Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Final Fantasy 8, any of it's characters, merchandising or anything else affiliated with it... I'm just a writer who is writing for fun.
Hey everyone! Back for more, eh? Ohh, I just sounded pretty cocky there, didn't I? Sowwie, I didn't mean to... Anyway, here's the third part... It's mostly Irvine/Selphie... The general after effects of what happened... I may not really go to in depth since I don't really know what it's like to be raped... And I hope that no one ever has to, but I tried to do the feelings and thought justice... I'll stop talking and let you read.
"Eye of the Storm" -- Part Three
Irvine shakily pressed the button to open the door, his heart pounding faster as it slid into the wall. He walked into Selphie's room, taking off his hat and holding it to his chest. His eyes were fixed upon the still figure motionless on the bed. "Selphie..." he barely whispered.
Doctor Kadowaki looked up from Selphie's side. "Shhh... She's sleeping," the doctor told Irvine. "I have to report the incident to Squall... Please stay with Selphie... He may still be lurking nearby..."
Irvine stepped forward. "Wait, what happened? Who's still lurking nearby? Please, I need to know..."
"Kim didn't tell you? Oh, that's right, Selphie didn't want her to... I think you should wait until she wakes up," Doctor Kadowaki answered. She glanced down at the battered and beaten form of a girl resting on the bed. She and Kim had cleaned her up a bit and put her in some clean clothes, but the red marks and bruises still remained. Her usually shiny, perfect hair were now simply limp strands of hair that fell sprawled upon the pillow. She looked back up at Irvine. She saw pure fear and a severe pained expression in eyes. It was obvious to her that Irvine cared... He cared much more than any words could describe. His eyes had betrayed him; this Ladies' Man truly had a heart, along with an endless amount of love and affection, for only one woman... And she was Selphie Tilmitt.
"Please?" Irvine repeated.
The doctor sighed. "Irvine... She... She was raped..." she said, quite flatly, but not unsympathetically. "I already took a few samples, but they'll have to wait until we get out of this storm to get them analyzed... And since the announcement that this is a hurricane and not a storm like originally thought... That won't be for days."
Irvine stood, his face white with shock, his mouth open. With no words to say, he silently took his seat beside Selphie's bed as Doctor Kadowaki left the room. After taking off his gloves and placing them in his pocket, he reached out for her hand and stroked it gently with his thumb. He hung his hat on the bed post, then with his free hand, he tucked some of Selphie's hair behind her ear to catch a better glimpse of the innocent figure before him.
He cupped Selphie's hand between both of his, feeling the lump rise in his throat. Selphie stirred, opening her eyes ever so slowly. Her body ached and her head pounded. Irvine pulled his hands away, afraid of causing anymore pain. He just watched her as she glanced down at her body.
She sat up, seeing that she was in bed with her pajamas on. 'Huh? How did I get here?' she asked herself. 'Oh... Kim and Doctor Kadowaki came in after...' She gasped, and shook her head violently. "NO!" she cried out.
Irvine placed his hand calmly on her shoulder. She reacted as if his touch had burned, and leaned away from him. "Selphie, it's me..."
"Irvy?" she realized, seeing the familiar blue eyes and long auburn hair.
Without thinking, Irvine reached out to stroke Selphie's hair flirtatiously, as he did many times before. As his hand neared her cheek, Selphie winced, bringing her hands to her cheeks. Irvine's hand retreated to his lap, as she whispered a, "Sorry... If you don't want me to..."
Irvine's eyes went to the floor, feeling guilty. 'Damn it, Kinneas! You knew what happened! Be more careful!' his mind shouted at him. His eyes met Selphie's once again as he felt Selphie's petite, warm hands take hold of his face.
"Irvy... It's not that I don't want you to... It's just that..." Selphie paused, her beautiful features distorted with pain.
Irvine slowly placed his hands on top of hers at his cheeks. "I know... You don't have to say anything... I'm sorry..."
