Note: hi! I was expecting more reviews, but at least I did get some. I know, I'm not that good of a writer, but I am trying to hard to please everyone! Please bare with me. Thanx anyway for your honesty. Well, here's the eight chapter. We last left off with Selphie who meets Zell in the secret area, but she denies his feelings for her, telling him it was a simple mistake and she chose to forget it. That same night, he, Irvine and Seifer were called down to the Headmaster's office to assist a new fellow SeeD to put a virus in the computer systems of the Galbadians submarines. The three men are basically like bodyguards. It turns out, the fellow SeeD is the library girl who just got her lisence and the one who's had a crush on Zell. She asked him out and, thanks to Seifer and Irvine, they tell her he would love to go out with her, which is not true in Zell's case, since he's still hung up over Selphie. Anyway, this chapter is where the date begins.... hm... I wonder how Selphie feels about that?




Chapter 8 - 'Love Is Just Something Forgotten, Right?'


Love is just something forgotten, right? Zell tightened his tie on his neck and looked at himself in the mirror. So, should he forget about his feelings for Selphie like Selphie forgot about her feelings for him? After all, it was just one simple kiss and it wasn't that important. These thoughts played almost the hours he's spent getting ready for his date with Brynne in his head. He could hear the stiffle giggle of Selphie on the other side of the room and Irvine's low husk voice. He rolled his eyes and pictured himself standing at the edge of the cliff and falling rapidly below towards the waters. Tomorrow was his mission to Galbadia and it was enough excuse for him not to see Selphie for awhile. Zell dusted off hair from his suit and glanced at himself once more, before leaving his room.

One step and he expected Irvine to come bursting by his door and look at him, but he wasn't there. Irvine had his arms around Selphie's waist and was kissing her neck. When Irvine saw him, he removed his arms from Selphie and smiled at him.

"Hey!" He walked towards the shorter man and patted him on the back. "You look good, man!"

Selphie had stepped in beside Irvine, looking at Zell like she's never seen him wear a suit all his life. She had seen him a couple of times, but she never actually looked hard enough to notice how handsome he looked. A white long sleeved shirt were worn underneath his black blazer and a black tie was tied rather awkwardly. Zell was never really good at tying. She looked at him and pretended to look disappointed from the awkward looking tie, rather than Zell's date with Brynne.

"Zell, that tie is all wrong." Selphie said. She always thought Brynne never looked good with him.

The blond man stared at her, confused. "What?" He looked down at the tie and grabbed it. "What's wrong with it?"

Selphie walked up to him and untied it. "Here, let me do that for you." She wrapped her arms around Zell's neck to fix the collar at the back and placed the tie underneath. She wrapped the tie around his neck and began tying it expertly. Once done, she stepped back and looked at it more closely. It only took a mere seconds for her to do. "There you go." She looked up and smiled. "Much better!"

Irvine laughed, wrapping an arm around Selphie's shoulder. "See, Zell? I told you my Seffie was such a sweet darlin'! What'd I tell ya?" He punched Zell in the arm playfully. "She does the same thing to me when I have trouble tying my own." He looked at his girl friend and kissed her on the cheek. "What would I do without you, my butterfly?"

Zell kicked himself mentally on the head and a wave of jealousy flashed through his mind. "Th- thanks, Selph," he said.

Like a flash of lightning, green eyes met green eyes and the cowboy didn't even see it coming. For a moment, it seems that when they turned their heads towards one another, time seem to have slowed down for them. Selphie saw the sadness in his eyes, while Zell saw the disappointment in hers. How long will they have to keep this up until they admited their feelings for each other. Or at least how long until Selphie admitt her true feelings towards the blond?

Zell blinked a couple of times, before turning his eyes towards the door and before Irvine could catch him and Selphie staring at each other. He cleared his throat and pivoted around to face the door. "Well... wish me luck...." Zell mumbled. He opened the door and looked over his shoulder. He was too far away for anyone to figure out who he was staring at.

Irvine waved. "Yeah, good luck man!"

