Author's note: Hi y'all! Thanx for all the good reviews! I'm glad none of you flamed me for trying to make this a triangle or making this a future Zelphie.



Chapter 3 - Old Feelings



The darkness was soon coming. Zell looked out the window and watched the clouds fade the sun away. 'Rain,' he thought to himself. Balamb City usually had its antics on rain, but this was his first time actually seeing the rain come. He slept most of the day when the rain fell. Glancing at Selphie sleeping on the couch, he couldn't help but feel relief for the hyper-active girl. He could match her personality anytime, but not enough to make them good buddies. Yes, they were friends, but not all that good. Zell found himself stepping out of Selphie's way. It wasn't like he detested her or anything, it was the mere fact that she was in love with someone else. Zell was fond of Selphie when he first met her. But when he found out they grew up together, including Irvine, in the orphanage, the feelings of ever falling in love with her faded. It was nothing to him now. Irvine had her and it was too late to bring his feelings back. His anger often shadowed the old feelings he had with Selphie. He realized that most of those feelings were nothing more than friendship. He never spoke to her since, afraid that he would be bothered by his old feelings once again. Yet, there she was sleeping on his couch. He was afraid to speak to her in a friendly way.

Selphie stirred in her sleep. Zell could tell that she was tired from that ordeal just a few hours ago. Her legs were bandaged and had to be rested for maybe a couple of days until it healed properly. It was easier to bring her back to Balamb Garden and have Dr.Kadowaki heal her, but the rain enabled him to do so. It was also his mother, who insisted on keeping her at rest until she feels the young girl had her energy back from the fall she took.

"Irvy..." she whispered. Zell glanced down on her. Her short brown hair cascaded on the pillow and her eyes furrowed in discomfort as she dreamt. Zell figured it was not a nightmare, but of a dream involving her and Irvine. He turned around and headed for the stairs, without a second glance.

Selphie opened her eyes slowly. She heard footsteps. A shadow moved from across the room. With a small croaking voice, she said, "Zell?"

Zell stopped, his foot hovering the second step. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Selphie move in the shadows. She had sat up from the couch and was attempting to get up. Zell took the opportunity to turn around and help her on her feet. "Hey, don't get up. Wait for me to come to you," he told her.

Selphie shook her head stubbornly. "No, it's all right. You've done enough already. I can handle it." Slowly. she got up, using her arms as her lever and raised herself from the couch. As she took a step, her broken ankle gave away pain and she grimaced. She stumbled and headed forward, towards the glass table in front of her. She flailed her arms menacingly and tried to get her footing, but Zell, who had ran from his spot, caught her just in time before she met her doom.

Zell scowled. "What the hell, Selphie?! I thought I told you to wait for me! Geez! Why are you so stubborn?! You could've hit your head on the glass table and who knows what would've happened!" He looked down on her. Her arms were wrapped around his waist. Embarrassed, she opened her eyes and looked up at the taller teen.

"Did you stay here with me the whole time?" she asked. "Why?"

Zell looked away, connecting his eyes to the window. He gripped his arm around her waist. "Well, you're my friend." He set her back down on the couch.

Selphie smiled. "You're my friend too, Zelly! You could've gone somewhere and not be stuck in here with me."

Zell shrugged. "Well, there's nothing else to do. I always sleep on rainy days."

"It's raining?" Selphie looked over her shoulder to the window. The dark clouds were hovering over the city. Rain poured madly, tapping the rooftop, like a carpenter banging a hammer on a nail. She glanced at Zell and nodded. "It really is raining, isn't it? Well, I guess that means we have to stay here until the rain stops, eh?" She sat comfortably on the couch. She patted a spot beside her.

Zell looked down on the spot, unsure if he should. He invaded her enough already, but he sat down anyway, keeping himself from close contact with her. He turned to face her. "How's your ankle?"

Selphie examined her foot and looked up, nodding with pride. "I think it's going to be just fine. I sprained this same ankle once and Dr.Kadowaki told me a sprained ankle could take a few days to heal, with a cast that is."