Selphie sighed, looking a bit confused. "Why? You didn't do anything wrong..."
"But I could've gone with you... Or gone instead of you... Anything to keep you from the wrong place at the wrong time... I waited to long to..." Irvine thought a minute; 'Now' isn't a good time, Kinneas... Don't tell her now... She just went to hell and back...'
"To what, Irvy?" Selphie asked, penetrating though his blue eyes. "Tell me how you're feeling, and I'll tell you how I'm feeling... Deal?"
Irvine nodded, yet knowing he wouldn't be telling her the complete truth... At least not tonight. "I... I... I just don't think you deserved any of this... You're so kind and sweet and fun... Why? I just don't get it... Who in their right mind would hurt you on purpose?"
Selphie started to tear, still holding Irvine's face to hers, afraid to pull closer, yet afraid to let go. She blinked away some tears with a half smile. "Shit happens," Selphie told him.
Irvine started to shed tears as well, turning his frown into a small smile. Selphie only swore on rare occasions when things that go bad couldn't get worse. In fact, Selphie made it a habit for everyone else to restrain from swearing in her presence. "Shit happens," he repeated. "All right, then... A deal is a deal... How're you feeling?"
Selphie shrugged, thinking to herself. 'This is the first time I'd have to lie to Irvine... I can't tell him how I feel... Not now... I'd just get my heartbroken... I don't need that right now... Not tonight...' She sighed, letting go of Irvine and laying back in bed, pulling the sheets up to her stomach. "I feel icky. I feel gross. I feel like a slut..."
Irvine crossed his arms. "You're not a slut... There was nothing you could do..."
Selphie continued. "But I also feel so vulnerable and dirty... I can't even describe it... I can still feel his icy hands on my body and that rush of fear comes over me again... There's so much I want to say... But the words won't make sense... Fear... Loneliness... Pain... Anger... Confusion... Helpless... Rage... Weakness... There's too many things I can say..."
Irvine leaned forward. "I can't say I know how you feel... But I can say that I'll never let anything happen to you while I'm around..."
Selphie closed her eyes. "Thank, Irvy... It's just that I wanted my first time to be special... With someone I love... I didn't want it to happen like that... No one does..." Her voice started to fade as her breathing became soft.
Irvine placed his hand on Selphie's as he watched her drift into the peaceful dreamworld that would be gentler with her than this harsh reality had been. He softly stroked her rosy cheek as he had yearned to all night. It was so hard to believe that someone would do this awful thing to his Selphie... His Selphie; the words lingered on his lips, his mind, his heart, forever etched in his soul.
'Someday...' he thought, resting his head beside where his hand and Selphie's were resting. 'Someday we'll be together... Until then... And forever after... I'll keep you safe...' He closed his eyes. "Someday," he whispered, joining Selphie in the dreamworld that would keep them both safe through the night.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Doctor Kadowaki waited at the bridge. She had sent Kim down to the Quad to retrieve Squall, for only he and Seifer had the key to the PA system. The familiar sound of the lift buzzed, causing Doctor Kadowaki to turn from the control panel. "What's the big emergency?" Squall asked as he stepped forward, followed by the two second in command, Seifer and Zell. He looked around. "And where's Irvine?"
"Where are the girls?" the doctor asked.
"Kim, Quistis, and Rinoa are waiting by the elevator," Zell answered. "What's up?"
"Well, something terrible has happened in our very own garden..."
Seifer also noticed Irvine's absence. "Well, out with it already... I bet it has something to do with the cowboy too since he isn't here... Am I right?"
Doctor Kadowaki nodded. "A little bit..."
The doctor paused for a moment, causing the three men to worry just a bit, all of them also realizing that Selphie was nowhere to be seen after she had ran out of the Quad. Squall had took another step forward as if wanting to stop what Doctor Kadowaki was going to say... Zell had a sudden surge of panic run through him... And even Seifer's mind started to race at the possibilities. Yes, even Seifer. He may not have gotten off on the right foot with the company, but 4 years was a lot. Deepening his relationship with Quistis inevitably led to solid friendships with the others... He had even confided to Quistis (who later told the girls, who eventually let the guys in) that he did care about these people. They had given him a second chance, and he was going to prove to them that he earned it.