Selphie watched him leave. Her heart sunk and her tears were ready to fall from her eyes, but held it back. Irvine would be so worried and suspicious if he saw her crying. She caught a glimpse through the window of Zell staring back at her before heading towards the front gate to meet Brynne. Irvine had told her only that much, that Zell was going to meet a certain 'library girl' at the front gate. She knew then who he was talking about. She knew Brynne from the moment she transferred to Balamb, but she never really liked her that well.

Irvine sat down on his bed and stretched and yawned. He didn't realize that Selphie was still fixated on the door. "I guess I better get going." He reached underneath his bed and took out his weapon case. The cowboy opened the case with one 'click!' and took out his shotgun. He stood up and placed his shotgun on his shoulder, then stuffed at least three boxes of bullets in his belt pocket.

Selphie frowned, half disappointed that she was going to be alone for at least five hours and half glad that Irvine was going to be away for a while for the training center, which will give her a chance to talk to Zell when he got back from the date. The brunette wrapped her arms around Irvine's neck and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You be careful, okay?" she said.

Irvine nodded and kissed her back. "Of course, I'll be careful. You know me! I'm the sharp shootin', gun slingin', cowboy west of Garden!" He made a gun out of his fingers and pretended to shoot at something behind Selphie, making a banging sound with his lips, before blowing the top of the gun.

Selphie giggled and kissed him again, before she let go. "West? Aren't we on the north side of Garden?"

Irvine rolled his eyes. "Awwww, come on Seffie! It's just an expression!" He turned around to face the door.

Selphie laughed again and watched him close the door behind him. Selphie was one again alone in the room. Why is it that everyone keeps leaving her?


****************

Zell glanced at his watch. It was a quarter past eleven. His shoes echoed throughout the hallway. He had successfully turned down Brynne after she asked him to have a drink. He had an impression that she was just trying to make him drunk so he would sleep with her. Brynne specifically denied the idea.

Now, here he was, carrying a very drunk SeeD after dragging her out from a local bar. After Zell turned her down and told her off, Brynne took off on her own and went inside the local bar. Zell took a moment for a while, walking alone in the dark to think things through. After doing so and realizing that he had hurt Brynne, Zell went looking for her and found her at Ma Belle's Club, sitting in a bar and drinking tequila.

After what seemed like hours of pursuading her to come back to Garden, Zell dragged a reluctant girl from the bar and drove her back to Garden. The hardest part now was taking her back to her dorm.

"Noooo....." Brynne mumbled. She slapped his arm away when Zell tried to put around her, to keep her from falling over. She stumbled, almost falling face first to her dorm door. Fortunately, she managed to protect herself from the fall by slapping both her hands on the wooden door. Zell was immediately at her side, feeling really bad for what he had done. He was too upset over Selphie's denial of his feelings, that he promised he wouldn't be hurt again by falling for another girl. He decided that girls would just bring him trouble. He wrapped his arms around her, however, Brynne just pushed him off with so much force as she could and reached for her key card in her pocket.

Zell stood there, shocked by Brynne's excessive use of power. He watched her take the key card from her pocket and inserted on the door slot. With a wobbly hand, she swiped the card across the panel and the slot changed from a red light to a green light, indicating that it was unlocked. The pony-tailed girl twisted the door knob open, stepped inside the slammed the door behind her, without saying another word towards Zell, nor did Zell said anything to her. For that, Zell walked off, mumbling of what a jerk he had been on their first date. Why did he agree on the date in the first place?

"Seifer.... Irvine...." he mumbled and continued walking back to his dorm.



****************

Selphie sighed. How long has she been sitting in the cafeteria, alone? Irvine was suppose to be taking a break from all the training, yet he wasn't there. She had told him to meet her in the cafeteria when she went to visit him in the training center. She had ordered their favourite milk shake.

"Hey, Selphie...."

The timid girl looked up, shocked beyond disbelief. What was he doing here? Wasn' he suppose to be on a date? "Seifer, what are you doing here?" She craned her neck to look pass his blocking arms and glanced upwards to meet Seifer's green eyes. "Where's Quistis?"