"Well then, I guess by the time the rain stops, you and I must go back to Garden and have Dr.Kadowaki check on it."

Selphie nodded. "In the meanwhile, we can talk."

'Talk?' he thought. He wasn't surprised though. One of Selphie's habits is to talk. Usually, when she does, no one can get a word in, with the exception of Rinoa or Irvine, since both of them could outwit her talkative nature. Zell could only shrug. "All right. What about?"

Selphie placed an elbow on her lap and slouched a bit. She rested her chin on her upward palms, then looked at him. "What's your plan for the future Zell? I know what mine is. I'm going to be a great musician. Maybe a pianist and have my own concerts!"

"That's an interesting topic."

Selphie smiled. "What about you?"

Zell shrugged, his only habit so far on the conversation with Selphie. He leaned back on the couch and sighed. "I don't know. I don't know what I really want to be. I think it would be great to a martial arts teacher. My grand father was one."

The brunette arched an eyebrow and removed her chin from her palms. She leaned back and placed an arm on the arm rest, dangling it lazilly. "Oh really? That would be a good job. I mean, you would be an awesome martial arts teacher."

Zell smiled cockily, making his tattooe on his face move a little. He lifted up his arms made an arch on both of them and rested his head on his hands. "You think so? I don't think I'm cut out to be one."

"Why not?"

"I don't like kids...." he replied shortly.

Selphie laughed. "Why don't you like kids? You were one."

Zell nodded. "That's true. Can you handle kids?" he asked, without looking at her.

The brunette shrugged. "Well, yeah. I had three brothers and three sisters with my adopted parents. Since I was the oldest, I had to take care of them all."

The blond grimaced. "Yech! Got any scratch marks from them?"

Selphie laughed and shook her head. "No of course not. My brothers and sisters were so sweet. They loved me. It was too bad I had to leave them though."

Zell stared at her. He swore he saw tears in her eyes, but he was probably imagining it. "What happened?"

Selphie took a long deep breath. Tears streamed down her face. "My parents died in a car crash. Since I was by myself, all my brothers and sisters were taken away by the social services. I never saw them again after that."

"How did you get in Trabia then?"

"Some nice families took me in. They're names were Elijah and Flora Tilmitt. They were Instructors in Trabia and I ended up schooling there." She ran her arm across her eyes and dried her tears away.

"Were?" he asked, leaning closer.

"Yeah.... They died during the attack on Trabia from Galbadia. I....." she answered.

Zell took a deep breath and nodded. "Oh," was all he could retort. He thought she meant they died, the same fate her old foster parents recieved. Yet, they had gotten worser fate than her old parents. He looked down.

Silence suddenly overcame them. Only the sniffling from Selphie could be heard in the living room. Zell glanced once and watched her wipe away the tears that kept falling from her eyes. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Without a second thought, he wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her in for an embrace. Selphie covered her face with his chest and cried some more.

"I never even had a chance to say good bye to my parents. They were so wonderful to me. I.... never got a chance to say good bye to my brothers or sisters either."

Zell rubbed her back to calm her down. "Awww, don't cry Selph. I'm sure it's all right now. I.... I'm sorry for being to cold to you."

Selphie looked up. "Cold? When were you ever so cold to me?" she sniffed.

"I kinda found you annoying, to tell you the truth..." he answered, not meeting her eyes.

Selphie stared at him, then broke into an enormous laugh.

Zell looked at her strangely. "What's so funny? Don't you feel offended by it?"

Selphie shook her head. "No. People always say that to me, Zell! Tee! Hee! You're so funny!"

"What?"

Selphie put a hand on his arm, stifling her laugh with her other hand. "It's all right, Zell! I know what you mean. I find myself annoying sometimes." She started laughing again.

"Really?" He smiled, amused. He laughed with her, fading the noises of the thunder outside. All the while, Zell was wrong about Selphie. Irvine was right after all. She was sweet and caring. He never thought about it. But he knew that if he kept connecting with her feelings will come flooding back and he won't be able to get out of it.







GoodGurl: I hope you enjoyed that one. See ya!