The doctor cleared her throat. "Well, it's more about Selphie..."
"Doctor, please, just tell us what's going on..." Squall asked.
"Squall, there's no other way I can say this... but... Selphie was raped tonight..."
"What?!" where Zell's and Seifer's immediate reactions, while Squall stood silent with shock.
The doctor looked down at the floor. "I've taken all necessary procedures and taken accounts of the event from Selphie and Kim, who had found her after the attack. Selphie included in her report that the man was tall, at least 6'6" and had dirty or dark blond hair. She added that he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a coat of some sort. Irvine is with her right now... He was the first thing she asked for when she regained all her senses..."
For at least 3 minutes, all that was heard at the bridge was the sound of rain, pounding against the windows. 'Whoever it is must be in the Indoor Quad right now... They wouldn't stick around at the dorms after what they've done...' Squall thought as he heard distant thunder crashing. 'They'd get themselves lost in the sea of people, drowned in the loud music and neon lights.'
"Squall." Seifer snapped his fingers in front of his rival. "What are we gonna do now, Mr. Leader?"
"Yea, man... Selphie needs us right now... If it happened to anybody we'd still hunt down the bastard and beat his ass down or whatever... But this isn't anybody... She's one of the commanding officers, under us but still authority... and our friend..." Zell added.
Squall stayed silent, making Seifer a bit uneasy. "Damn it, Leonhart, say something! You people are the first family I've ever had besides Raijin and Fujin! Nothing else would make me say that, unless it's big... This is monumental, so let's do something already!"
Zell was started to get agitated as well, which didn't happen very often. "Squall! C'mon! Damn it, man! It's Selphie here... You think she's ever going to be the same again? What about Irvine, he won't be the same either! They don't know how much they mean to each other, and it just sucks that this is how they'll probably see it..."
Squall glanced at Doctor Kadowaki who looked away. What was he going to do? Nothing like this ever happened before... Not to his friends, nor anyone at the garden... "I don't know what to do," Squall finally told his angry friends. "I just don't know... All we can do now is help Selphie get better anyway we can and see if she can point this guy out sooner or later..."
Seifer and Zell both sighed, knowing Squall was right and feeling helpless that they couldn't do a damn thing about it. After announcing that all students and faculty report to their rooms right away, and all females to stay in groups of at least 3 for the night, they left, meeting the girls at the elevator, telling them what happened.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Selphie woke up first the next morning. She looked around the room, the morning sun beaming through the lace curtains. She sat up against the headboard, slipping her hand from underneath Irvine's. She smiled at the sleeping figure, peaceful at the side of her bed, and watched him breath rhythmically, inhaling and exhaling on an even beat. She grinned at herself. "He stayed..."
She tucked some loose hair behind Irvine's ear, clearing the view of her cowboy, letting her daydream about them together someday. She leaned back against the headboard as Irvine stirred and finally woke. He sat back in his chair, stretching. "Morning, darlin'," he said to her.
Selphie's smile widened. She love it when he called her darlin', but even more when he called her Sefie... "Morning, Irvy!"
Irvine rubbed his eyes. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Physically, I feel a little better... I still feel icky though... plus some of the things I mentioned last night..." Selphie said.
"You want anything? Breakfast? Coffee?" Irvine asked her. 'A hug? A kiss? A boyfriend?' he added in the back of his mind.
Selphie nodded. "I feel like having a big breakfast... You wouldn't mind?"
Irvine shook his head. "Anything for you, Sefie..." he said, getting up from the chair. "I'll whip up the works for you."
