Disclaimer: I own nothing! I swear! Square owns all! Oh, and Savage Garden (they broke up! waaaahhhh) owns the song used, Tears of Pearls.
A/N: Why am I continuing this? Damned if I know, but I have two major projects I'm working on and this isn't one of them *snicker*. What can I say, I write differently. Thankies to everyone who reviewed last time!
Zell and Selphie had just taken all of Selphie's stuff back to her vacated dorm. For the first time in a long time, Selphie felt free. She smiled a secret little smile at Zell as she rounded the corner with him. Maybe this was her chance to start anew. Zell liked her, she could tell. Maybe he was the love she had been looking for in Irvine for so long.
Zell glanced longingly at Selphie, who appeared lost in her own little world. He wasn't sure where exactly they were going, but he hoped it was somewhere where he could tell her how he felt in private. He looked at his watch; it was three in the morning already.
They were just rounding another corner when suddenly Selphie took his hand. She glanced at him wistfully for a moment before she cast her eyes to the ground, blushing. Zell grinned. He realized that Selphie was asking for a chance. What she didn't know was that he was about to ask her the same, but verbally.
Zell steered her toward the Secret Area that wasn't really so secret. He gazed into her eyes and was lost for a moment, but when he finally tore himself from the green pools, his vision steadied in a hurry.
Standing in front of him was Irvine.
Selphie was trying to look calm and a touch bored, as she had seen Quistis do a number of times. She only managed to etch worry into her features, not so much for Irvine finding out, but for the argument that was sure to ensue. One would think that by dating half of Garden whilst involved with someone, one would give up all hold on that someone as one's girlfriend. Apparently, the glass through which Irvine viewed the world was a little skewed. She met his eyes and gave him her best cool look.
~*~
And we stare each other down
Like victims in the grind,
Probing all the weaknesses and hurts still left behind
And we cry,
The tears of pearls
We do it. Oh we do it.
~*~
"Fancy meeting you here, Selphie." Irvine's voice cut through the silence like a velvet knife, beautiful and rich, but deadly if used correctly. "So late. With Zell. Holding his hand." The tone darkened to a deep black sarcasm.
"I'm surprised you're here already. Did Quistis pass out so soon?" She mentally tacked one on to her score when she saw his eyes widen slightly. He looked vaguely hurt. If he hadn't betrayed her so many times, she might even have felt sympathy for him.
~*~
Is love really the tragedy, the way you might describe?
Or would a thousand lovers,
Still leave you cold inside?
Make you cry...
These tears of pearls.
~*~
"That's none of your business."
"No, I suppose it isn't, anymore." She glanced at Zell fondly and raised an eyebrow at Irvine, a dare written on her face.
"Selphie...you can't do this. I love you. You know that." She could see the half-truth of the statement in his face. Zell looked as though he had just sucked on several lemons.
"Well, Irvine, I loved you too. I honestly did. Loved. Did. Past tense, you know how it is."
~*~
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like
Stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
~*~
"Selphie he can't make you half as happy as I could..."
"Couldn't I?" interrupted Zell, anger tracing lines in his expression, "And I suppose you've been doing such a bang up job lately that you drove her away?"
"If you know what's good for you Zell..." Irvine growled before Selphie stepped in.
"Irvine, you didn't appreciate me when you had me, why make an issue of it now?"
~*~
Your kisses are like pearls
So different and so rare
But anger stole the jewels away
And love has left you bare
Made you cry...
These tears of pearls.
~*~
"Selphie...I could pretend that I've been the perfect boyfriend, but we all know that isn't true. I could sit here and spin a million pretty stories to excuse myself. I could tell you about how drunk I was, or how much her fault it is, but I wasn't and it isn't. I want to be better than this, Selphie. I want to show you how much better I can be before it's too late." Selphie looked at him seriously with tears in her eyes.
"It already is."
~*~
Well I could be the tired joker,
Pour my heart to get you in,
Sacrifice my happiness
Just so I could win
Maybe cry...
These tears of pearls.
~*~
"Look man," Zell interjected, "You can't just treat people that way and expect them to forgive you instantly."
"What you did hurt, Irvine, and although I can forgive you, it's too late for us. I wish that it could have been another way..." She paused to gaze at Zell thoughtfully. "Or maybe I don't."
~*~
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like
Stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
~*~
"I...I love you Selphie...but...I love Quistis too. And it's so confusing when you don't know who's right for you..."
"Maybe that's your problem, Irvine. You love too much. Oh, it's not a bad thing. Just focus your love on one person, on Quistis, devote yourself to her. Don't lead others on when it's something else you desire."
Irvine looked at Selphie searchingly before he realized she was right. He couldn't hang on to his friends this way while trying to love another. Selphie was a sister to him, nothing more, and he had foolishly tried to keep her close to him by being her boyfriend. It wasn't fair to any of the parties involved.
~*~
We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
That once forgotten, twice removed,
Love will be the death...
The death of you.
~*~
Selphie hugged Irvine, and patted him on the back reassuringly.
"No hard feelings, Irvy." Her sad smile stretched into a grin as she took Zell's hand in hers again, tightening her hold. Zell smacked Irvine's shoulder in a friendly gesture before he and Selphie passed Irvine on their way to the Secret Area. Selphie glanced back and smiled at him before they disappeared around a corner.
"No hard feelings..." He whispered to himself before his features spread into a happy smile.
