Note: Hi! Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh thank you for all your support, I really appreciate it. However, for the last couple of weeks I may be busy so I probably won't be able to finish by that time. BUT............ I will finish for your guys' sake! Thank you fans!!!!!!!!!! I may or may not have a sequel to this story, depending on my school work. Please r/r! Thanx! ;)
Chapter 15 - Trust
~ Finally, they knew what they were both waiting for the longest time on that day as their eyes met into a tight gaze....
Trust.
_________________________________________________________
"Seifer, whining is so unbecoming," a soft, calm voice spoke behind them.
They all turned on that general direction where the voice was and gasped at the sight of Squall and Selphie appearing behind the shadows of the hallway. They were stunned at first at the pair, holding hand in hand and when they noticed Squall let go of the petite brunette to let her run to Zell, they all decided to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Zell!" Selphie yelled, noticing a spikey, blond haired teenager standing by two more blondes. She ran to him, arms opened wide.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. At first he thought it was a dream, but as he looked even closer, the way she moved and the way her feet touched the floor, that's when he knew she was real. He ran to her.
Selphie's eyes were wide with happiness, her smile never leaving her doll-like face. Her bright yellow dress, although not too bright, seemed to have lit the darkness of the hallway, like a lantern. Zell smiled back, his arms as well spread opened wide.
They were running to each other, time slowing down for them and when they were both sure they were close enough, closed the gap between them, meeting into a loving embrace.
"Zell, I'm so happy to-!" Suddenly, time began to move forward, faster than lightning. A loud BANG! was heard from a distance as Selphie's eyes widened in shock, she began to fall forward.
At first Zell wasn't sure what had happened. He caught Selphie just in time in his arms before she fell on the floor. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he felt something warm and liquid on her back. Removing one hand, he stared at the oozing blood of Selphie Tilmitt.
"Selphie?" Now he wished it was all a dream. He looked at her, wide eyed.
"Zell? Wha-? What happened?" Selphie wasn't sure what happened either. Her back was in pain and her muscles were stiff. She couldn't move. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier each breath she took. In each breath, it was hard for her to inhale and exhale. She was in pain. She stared at Zell in confusion as he turned her over and picked her up in his arms.
"SELPHIE!" Quistis yelled. She looked up and saw two soldiers appearing behind the two couple. Anger began the leader of her feelings. She uncoiled her whip from her belt and cast blizzaga on the on coming soldiers. The soldiers slipped and fell, losing their balance from the impact. The guns they had fell from their hands and as they slid forward, towards the SeeDs, Quistis snapped their legs with her weapon, wrapping itself around them, their legs tied together. Squall, Fujin and Raijin each took a shot at the soldiers behind them, taking them down one by one with their weapons. Squall used his gun to fire at the soldiers, while Fujin fired her throw blade at their comrades. Raijin had to use his advanced magic, since his weapon was not a long range one.
Seifer looked at Quistis and shook his head in amazement. "That's my girl," he murmured. He used his bullets of his gunblade and fired at the soldier aiming his gun at Zell's head. He fell on his back dead.
Zell carried the tired teenager towards the SeeDs and ran ahead of them, looking at Selphie and shaking her to keep her awake. "Selphie, don't close your eyes," he was saying, as he passed Fujin and Raijin. "Keep opening them."
"I'm- I'm tired, Zell," she whispered. Her eyelids began to shut tight, when Zell shook her again. Selphie slowly opened them and saw Zell keeping his eyes on the road, then towards her.
The blond shook his head. "No, you're not tired, Selphie. Your eyelids are just heavy. You're not tired." He continued to run straight. He looked behind him to see the rest of the SeeDs following closely behind them, at the same time, firing at the soldiers that attacked from behind.
Squall was already running by his best friend's side, staring at the wounded body of Selphie in his arms. Quistis was running with them as well, on Zell's other side. She reached out quickly and grasped the tiny girl's hand in her own. She smiled at the brunette, recieving a smile as well from Selphie.