Selphie watched as the door slid open. "Oh, Irvy, leave the door open..." she asked. Irvine nodded. She giggled slightly as she heard, and saw, as Irvine stumbled over Zell, sleeping on the living room floor. "I guess they stayed last night too," Selphie chuckled to herself.
She threw the covers off and went to the vanity across the room. She softly touched the purple mark by her eye and the traced the crimson cut on her cheek. She looked horrible, but Irvine hadn't cared how she looked last night. "Does that mean that... does he care about me that way?" she asked herself.
Irvine suddenly appeared behind her, his reflection in the vanity mirror. "I almost forgot," he said as Selphie turned around. "I wanted to give you something." Irvine pulled the diamond ring from his pocket. "Sefie, this is a promise ring... A promise that no matter what... We'll be best friends... Even if we're old and married and live far away, we'll always be best friends..." he stated, slipping the ring onto her finger. He smiled at her and left again to continue breakfast, accidentally kicking Zell for a second time.
Selphie half smiled, a little disappointed. "So I guess he thinks of us as just friends..." she said, watching him go. She sighed and got up to take a long awaited shower... Perhaps it would help make her feel clean again.
Meanwhile, Irvine had started to fry some bacon, simultaneously making scrambled eggs with the other hand. He kept wondering if it was the right thing to do, giving her a promise ring. He had wanted to say more, like, "It's a promise that I'll love you forever," but he didn't want to scare her off or anything like that.
Seifer had emerged from Quistis' room and was having coffee at the table. "So... Is she ok?" he asked Irvine a bit hesitantly.
Irvine nodded. "She's doing pretty well... Better than me I think..." Four years ago, he wouldn't have said more than a sentence to Seifer, but now he was one of them... Truly part of the orphanage gang, which now included Kim and Rinoa. He glanced at Zell a moment; Valerie would have been too, if it hadn't turned out the way they did. He turned back to Seifer. "You know, I want to get the son of a bitch who did that to Selphie..." he stated, turning off the stove and slipping the bacon and eggs onto a plate.
"Don't we all..." Seifer commented. "Zell was fuming, and Squall was speechless... I was... Well, I was angry... Doctor Kadowaki told us how Selphie described him; Blond, tall, and strong..."
"Now, if only we could find out which blond, tall, strong guy out of the hundreds in Balamb Garden," Irvine spat out. "The son of a bitch is gonna pay if I ever get my hands on him..."
Seeing Irvine in such a "ready to pounce" state, he decided to get the door before Irvine does. The knocks were soft but audible, so that only those awake would be able to hear it. Seifer pressed a button to unlock the door then another to open it. "Nida?!" he shouted in a whisper. "What the hell are you doing here? If I were you, I'd be hiding in a ditch somewhere in the Outer Quad... Zell's going to kick your ass from here to Hell and back if he wakes up..."
Seifer crossed his arms. Even the Chicken-wuss deserved a girl who could love him and a friend that wouldn't sleep around with his girl. Granted he and Zell didn't get along, but Zell and him were still friends in a complicated way. "On second thought, you better get outta here now before any of us decide to beat your ass down... and Irvine over there," gesturing to the hostile looking cowboy in an apron, "is ready to pounce on anything that moves..."
Nida glanced from Seifer to Irvine and back to Seifer before his eyes finally fell upon a set of blue eyes; an icy stare from the blond man standing behind the couch in the living room. Seifer backed away and sat back down at the kitchen table watching on with Irvine.
"Zell... I came her to ask you to forgive Valerie... Hate me all you like, but she's in so much pain..." Nida spoke up.
Zell shook his head. "Well, you can go back to that bitch and tell her that she can't do a damn thing to change my mind..."
"He doesn't have to... I heard it with my own ears," Valerie stated as she stepped into view from the hall. She stood beside Nida. "We need to talk, Zell..."
To Be Continued...
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Despise it? (for other reasons than new characters) Good? Bad? Great? Sucked? Give me some input! ^.^ I hope that you liked it though... I'd like to know how you thought of it so leave a review or email me if you'd like! Thanks for reading! I hope to keep this series going for a bit!