Seifer kept standing as he looked down on the messenger girl. He frowned. "I did something awful, Selphie."

The younger girl looked up, waiting for Seifer to continue.

The blond man took a deep breath, deciding to sit down on the chair in front of Selphie and looked down on the floor, as if ashamed to meet her in the eye. After all, Selphie and Quistis were best friends and it was best to tell Selphie, so she could help. Maybe. "I gave her a very pathetic anniversary present."

Selphie took a deep breath. "That's all? You scared me there, Seifer. Where is she now?"

"She's in the bathroom... wait, what do you mean 'that's all?' This is serious, Selphie! Why did you say that?" Seifer looked at her intensely, his panic was shown in his voice.

The girl lifted up a hand. "Calm down, Seifer. What I meant was I thought you cheated on her or something. You sounded REALLY serious before. Sorry if I scared you."

Seifer took a deep breath and shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about. And why do you think I cheated o her? Are you saying that I'm not a committed boy friend?!" He glared at her.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "Geez, Seifer! I'm not saying that either! Will you please chill out?"

Seifer folded his arms across his chest and leaned back on the chair. He was not good with relationships, true, but he knew better than to cheat on a beautiful woman like Quistis Trepe. "Even if you thought I was, then I would just tell you straight that I'm not cheating on her. I love her too much to-" Seifer stopped short. He never wanted to say too much, especially expressing his undying love towards Quistis in front of Selphie Tilmitt.

Selphie looked at him in disbelief. Seifer Almasy, the man who wreaked havoc in Garden, was in love with the beloved Instructor of Balamb Garden. She was touched, definitely touched. The thought of Irvine saying those exact same words made her ache. She was in love with him, but was thinking of someone else.

"Hey, what about you? How are you holding up?" Selphie jumped out of her thoughts and met with Seifer's eyes. A year ago, she wouldn't dare look at him like she was looking at him now. Now, she wasn't afraid anymore, even though she and the her friends almost got killed by him.

"What do you mean?" She moved the straw closer to her lips and drank a little bit, keeping her eyes towards Seifer.

"You know what I mean. Selphie... you have to decide now."

Selphie frowned and leaned back on her chair, the straw accidentally released from her hand and flicking a very small portion of the milkshake on Seifer's face. Seifer's only reaction was to close his eyes during impact. He frowned and wiped the stuff from his face with a napkin he found lying on the table. It didn't matter how long it has been sitting there or if Selphie used it to wipe her face. Calmly, Seifer threw the napkin on the garbage in front of him, sat back and relaxed to hear Selphie's answer.

"I already made my decision, Seifer and it was a long time ago. I love Irvine and that's that, so you can just drop the idea of me and Zell getting together, because it's not going to happen."

Seifer nodded, not believing a word she said. "Selphie, I think you should reconsider your decision. I mean I'm not trying to break you and Irvine up or anything, but I know how it feels to be in love with two people and deny one person's feelings. I know you have feelings for Zell. You can't just throw it all away and think it was just a dream!"

Selphie stood up. "I don't have to listen to you, Seifer. Who are you to tell me what to do? You have your own problems and I have mine!" She walked off and never looked back. Seifer watched her walk down the hallway and frowned.

****************

"The nerve!" Selphie murmured to herself. She walked down the hallway, where lights were not audible at all, except for a small shining lamp sitting in the dark outside and the moonlight peeking through the ceiling. She couldn't see where she was going. Students were already sleeping, although she could hear some whispers coming through the doors as she passed their rooms. At first she thought they were ghosts, but decided that it was silly to think that. She turned the corner and was startled to bump into something oddly hard and soft at the same time. She reached out to touch a warm surface. She reached lower and jumped when she felt a hand grasping her own. Selphie tried to pull away, but the hand was too strong.

"Selphie.....?" something spoke. Selphie breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. The figure moved closer, under the small light shining from the moon above, revealing emerald eyes.

Selphie clasped her heart with her free hand and her other hand was slowly released from his grasp. "Zell, you scared me!"

"Sorry," Zell replied.