"Hang on, Selphie, okay?" Quistis said, comforting her with her words.
Selphie frowned. She wasn't sure if she could. She was too tired. She was in pain and most of all, she was dying. She knew that now. "So this is what death feels like," she whispered in a hoarse tone.
Squall and Quistis looked at each other. They were surprised at the girl's choice of words. She said it like it was nothing, as if she was finally giving up on life. The girl they have known all their lives, the one with a positive smile on her face, the one who never gave up when life was at its worst, was surrendering to Death himself.
Zell shook his head in anger. "No, Selphie! You are not dying and you are not leaving me!"
Selphie placed a pale hand on his face and smiled. "When I die, Zell, promise me you tell Irvine about us."
The blond kept shaking his head. Tears began to form in his eyes. One fell right on Selphie's face, leaving a mark on Selphie, as if claiming her. "I said you're not dying. You are going to live and we are going to tell Irvine together. You can't give up now, Selphie! You still have a life to live!" This time, he ran faster. Squall and Quistis said nothing as they listened to his words.
"You do-" she paused for a breath. "You still have a life to live ahead of you. Go on Zell. Forget about me."
Zell stubbornly shook his head. "NO!" He looked down, more tears claimed Selphie's face. "I said you are not going to die. Look, we're almost at Ragnarok!" He ran even faster, his legs beginning to cramp, but he didn't care. He had to bring Selphie to safety.
Quistis and Squall looked up. Seifer and his posse were now by their side, staring ahead of them at their transportation. They all let Zell take Selphie as they watched his back.
They could hear more shooting from behind them as guns whizzed by, missing them by inches. If they didn't get out of the shooting range soon, one of them will surely get shot.
Quistis turned around and sneered at the soldiers running towards them. She lifted her finger at them and cast thundaga. Dark clouds hovered over the Galbadian troops and hard lightning struck them one by one, all leaving them shocked, confused and preferrably dead. For the majority of them, they were left for dead.
Seifer handled the troops more differently, releasing his limit break, Fire Cross. Fire began to surround the appearing soldiers from inside the building. They were trapped inside the inferno. A cross shaped by fire entered inside the circle, as the soldiers looks at it with interest. To their surprise, Seifer appeared from behind the cross and aimed Hyperion directly at them. A large meteor formed above him and it landed on the soldiers with a loud blast, sending them sprawling on the ground dead as well.
The rest stayed close behind Zell and Selphie, protecting them from the spraying bullets that passed by. Squall cast triples on himself, then immediately cast shield at Zell and Selphie, then used the last one to attack the soldiers with firaga.
Zell ran faster, noticing Nida coming out of hiding from their aircraft. He was waving at them, calling their names. "Hurry!" he shouted.
Zell nodded, then, after a few more sprints, he jumped inside the opened rear of Ragnarok and ran all the way inside to their safety. Not far behind were the other SeeDs, frantically running to avoid the shots. Seifer looked up at Nida, helping Quistis get on and shook his head, waving his hand at the brunette.
"Nida! What are you doing?! Start the damn engine!" Seifer commanded, gripping Hyperion tighter in his hands. He looked at Quistis, who was waiting for him. He waved his hand at the blond and shook his head. "What are you doing, Quistis? Get in!" He pushed Quistis inside, when he got there, he heard the engine start and Ragnarok move. Squall and his posse were still running towards the flying mobile. He looked at them, waving a hand at them to hurry.
"Don't push me Almasy!" Squall shouted between the noise of the guns. He looked over his shoulder at Fujin and nodded towards her. "Go ahead of me, Fujin and jump in!"
Fujin nodded. She ran pass Squall and sprinted beside the levetating Ragnarok.
Nida was hesitant at first to fly off without everyone inside, when he heard Seifer yell at the very back. "Nida! I want you to go a little higher!"
Quistis looked at Seifer in shock, but he just ignored her as he looked on. Fujin was very close. With one effort, she jumped at the chance, her feet hanging at the ledge. Seifer and Quistis pulled her in.