Hey everyone! Back for more, eh? Ohh, I just sounded pretty cocky there, didn't I? Sowwie, I didn't mean to... Anyway, here's the third part... It's mostly Irvine/Selphie... The general after effects of what happened... I may not really go to in depth since I don't really know what it's like to be raped... And I hope that no one ever has to, but I tried to do the feelings and thought justice... I'll stop talking and let you read.
"Eye of the Storm" -- Part Three
Irvine shakily pressed the button to open the door, his heart pounding faster as it slid into the wall. He walked into Selphie's room, taking off his hat and holding it to his chest. His eyes were fixed upon the still figure motionless on the bed. "Selphie..." he barely whispered.
Doctor Kadowaki looked up from Selphie's side. "Shhh... She's sleeping," the doctor told Irvine. "I have to report the incident to Squall... Please stay with Selphie... He may still be lurking nearby..."
Irvine stepped forward. "Wait, what happened? Who's still lurking nearby? Please, I need to know..."
"Kim didn't tell you? Oh, that's right, Selphie didn't want her to... I think you should wait until she wakes up," Doctor Kadowaki answered. She glanced down at the battered and beaten form of a girl resting on the bed. She and Kim had cleaned her up a bit and put her in some clean clothes, but the red marks and bruises still remained. Her usually shiny, perfect hair were now simply limp strands of hair that fell sprawled upon the pillow. She looked back up at Irvine. She saw pure fear and a severe pained expression in eyes. It was obvious to her that Irvine cared... He cared much more than any words could describe. His eyes had betrayed him; this Ladies' Man truly had a heart, along with an endless amount of love and affection, for only one woman... And she was Selphie Tilmitt.
"Please?" Irvine repeated.
The doctor sighed. "Irvine... She... She was raped..." she said, quite flatly, but not unsympathetically. "I already took a few samples, but they'll have to wait until we get out of this storm to get them analyzed... And since the announcement that this is a hurricane and not a storm like originally thought... That won't be for days."
Irvine stood, his face white with shock, his mouth open. With no words to say, he silently took his seat beside Selphie's bed as Doctor Kadowaki left the room. After taking off his gloves and placing them in his pocket, he reached out for her hand and stroked it gently with his thumb. He hung his hat on the bed post, then with his free hand, he tucked some of Selphie's hair behind her ear to catch a better glimpse of the innocent figure before him.
He cupped Selphie's hand between both of his, feeling the lump rise in his throat. Selphie stirred, opening her eyes ever so slowly. Her body ached and her head pounded. Irvine pulled his hands away, afraid of causing anymore pain. He just watched her as she glanced down at her body.
She sat up, seeing that she was in bed with her pajamas on. 'Huh? How did I get here?' she asked herself. 'Oh... Kim and Doctor Kadowaki came in after...' She gasped, and shook her head violently. "NO!" she cried out.
Irvine placed his hand calmly on her shoulder. She reacted as if his touch had burned, and leaned away from him. "Selphie, it's me..."
"Irvy?" she realized, seeing the familiar blue eyes and long auburn hair.
Without thinking, Irvine reached out to stroke Selphie's hair flirtatiously, as he did many times before. As his hand neared her cheek, Selphie winced, bringing her hands to her cheeks. Irvine's hand retreated to his lap, as she whispered a, "Sorry... If you don't want me to..."
Irvine's eyes went to the floor, feeling guilty. 'Damn it, Kinneas! You knew what happened! Be more careful!' his mind shouted at him. His eyes met Selphie's once again as he felt Selphie's petite, warm hands take hold of his face.
"Irvy... It's not that I don't want you to... It's just that..." Selphie paused, her beautiful features distorted with pain.
Irvine slowly placed his hands on top of hers at his cheeks. "I know... You don't have to say anything... I'm sorry..."
Selphie sighed, looking a bit confused. "Why? You didn't do anything wrong..."