They looked in each other's eyes, but Selphie was the first one to break it off after only a few seconds. She walked pass him and mumbled a 'good night.' She felt Zell's footsteps walk away, then it stopped and began to follow her.

"Selphie, we need to talk," came Zell's voice in the dark.

The girl paused and closed her eyes. 'Not now,' she thought to herself. Selphie turned around to face him, standing only a meter away from her now. She planted both her hands on her hips and sighed. "I told you before Zell." Zell moved closer. "I forgot about the kiss and-" She was interrupted by a kiss from Zell. Before she could stop herself, Zell had placed his arms around her waist and she placed her arms around his neck. They kissed only for a moment. Zell was the first one to break it, leaving Selphie breathless and in disarray.

"Now, you can just walk away and forget this ever happened or you can tell me you didn't feel anything. What's it going to be, Selphie?"

Selphie pushed him off. "I'd rather walk away." She walked pass him.

"What are you scared of, Selphie? Are you afraid to hurt Irvine?" Zell said, rather coldly. "If you are, then you're already too late. You already hurt him, including me."

Selphie stopped short and turned around. "I'm not afraid, Zell."

"Then tell me you didn't feel anything just now." Zell stepped closer towards her.

Selphie turned her eyes away from him. Without another word, Selphie turned around and walked away, back to her room she shared with Irvine.

Zell watched her go. She didn't say anything, he figured. Selphie had feelings for him and he could feel it. Selphie was scared. She was scared of hurting people. The conversation he had with Irvine before he left for the mission to Galbadia replayed in his head.

-What do you like about her?

~Everything Zell! She's sweet and kind! Selphie is the person who truly changed me.

Irvine was right all along. Selphie was the type of person who changed him, not Irvine, but him as well. Selphie was kind enough to have the fear of not wanting to hurt Irvine. Selphie was the kindest person he has ever known, second only to Rinoa. However, for Zell, Selphie will always be the first in his kindness list.

****************

The morning came so calmly after what felt like a long night for him. Zell glanced at Brynne once and turned away, fixing his attention on Xu, who was giving them information about the underwater submarine docks in Galbadia. In Xu's own experience from exploring the secret hideout of the turpedo submarines, she explained that the hideout itself was a maze. "You could get lost, so be careful," Xu said, looking around at the three men and the woman in front of her.

Seifer, in his usual attire, tapped the pointy end of his blade on the tip of his toes and yawned. Xu gave him a cold glance, but Seifer only retaliated with a 'I don't care,' glance. Irvine watched him and laughed. Zell just looked at the Cowboy, wondering what was so funny after watching Seifer making a fool out of himself. He shrugged off the thought and focused his eyes on the task at hand. Xu explained more information that the senior SeeDs already knew about Galbadia's troops and their weaknesses and about 'Master Galbadia,' who's name was revealed during Irvine's mission there with Seifer and Quistis. Cid had told them that the man behind the power was none other than Martine himself, who could pass as Seifer's father with his good looks and arrogant attitude.

Zell heard someone sigh loudly. He glanced at Brynne, who had shifted her weight from left to right and was listening attentively at Xu's instructions. Zell would have to protect Brynne, along with Irvine and Seifer, despite the tesion between them as a result from last night. He didn't mean to hurt Brynne, but it was too late to apologize now.

Xu cleared her throat for the second time she spoke and nodded. "All right. Is everyone ready?"

Seifer, Irvine, Zell and Brynne nodded in unison. Satisfied, Xu opened the front gate and stepped inside Ragnarok, parked at the front of Garden. Nida was going to be their pilot for now. The SeeDs followed closed behind and as the last person made their away inside, the door of the Ragnarok closed tight. Their mission had begun.































GoodGurl: Eeps! Zell making a move on Selphie?! What's up with that! And...... THE MISSION! Where will Zell, Selphie and Irvine go from here? Is Selphie ever going to make her decision? What about Irvine? Will he ever find out? And Zell? Does Zell really deserve Selphie? Find out next chapter! Okay, i said there will be action on this chapter, but i changed my mind. Sowy! I promise that next next chapter will be it! Please r/r!