Squall glanced over his shoulder at Raijin. "Go ahead, you go."
The dark skinned man looked at Squall in disbelief. "But what about you?"
Squall shook his head. "I'll be fine. GO!" He yelled, pushing Raijin towards the Ragnarok, now two inches above ground.
Raijin nodded finally, jumping when the Ragnarok quickly lowered itself on the ground. Once again, Seifer and Quistis helped him inside.
The last to enter the Ragnarok, was Squall, the Commander himself. Both blondes were surprised when he suddenly jumped in beside Raijin. Seifer smirked and lend a hand towards the younger man.
"Well, well, I'm impressed, Puberty boy," he said, lifting Squall on his feet. He was stunned when Seifer quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper inside. Squall ducked behind one of large empty crates used for delivery. Seifer placed an arm on Quistis' stomach and pushed her against the side of the plane. Fujin and Raijin quickly dove on the ground, their hands on their heads. Zell ducked behind the chairs he was sitting in, covering Selphie with his body, while casting shield towards Nida, who was trying so hard not to be distracted.
Bullets sprayed from all over Ragnarok, making sputtering sounds as they made contact with the metal. Noise rang Zell's ears, keeping his eyes on the tired looking Selphie. When she closed her eyes, Zell shook her again, forcing her to open them. He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips, lips that were now losing the pink colour that suited her small face.
Zell and Selphie heard the door to Ragnarok finally close, a few minutes after the bullets shot around them.
"Why did you insist on taking me with you, Zell?" Selphie spoke, with bitterness in her voice. "You should have gone without me and now look what you've done. You've risked everyone else's lives."
Zell was stunned.
All five SeeDs still standing at the very back looked at each other. Quistis frowned in sadness and walked over to the two, looking over Zell's shoulder at Selphie. She shook her head. "Don't ever say that Selphie. Don't ever say that we're just wasting our valuable time just for you. Lay her on the ground," Quistis ordered.
Selphie looked at her, tears streaming down her face. She looked away from Quistis and whimpered. Zell placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look back at him. "You want to know why I did this, Selphie? The same reason why you came for me. I- I care about you, Selphie. And I need you." It took a lot of courage for him to say that, eventhough it was not that meaningful.
The quiet brunette looked up, her eyes twinkled in astonishment. The words he said to her may have been something ordinary, but when he said it, he meant it in his heart. She reached out and grasped Zell's hand in her own. She looked into his green eyes. She saw the pain in his eyes.
Zell looked at her, his face so full of the willingness to do whatever it takes to keep her alive. For the longest time he has known Selphie, that was the time he knew, as they looked into each other's eyes, how much she meant to him. Finally, they knew what they were both waiting for the longest time on that day as their eyes met into a tight gaze.
Trust.
"I need you to unbutton her shirt, Zell," Quistis spoke, interupting them from their trance.
Zell blinked and looked at Selphie. "Is that all right, Selphie?"
Selphie nodded slowly. She was unsure at first at what to say. There were people staring down at her, watching Quistis' every move as she made Selphie more comfortable on the floor. Quistis had asked Seifer for his coat and the blond woman quickly folded his trench coat and placed it beside Selphie for comfort.
Selphie blinked a 'thank you' to Quistis, then turned back to Zell, then squeezed her hand for her reply.
The spikey, haired blond noddd at her response and leaned down towards her. He moved his hands to the buttons of her dress and began to quickly unbutton them. He was looking into Selphie's eyes the whole time, making sure she was awake and making sure she was fine with him removing the buttons of her shirt.
"I trust you, Zell," she whispered. Her breathing ragged.
Zell placed a finger on her lips and shook her head. "Save your strenght Selphie," he whispered back.
When he had unbuttoned the last part of her dress, he squeezed Selphie's hand back gently and stared at her tiny body. Blood oozed out from her fragile body and he noticed that the bullet had pierced through the back of her spine and seemed to have come out slightly to the right of her stomach. He moved aside quickly, letting Quistis examine her. Zell did not keep his eyes off of Selphie.