"But I could've gone with you... Or gone instead of you... Anything to keep you from the wrong place at the wrong time... I waited to long to..." Irvine thought a minute; 'Now' isn't a good time, Kinneas... Don't tell her now... She just went to hell and back...'
"To what, Irvy?" Selphie asked, penetrating though his blue eyes. "Tell me how you're feeling, and I'll tell you how I'm feeling... Deal?"
Irvine nodded, yet knowing he wouldn't be telling her the complete truth... At least not tonight. "I... I... I just don't think you deserved any of this... You're so kind and sweet and fun... Why? I just don't get it... Who in their right mind would hurt you on purpose?"
Selphie started to tear, still holding Irvine's face to hers, afraid to pull closer, yet afraid to let go. She blinked away some tears with a half smile. "Shit happens," Selphie told him.
Irvine started to shed tears as well, turning his frown into a small smile. Selphie only swore on rare occasions when things that go bad couldn't get worse. In fact, Selphie made it a habit for everyone else to restrain from swearing in her presence. "Shit happens," he repeated. "All right, then... A deal is a deal... How're you feeling?"
Selphie shrugged, thinking to herself. 'This is the first time I'd have to lie to Irvine... I can't tell him how I feel... Not now... I'd just get my heartbroken... I don't need that right now... Not tonight...' She sighed, letting go of Irvine and laying back in bed, pulling the sheets up to her stomach. "I feel icky. I feel gross. I feel like a slut..."
Irvine crossed his arms. "You're not a slut... There was nothing you could do..."
Selphie continued. "But I also feel so vulnerable and dirty... I can't even describe it... I can still feel his icy hands on my body and that rush of fear comes over me again... There's so much I want to say... But the words won't make sense... Fear... Loneliness... Pain... Anger... Confusion... Helpless... Rage... Weakness... There's too many things I can say..."
Irvine leaned forward. "I can't say I know how you feel... But I can say that I'll never let anything happen to you while I'm around..."
Selphie closed her eyes. "Thank, Irvy... It's just that I wanted my first time to be special... With someone I love... I didn't want it to happen like that... No one does..." Her voice started to fade as her breathing became soft.
Irvine placed his hand on Selphie's as he watched her drift into the peaceful dreamworld that would be gentler with her than this harsh reality had been. He softly stroked her rosy cheek as he had yearned to all night. It was so hard to believe that someone would do this awful thing to his Selphie... His Selphie; the words lingered on his lips, his mind, his heart, forever etched in his soul.
'Someday...' he thought, resting his head beside where his hand and Selphie's were resting. 'Someday we'll be together... Until then... And forever after... I'll keep you safe...' He closed his eyes. "Someday," he whispered, joining Selphie in the dreamworld that would keep them both safe through the night.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Doctor Kadowaki waited at the bridge. She had sent Kim down to the Quad to retrieve Squall, for only he and Seifer had the key to the PA system. The familiar sound of the lift buzzed, causing Doctor Kadowaki to turn from the control panel. "What's the big emergency?" Squall asked as he stepped forward, followed by the two second in command, Seifer and Zell. He looked around. "And where's Irvine?"
"Where are the girls?" the doctor asked.
"Kim, Quistis, and Rinoa are waiting by the elevator," Zell answered. "What's up?"
"Well, something terrible has happened in our very own garden..."
Seifer also noticed Irvine's absence. "Well, out with it already... I bet it has something to do with the cowboy too since he isn't here... Am I right?"
Doctor Kadowaki nodded. "A little bit..."
The doctor paused for a moment, causing the three men to worry just a bit, all of them also realizing that Selphie was nowhere to be seen after she had ran out of the Quad. Squall had took another step forward as if wanting to stop what Doctor Kadowaki was going to say... Zell had a sudden surge of panic run through him... And even Seifer's mind started to race at the possibilities. Yes, even Seifer. He may not have gotten off on the right foot with the company, but 4 years was a lot. Deepening his relationship with Quistis inevitably led to solid friendships with the others... He had even confided to Quistis (who later told the girls, who eventually let the guys in) that he did care about these people. They had given him a second chance, and he was going to prove to them that he earned it.