He rounded the next corner with a new, purposeful stride in his step. He needed to find Quistis.
~*~
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like
Stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
~*~
A/N: Why am I continuing this? Damned if I know, but I have two major projects I'm working on and this isn't one of them *snicker*. What can I say, I write differently. Thankies to everyone who reviewed last time!
Zell and Selphie had just taken all of Selphie's stuff back to her vacated dorm. For the first time in a long time, Selphie felt free. She smiled a secret little smile at Zell as she rounded the corner with him. Maybe this was her chance to start anew. Zell liked her, she could tell. Maybe he was the love she had been looking for in Irvine for so long.
Zell glanced longingly at Selphie, who appeared lost in her own little world. He wasn't sure where exactly they were going, but he hoped it was somewhere where he could tell her how he felt in private. He looked at his watch; it was three in the morning already.
They were just rounding another corner when suddenly Selphie took his hand. She glanced at him wistfully for a moment before she cast her eyes to the ground, blushing. Zell grinned. He realized that Selphie was asking for a chance. What she didn't know was that he was about to ask her the same, but verbally.
Zell steered her toward the Secret Area that wasn't really so secret. He gazed into her eyes and was lost for a moment, but when he finally tore himself from the green pools, his vision steadied in a hurry.
Standing in front of him was Irvine.
Selphie was trying to look calm and a touch bored, as she had seen Quistis do a number of times. She only managed to etch worry into her features, not so much for Irvine finding out, but for the argument that was sure to ensue. One would think that by dating half of Garden whilst involved with someone, one would give up all hold on that someone as one's girlfriend. Apparently, the glass through which Irvine viewed the world was a little skewed. She met his eyes and gave him her best cool look.
~*~
And we stare each other down
Like victims in the grind,
Probing all the weaknesses and hurts still left behind
And we cry,
The tears of pearls
We do it. Oh we do it.
~*~
"Fancy meeting you here, Selphie." Irvine's voice cut through the silence like a velvet knife, beautiful and rich, but deadly if used correctly. "So late. With Zell. Holding his hand." The tone darkened to a deep black sarcasm.
"I'm surprised you're here already. Did Quistis pass out so soon?" She mentally tacked one on to her score when she saw his eyes widen slightly. He looked vaguely hurt. If he hadn't betrayed her so many times, she might even have felt sympathy for him.
~*~
Is love really the tragedy, the way you might describe?
Or would a thousand lovers,
Still leave you cold inside?
Make you cry...
These tears of pearls.
~*~
"That's none of your business."
"No, I suppose it isn't, anymore." She glanced at Zell fondly and raised an eyebrow at Irvine, a dare written on her face.
"Selphie...you can't do this. I love you. You know that." She could see the half-truth of the statement in his face. Zell looked as though he had just sucked on several lemons.
"Well, Irvine, I loved you too. I honestly did. Loved. Did. Past tense, you know how it is."
~*~
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like
Stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
~*~
"Selphie he can't make you half as happy as I could..."
"Couldn't I?" interrupted Zell, anger tracing lines in his expression, "And I suppose you've been doing such a bang up job lately that you drove her away?"
"If you know what's good for you Zell..." Irvine growled before Selphie stepped in.
"Irvine, you didn't appreciate me when you had me, why make an issue of it now?"
~*~
Your kisses are like pearls
So different and so rare
But anger stole the jewels away
And love has left you bare
Made you cry...
These tears of pearls.
~*~
"Selphie...I could pretend that I've been the perfect boyfriend, but we all know that isn't true. I could sit here and spin a million pretty stories to excuse myself. I could tell you about how drunk I was, or how much her fault it is, but I wasn't and it isn't. I want to be better than this, Selphie. I want to show you how much better I can be before it's too late." Selphie looked at him seriously with tears in her eyes.
"It already is."
~*~
Well I could be the tired joker,
Pour my heart to get you in,
Sacrifice my happiness
Just so I could win
Maybe cry...
These tears of pearls.
~*~
"Look man," Zell interjected, "You can't just treat people that way and expect them to forgive you instantly."
"What you did hurt, Irvine, and although I can forgive you, it's too late for us. I wish that it could have been another way..." She paused to gaze at Zell thoughtfully. "Or maybe I don't."
~*~
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like
Stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
~*~
"I...I love you Selphie...but...I love Quistis too. And it's so confusing when you don't know who's right for you..."
"Maybe that's your problem, Irvine. You love too much. Oh, it's not a bad thing. Just focus your love on one person, on Quistis, devote yourself to her. Don't lead others on when it's something else you desire."
Irvine looked at Selphie searchingly before he realized she was right. He couldn't hang on to his friends this way while trying to love another. Selphie was a sister to him, nothing more, and he had foolishly tried to keep her close to him by being her boyfriend. It wasn't fair to any of the parties involved.
~*~
We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
That once forgotten, twice removed,
Love will be the death...
The death of you.
~*~
Selphie hugged Irvine, and patted him on the back reassuringly.
"No hard feelings, Irvy." Her sad smile stretched into a grin as she took Zell's hand in hers again, tightening her hold. Zell smacked Irvine's shoulder in a friendly gesture before he and Selphie passed Irvine on their way to the Secret Area. Selphie glanced back and smiled at him before they disappeared around a corner.
"No hard feelings..." He whispered to himself before his features spread into a happy smile.
He rounded the next corner with a new, purposeful stride in his step. He needed to find Quistis.
~*~
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like
Stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
~*~