"Don't close your eyes, Selphie. Keep watching me, all right?" Zell leaned forward to touch her face, slapping her face once and awhile when he saw her closing her eyes.
Quistis saw the bullet of a revolver just enter the right of her stomach. With her delicate hands, she touched Selphie's stomach, her palms touching the girl's skin and closed her eyes. "This will only numb the pain Selphie, okay?"
Selphie nodded, taking a deep breath. She held on tight to Zell's hand.
A glow suddenly emitted from her fingers, as Quistis continued to concentrate. She searched for her power and her magic, casting Cura on her. She had already wasted Curaga from the D-District prison escapade and the only cure magic she had left was a Cura. Still, it was enough to keep Selphie from feeling pain and for Zell to be in pain when he sees Selphie suffer. She noticed the bright glow, while the others watched in anticipation. However, with all the pain gone, Selphie was still bleeding and she was running out of blood fast.
Selphie looked at Quistis and smiled. She felt nothing now, but she was still tired. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. With one last breath, she squeezed Zell's hand and closed her eyes. Darkness soon consumed her as the SeeDs watched in shock.
Zell's eyes glowed, moved over to Selphie's side. His eyes sparkled from the tears he was trying to hold back. Yet, no matter how many times he tried to hold them back, they threatened to fall. Giving up, he let his tears fall freely on his shoulders.
"Selphie...?" He chocked out her name, wishing in his very heart that it was just a dream. When she did not respond to his calll, Zell leaned down, slid his arms around her back and pulled her in for an embrace. He buried his face in his hair and began to whimper.
Seifer and Squall looked on, their face downcast. Zell's sudden change in personality, the cries he made for the only woman he loved, made them cringe. Yet, the only thing that got to them was the fact that Selphie may never smile again.
GoodGurl: Yeah, I know what you're thinking.... Selphie? DEAD?! HOW COULD YOU?! Oh well, someone had to die sometimes. Hey, hey that doesn't mean I'm heartless! I just... left another cliffhanger that's all! Don't worry, it's not over! Zell goes on a killing spree after her death! Jest kidding! Please r/r, k? Thanx! ;)
Chapter 15 - Trust
~ Finally, they knew what they were both waiting for the longest time on that day as their eyes met into a tight gaze....
Trust.
_________________________________________________________
"Seifer, whining is so unbecoming," a soft, calm voice spoke behind them.
They all turned on that general direction where the voice was and gasped at the sight of Squall and Selphie appearing behind the shadows of the hallway. They were stunned at first at the pair, holding hand in hand and when they noticed Squall let go of the petite brunette to let her run to Zell, they all decided to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Zell!" Selphie yelled, noticing a spikey, blond haired teenager standing by two more blondes. She ran to him, arms opened wide.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. At first he thought it was a dream, but as he looked even closer, the way she moved and the way her feet touched the floor, that's when he knew she was real. He ran to her.
Selphie's eyes were wide with happiness, her smile never leaving her doll-like face. Her bright yellow dress, although not too bright, seemed to have lit the darkness of the hallway, like a lantern. Zell smiled back, his arms as well spread opened wide.
They were running to each other, time slowing down for them and when they were both sure they were close enough, closed the gap between them, meeting into a loving embrace.
"Zell, I'm so happy to-!" Suddenly, time began to move forward, faster than lightning. A loud BANG! was heard from a distance as Selphie's eyes widened in shock, she began to fall forward.
At first Zell wasn't sure what had happened. He caught Selphie just in time in his arms before she fell on the floor. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he felt something warm and liquid on her back. Removing one hand, he stared at the oozing blood of Selphie Tilmitt.
"Selphie?" Now he wished it was all a dream. He looked at her, wide eyed.
"Zell? Wha-? What happened?" Selphie wasn't sure what happened either. Her back was in pain and her muscles were stiff. She couldn't move. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier each breath she took. In each breath, it was hard for her to inhale and exhale. She was in pain. She stared at Zell in confusion as he turned her over and picked her up in his arms.