The doctor cleared her throat. "Well, it's more about Selphie..."
"Doctor, please, just tell us what's going on..." Squall asked.
"Squall, there's no other way I can say this... but... Selphie was raped tonight..."
"What?!" where Zell's and Seifer's immediate reactions, while Squall stood silent with shock.
The doctor looked down at the floor. "I've taken all necessary procedures and taken accounts of the event from Selphie and Kim, who had found her after the attack. Selphie included in her report that the man was tall, at least 6'6" and had dirty or dark blond hair. She added that he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a coat of some sort. Irvine is with her right now... He was the first thing she asked for when she regained all her senses..."
For at least 3 minutes, all that was heard at the bridge was the sound of rain, pounding against the windows. 'Whoever it is must be in the Indoor Quad right now... They wouldn't stick around at the dorms after what they've done...' Squall thought as he heard distant thunder crashing. 'They'd get themselves lost in the sea of people, drowned in the loud music and neon lights.'
"Squall." Seifer snapped his fingers in front of his rival. "What are we gonna do now, Mr. Leader?"
"Yea, man... Selphie needs us right now... If it happened to anybody we'd still hunt down the bastard and beat his ass down or whatever... But this isn't anybody... She's one of the commanding officers, under us but still authority... and our friend..." Zell added.
Squall stayed silent, making Seifer a bit uneasy. "Damn it, Leonhart, say something! You people are the first family I've ever had besides Raijin and Fujin! Nothing else would make me say that, unless it's big... This is monumental, so let's do something already!"
Zell was started to get agitated as well, which didn't happen very often. "Squall! C'mon! Damn it, man! It's Selphie here... You think she's ever going to be the same again? What about Irvine, he won't be the same either! They don't know how much they mean to each other, and it just sucks that this is how they'll probably see it..."
Squall glanced at Doctor Kadowaki who looked away. What was he going to do? Nothing like this ever happened before... Not to his friends, nor anyone at the garden... "I don't know what to do," Squall finally told his angry friends. "I just don't know... All we can do now is help Selphie get better anyway we can and see if she can point this guy out sooner or later..."
Seifer and Zell both sighed, knowing Squall was right and feeling helpless that they couldn't do a damn thing about it. After announcing that all students and faculty report to their rooms right away, and all females to stay in groups of at least 3 for the night, they left, meeting the girls at the elevator, telling them what happened.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Selphie woke up first the next morning. She looked around the room, the morning sun beaming through the lace curtains. She sat up against the headboard, slipping her hand from underneath Irvine's. She smiled at the sleeping figure, peaceful at the side of her bed, and watched him breath rhythmically, inhaling and exhaling on an even beat. She grinned at herself. "He stayed..."
She tucked some loose hair behind Irvine's ear, clearing the view of her cowboy, letting her daydream about them together someday. She leaned back against the headboard as Irvine stirred and finally woke. He sat back in his chair, stretching. "Morning, darlin'," he said to her.
Selphie's smile widened. She love it when he called her darlin', but even more when he called her Sefie... "Morning, Irvy!"
Irvine rubbed his eyes. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Physically, I feel a little better... I still feel icky though... plus some of the things I mentioned last night..." Selphie said.
"You want anything? Breakfast? Coffee?" Irvine asked her. 'A hug? A kiss? A boyfriend?' he added in the back of his mind.
Selphie nodded. "I feel like having a big breakfast... You wouldn't mind?"
Irvine shook his head. "Anything for you, Sefie..." he said, getting up from the chair. "I'll whip up the works for you."
Selphie watched as the door slid open. "Oh, Irvy, leave the door open..." she asked. Irvine nodded. She giggled slightly as she heard, and saw, as Irvine stumbled over Zell, sleeping on the living room floor. "I guess they stayed last night too," Selphie chuckled to herself.
