasing the creatures away with a wall of fire.
I thought I could see something...something winged. It was too big to be a bird, and it seemed to be sweeping up from the flames, rising from them. That sounded familiar in my mind but I couldn't place it. Whatever it was, it was the colour of fire, changing every second from red to orange to yellow and back again.
The ethereal creature flew towards me, and my cold body warmed up. That's all I could ever remember about what happened between that time and the time I woke up.
I did wake up. My friends hadn't thought I would, but I did.
*
When I woke up I was in a bed that wasn't mine. From the plain white sheets and the noises around me I figured I was in a hospital. I was wearing a hospital gown, I hated those so much but it wasn't like they could have asked me. I could see my wedding dress, cleaned and hanging on the wall.
Just as I turned over, my mother stormed in. "What is going on? Why were you over there? As soon as you get out you're heading straight back to Trabia."
I sighed. I didn't really feel like dealing with this right now but I don't think I had a choice. A doctor rushed in.
"Mrs. Tilmitt, I'm sorry, but you need to leave. Your daughter has to rest."
"Just a minute." I called softly. My voice was scratchy, probably because I hadn't used it in a while. Just how long had I been in here anyway? It was daylight, so at least a day, but I felt it was much more. Probably it was.
The doctor eyed me suspiciously. "I'll be back in five minutes," he said finally, and left.
"Just what did you think you were doing?" She demanded once the door shut. "They said you were getting married? I told you to stay away from that boy and you marry him? Whyever would you do such a thing?"
"You just answered your own question. Because you wouldn't let me see him. I love him, and I can't just stop seeing him."
"You're seventeen. You don't know what love is and you won't know until you're thirty-nine and wish you'd never heard of love," she said, exasperated.
"Mother, I'm not going back to Trabia. I'm sorry. I won't do it. I hate it there, and I won't go."
She laughed, disbelieving. "Well, I'd like to know where you think you're staying. It won't be with us. You've completely disgraced our family, and you deliberately disobeyed me."
"She'll stay with me." Irvine said. I hadn't noticed him walk in behind my mother, and his face was very angry. "You're her mother, and you don't even care about her. She almost died, and you don't even ask her how she's feeling."
Mother had the good grace to at least look a little contrite. She managed to sweep out of the room with some dignity, saying as she left, "If you don't get your things this week, I'll throw them away."
Ellone and Quistis poked their heads in the room. "We'll go now." They waved at me and disappeared.
Irvine crossed to my bed in two strides, and sat down. "Are you all right?" He asked, worried.
"What happened?"
"There was an accident, and I was caught in it. They wouldn't let anyone pass. The officer just laughed when I told him I was getting married. I tried to call, but the batteries in my phone were dead. I'm so sorry that I was late, and that you got hurt."
"It wasn't your fault. I should have taken a light, or something, so I could see where I was going. What did I cut myself on?"
"There was a piece of metal that blew off someone's house in that last big windstorm we had. It was just lying there and when you tripped, you hit your head, and then your arm fell on the metal. You bled a lot. Everyone thought you were going to die." He said, his eyes a bit wet.
"Something...happened," I said, and then proceeded to describe my dream to him, the one with the fiery creature in it. His face turned serious, but interested.
"That was Phoenix! You dreamed about him!" He said excitedly. Then I remembered why it had seemed familiar. He was the Guardian Force of flame, and of rebirth, giving life to those who had died.
"He saved my life. I wonder why."
"Because you have something else to do. You aren't ready to die yet."
"Yes, I know there's something I have to do. I have to marry you," I said.
I leaned over and kissed him.
*
Two weeks later, I was out of the hospital and Irvine and I were married in Raine's flower garden, this time it was in the afternoon, like a wedding should be. The weather was perfect, except for at the end, just as Raine said, "You may now kiss the bride."
Irvine leaned over, raised up the veil, and was kissing me when there was a crack of thunder and then rain poured down from where there had been no clouds before.
We still can't agree on whether it was magic or a sign.
~The End~
Author's Note: This fic is finally finished. It took me forever, and I know I wasn't that great about updating (sorry everyone) but now it's done. I hope you liked the ending, I did. I loved writing this, I said what I wanted to say and the ending, well, I couldn't have hoped for better. Thanks to all of my friends who gave good advice and stuck by me and helped me out. You guys are the best.
The reason I finished it today and not this weekend was actually as a birthday present to someone. I hope you like it, Jeremy. Happy sixteenth birthday. ^_~