"SELPHIE!" Quistis yelled. She looked up and saw two soldiers appearing behind the two couple. Anger began the leader of her feelings. She uncoiled her whip from her belt and cast blizzaga on the on coming soldiers. The soldiers slipped and fell, losing their balance from the impact. The guns they had fell from their hands and as they slid forward, towards the SeeDs, Quistis snapped their legs with her weapon, wrapping itself around them, their legs tied together. Squall, Fujin and Raijin each took a shot at the soldiers behind them, taking them down one by one with their weapons. Squall used his gun to fire at the soldiers, while Fujin fired her throw blade at their comrades. Raijin had to use his advanced magic, since his weapon was not a long range one.
Seifer looked at Quistis and shook his head in amazement. "That's my girl," he murmured. He used his bullets of his gunblade and fired at the soldier aiming his gun at Zell's head. He fell on his back dead.
Zell carried the tired teenager towards the SeeDs and ran ahead of them, looking at Selphie and shaking her to keep her awake. "Selphie, don't close your eyes," he was saying, as he passed Fujin and Raijin. "Keep opening them."
"I'm- I'm tired, Zell," she whispered. Her eyelids began to shut tight, when Zell shook her again. Selphie slowly opened them and saw Zell keeping his eyes on the road, then towards her.
The blond shook his head. "No, you're not tired, Selphie. Your eyelids are just heavy. You're not tired." He continued to run straight. He looked behind him to see the rest of the SeeDs following closely behind them, at the same time, firing at the soldiers that attacked from behind.
Squall was already running by his best friend's side, staring at the wounded body of Selphie in his arms. Quistis was running with them as well, on Zell's other side. She reached out quickly and grasped the tiny girl's hand in her own. She smiled at the brunette, recieving a smile as well from Selphie.
"Hang on, Selphie, okay?" Quistis said, comforting her with her words.
Selphie frowned. She wasn't sure if she could. She was too tired. She was in pain and most of all, she was dying. She knew that now. "So this is what death feels like," she whispered in a hoarse tone.
Squall and Quistis looked at each other. They were surprised at the girl's choice of words. She said it like it was nothing, as if she was finally giving up on life. The girl they have known all their lives, the one with a positive smile on her face, the one who never gave up when life was at its worst, was surrendering to Death himself.
Zell shook his head in anger. "No, Selphie! You are not dying and you are not leaving me!"
Selphie placed a pale hand on his face and smiled. "When I die, Zell, promise me you tell Irvine about us."
The blond kept shaking his head. Tears began to form in his eyes. One fell right on Selphie's face, leaving a mark on Selphie, as if claiming her. "I said you're not dying. You are going to live and we are going to tell Irvine together. You can't give up now, Selphie! You still have a life to live!" This time, he ran faster. Squall and Quistis said nothing as they listened to his words.
"You do-" she paused for a breath. "You still have a life to live ahead of you. Go on Zell. Forget about me."
Zell stubbornly shook his head. "NO!" He looked down, more tears claimed Selphie's face. "I said you are not going to die. Look, we're almost at Ragnarok!" He ran even faster, his legs beginning to cramp, but he didn't care. He had to bring Selphie to safety.
Quistis and Squall looked up. Seifer and his posse were now by their side, staring ahead of them at their transportation. They all let Zell take Selphie as they watched his back.
They could hear more shooting from behind them as guns whizzed by, missing them by inches. If they didn't get out of the shooting range soon, one of them will surely get shot.
Quistis turned around and sneered at the soldiers running towards them. She lifted her finger at them and cast thundaga. Dark clouds hovered over the Galbadian troops and hard lightning struck them one by one, all leaving them shocked, confused and preferrably dead. For the majority of them, they were left for dead.
Seifer handled the troops more differently, releasing his limit break, Fire Cross. Fire began to surround the appearing soldiers from inside the building. They were trapped inside the inferno. A cross shaped by fire entered inside the circle, as the soldiers looks at it with interest. To their surprise, Seifer appeared from behind the cross and aimed Hyperion directly at them. A large meteor formed above him and it landed on the soldiers with a loud blast, sending them sprawling on the ground dead as well.