She threw the covers off and went to the vanity across the room. She softly touched the purple mark by her eye and the traced the crimson cut on her cheek. She looked horrible, but Irvine hadn't cared how she looked last night. "Does that mean that... does he care about me that way?" she asked herself.
Irvine suddenly appeared behind her, his reflection in the vanity mirror. "I almost forgot," he said as Selphie turned around. "I wanted to give you something." Irvine pulled the diamond ring from his pocket. "Sefie, this is a promise ring... A promise that no matter what... We'll be best friends... Even if we're old and married and live far away, we'll always be best friends..." he stated, slipping the ring onto her finger. He smiled at her and left again to continue breakfast, accidentally kicking Zell for a second time.
Selphie half smiled, a little disappointed. "So I guess he thinks of us as just friends..." she said, watching him go. She sighed and got up to take a long awaited shower... Perhaps it would help make her feel clean again.
Meanwhile, Irvine had started to fry some bacon, simultaneously making scrambled eggs with the other hand. He kept wondering if it was the right thing to do, giving her a promise ring. He had wanted to say more, like, "It's a promise that I'll love you forever," but he didn't want to scare her off or anything like that.
Seifer had emerged from Quistis' room and was having coffee at the table. "So... Is she ok?" he asked Irvine a bit hesitantly.
Irvine nodded. "She's doing pretty well... Better than me I think..." Four years ago, he wouldn't have said more than a sentence to Seifer, but now he was one of them... Truly part of the orphanage gang, which now included Kim and Rinoa. He glanced at Zell a moment; Valerie would have been too, if it hadn't turned out the way they did. He turned back to Seifer. "You know, I want to get the son of a bitch who did that to Selphie..." he stated, turning off the stove and slipping the bacon and eggs onto a plate.
"Don't we all..." Seifer commented. "Zell was fuming, and Squall was speechless... I was... Well, I was angry... Doctor Kadowaki told us how Selphie described him; Blond, tall, and strong..."
"Now, if only we could find out which blond, tall, strong guy out of the hundreds in Balamb Garden," Irvine spat out. "The son of a bitch is gonna pay if I ever get my hands on him..."
Seeing Irvine in such a "ready to pounce" state, he decided to get the door before Irvine does. The knocks were soft but audible, so that only those awake would be able to hear it. Seifer pressed a button to unlock the door then another to open it. "Nida?!" he shouted in a whisper. "What the hell are you doing here? If I were you, I'd be hiding in a ditch somewhere in the Outer Quad... Zell's going to kick your ass from here to Hell and back if he wakes up..."
Seifer crossed his arms. Even the Chicken-wuss deserved a girl who could love him and a friend that wouldn't sleep around with his girl. Granted he and Zell didn't get along, but Zell and him were still friends in a complicated way. "On second thought, you better get outta here now before any of us decide to beat your ass down... and Irvine over there," gesturing to the hostile looking cowboy in an apron, "is ready to pounce on anything that moves..."
Nida glanced from Seifer to Irvine and back to Seifer before his eyes finally fell upon a set of blue eyes; an icy stare from the blond man standing behind the couch in the living room. Seifer backed away and sat back down at the kitchen table watching on with Irvine.
"Zell... I came her to ask you to forgive Valerie... Hate me all you like, but she's in so much pain..." Nida spoke up.
Zell shook his head. "Well, you can go back to that bitch and tell her that she can't do a damn thing to change my mind..."
"He doesn't have to... I heard it with my own ears," Valerie stated as she stepped into view from the hall. She stood beside Nida. "We need to talk, Zell..."
To Be Continued...
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Despise it? (for other reasons than new characters) Good? Bad? Great? Sucked? Give me some input! ^.^ I hope that you liked it though... I'd like to know how you thought of it so leave a review or email me if you'd like! Thanks for reading! I hope to keep this series going for a bit!