The rest stayed close behind Zell and Selphie, protecting them from the spraying bullets that passed by. Squall cast triples on himself, then immediately cast shield at Zell and Selphie, then used the last one to attack the soldiers with firaga.
Zell ran faster, noticing Nida coming out of hiding from their aircraft. He was waving at them, calling their names. "Hurry!" he shouted.
Zell nodded, then, after a few more sprints, he jumped inside the opened rear of Ragnarok and ran all the way inside to their safety. Not far behind were the other SeeDs, frantically running to avoid the shots. Seifer looked up at Nida, helping Quistis get on and shook his head, waving his hand at the brunette.
"Nida! What are you doing?! Start the damn engine!" Seifer commanded, gripping Hyperion tighter in his hands. He looked at Quistis, who was waiting for him. He waved his hand at the blond and shook his head. "What are you doing, Quistis? Get in!" He pushed Quistis inside, when he got there, he heard the engine start and Ragnarok move. Squall and his posse were still running towards the flying mobile. He looked at them, waving a hand at them to hurry.
"Don't push me Almasy!" Squall shouted between the noise of the guns. He looked over his shoulder at Fujin and nodded towards her. "Go ahead of me, Fujin and jump in!"
Fujin nodded. She ran pass Squall and sprinted beside the levetating Ragnarok.
Nida was hesitant at first to fly off without everyone inside, when he heard Seifer yell at the very back. "Nida! I want you to go a little higher!"
Quistis looked at Seifer in shock, but he just ignored her as he looked on. Fujin was very close. With one effort, she jumped at the chance, her feet hanging at the ledge. Seifer and Quistis pulled her in.
Squall glanced over his shoulder at Raijin. "Go ahead, you go."
The dark skinned man looked at Squall in disbelief. "But what about you?"
Squall shook his head. "I'll be fine. GO!" He yelled, pushing Raijin towards the Ragnarok, now two inches above ground.
Raijin nodded finally, jumping when the Ragnarok quickly lowered itself on the ground. Once again, Seifer and Quistis helped him inside.
The last to enter the Ragnarok, was Squall, the Commander himself. Both blondes were surprised when he suddenly jumped in beside Raijin. Seifer smirked and lend a hand towards the younger man.
"Well, well, I'm impressed, Puberty boy," he said, lifting Squall on his feet. He was stunned when Seifer quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper inside. Squall ducked behind one of large empty crates used for delivery. Seifer placed an arm on Quistis' stomach and pushed her against the side of the plane. Fujin and Raijin quickly dove on the ground, their hands on their heads. Zell ducked behind the chairs he was sitting in, covering Selphie with his body, while casting shield towards Nida, who was trying so hard not to be distracted.
Bullets sprayed from all over Ragnarok, making sputtering sounds as they made contact with the metal. Noise rang Zell's ears, keeping his eyes on the tired looking Selphie. When she closed her eyes, Zell shook her again, forcing her to open them. He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips, lips that were now losing the pink colour that suited her small face.
Zell and Selphie heard the door to Ragnarok finally close, a few minutes after the bullets shot around them.
"Why did you insist on taking me with you, Zell?" Selphie spoke, with bitterness in her voice. "You should have gone without me and now look what you've done. You've risked everyone else's lives."
Zell was stunned.
All five SeeDs still standing at the very back looked at each other. Quistis frowned in sadness and walked over to the two, looking over Zell's shoulder at Selphie. She shook her head. "Don't ever say that Selphie. Don't ever say that we're just wasting our valuable time just for you. Lay her on the ground," Quistis ordered.
Selphie looked at her, tears streaming down her face. She looked away from Quistis and whimpered. Zell placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look back at him. "You want to know why I did this, Selphie? The same reason why you came for me. I- I care about you, Selphie. And I need you." It took a lot of courage for him to say that, eventhough it was not that meaningful.
The quiet brunette looked up, her eyes twinkled in astonishment. The words he said to her may have been something ordinary, but when he said it, he meant it in his heart. She reached out and grasped Zell's hand in her own. She looked into his green eyes. She saw the pain in his eyes.
Zell looked at her, his face so full of the willingness to do whatever it takes to keep her alive. For the longest time he has known Selphie, that was the time he knew, as they looked into each other's eyes, how much she meant to him. Finally, they knew what they were both waiting for the longest time on that day as their eyes met into a tight gaze.
Trust.
"I need you to unbutton her shirt, Zell," Quistis spoke, interupting them from their trance.
Zell blinked and looked at Selphie. "Is that all right, Selphie?"
Selphie nodded slowly. She was unsure at first at what to say. There were people staring down at her, watching Quistis' every move as she made Selphie more comfortable on the floor. Quistis had asked Seifer for his coat and the blond woman quickly folded his trench coat and placed it beside Selphie for comfort.
Selphie blinked a 'thank you' to Quistis, then turned back to Zell, then squeezed her hand for her reply.
The spikey, haired blond noddd at her response and leaned down towards her. He moved his hands to the buttons of her dress and began to quickly unbutton them. He was looking into Selphie's eyes the whole time, making sure she was awake and making sure she was fine with him removing the buttons of her shirt.
"I trust you, Zell," she whispered. Her breathing ragged.
Zell placed a finger on her lips and shook her head. "Save your strenght Selphie," he whispered back.
When he had unbuttoned the last part of her dress, he squeezed Selphie's hand back gently and stared at her tiny body. Blood oozed out from her fragile body and he noticed that the bullet had pierced through the back of her spine and seemed to have come out slightly to the right of her stomach. He moved aside quickly, letting Quistis examine her. Zell did not keep his eyes off of Selphie.
"Don't close your eyes, Selphie. Keep watching me, all right?" Zell leaned forward to touch her face, slapping her face once and awhile when he saw her closing her eyes.
Quistis saw the bullet of a revolver just enter the right of her stomach. With her delicate hands, she touched Selphie's stomach, her palms touching the girl's skin and closed her eyes. "This will only numb the pain Selphie, okay?"
Selphie nodded, taking a deep breath. She held on tight to Zell's hand.
A glow suddenly emitted from her fingers, as Quistis continued to concentrate. She searched for her power and her magic, casting Cura on her. She had already wasted Curaga from the D-District prison escapade and the only cure magic she had left was a Cura. Still, it was enough to keep Selphie from feeling pain and for Zell to be in pain when he sees Selphie suffer. She noticed the bright glow, while the others watched in anticipation. However, with all the pain gone, Selphie was still bleeding and she was running out of blood fast.
Selphie looked at Quistis and smiled. She felt nothing now, but she was still tired. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. With one last breath, she squeezed Zell's hand and closed her eyes. Darkness soon consumed her as the SeeDs watched in shock.
Zell's eyes glowed, moved over to Selphie's side. His eyes sparkled from the tears he was trying to hold back. Yet, no matter how many times he tried to hold them back, they threatened to fall. Giving up, he let his tears fall freely on his shoulders.
"Selphie...?" He chocked out her name, wishing in his very heart that it was just a dream. When she did not respond to his calll, Zell leaned down, slid his arms around her back and pulled her in for an embrace. He buried his face in his hair and began to whimper.
Seifer and Squall looked on, their face downcast. Zell's sudden change in personality, the cries he made for the only woman he loved, made them cringe. Yet, the only thing that got to them was the fact that Selphie may never smile again.
GoodGurl: Yeah, I know what you're thinking.... Selphie? DEAD?! HOW COULD YOU?! Oh well, someone had to die sometimes. Hey, hey that doesn't mean I'm heartless! I just... left another cliffhanger that's all! Don't worry, it's not over! Zell goes on a killing spree after her death! Jest kidding! Please r/r, k? Thanx! ;)
