Disclaimer: I do not own anything that relates to FFVIII.

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- Chapter six: Break Up -

He fell to his knees and crawled to the edge.

"Dear Hyne…" his voice was lost in the deep echoes.

He scrambled back, not believing his eyes. He had to get up, he had to get out of here. He couldn't stay here. But he couldn't move.

In the distance he could hear voices. Selphie and Irvine. They were coming his way. This wasn't good.

'Why? For Hyne's sake why did you do it?' he thought. 'Why didn't you listen to me?'

Irvine and Selphie came round the corner and noticed him.

"Hey Zell. What are you doing here?" Selphie said cheerfully.

Zell didn't answer. His face was pale.

"Dude…are you alright?" Irvine asked him.

All Zell could do was point. Selphie followed his gaze and slowly stepped over to the edge, but Irvine was faster. He ran over to the edge and looked down. He doubled back and turned around. He threw out an arm to stop Selphie.

"Don't go. Don't look Selphie." He whispered hoarsely.

But Selphie didn't listen. She kept moving towards the edge as if she was is some sort of trance.

"For goodness' sake Selphie! Go back!" he took her arms and pushed her back heavily. She fell into Zell's arms, who helped her up.

"I want to see…" she objected when Zell steered her away from the chasm.

"Do you? Do you really?" Irvine's voice sounded threatening, but his face was desperate.

Zell understood.

"He jumped…Hyne he…he jumped." Selphie whispered.

"Who should tell Rinoa?" Irvine whispered.

Zell looked away. He could not tell Rinoa this horrible…this terrible thing.

"Selphie, babe, please…will you do it?" Irvine begged her.

She nodded absentmindedly while staring at the chasm. Zell prodded her shoulder and she seemed to awaken, horror on her face. Quickly she turned around and left.

There was an awful silence. Irvine kept staring at Zell while Zell stared at his feet.

"…When."

Just that one word. Not 'who' or 'how' or 'why' but 'when'.

Zell looked up. "…Excuse me?"

"When did you do it?" Irvine said coldly.

"…me?" Zell blinked. "Oh…no…no no no! I didn't…why…why would I…"

"You were here when we found him. He's been gone for a day and suddenly he's down there."

"Hey man, I didn't kill him!"

"Didn't you?" Irvine didn't seem convinced. "You seemed pretty upset that he and Quistis…had such a good time together. You immediately blamed him for her death. Maybe this was your way of paying him back."

Zell stepped back. "I- I didn't! I- You have this all worked out nicely, haven't you Irvine. Maybe…you did it. If Squall was gone, Rinoa would be all yours."

"No way! You're not pinning this one on me Zell!"

"Or this morning! I heard you accusing Rinoa of still loving Squall. Perhaps this was your way to get her full attention."

They snapped up as they suddenly heard an icy scream. It silenced them. Because they knew who it was.

Zell shuddered as he stepped back from the edge, slowly backing into a corner. A blue flash passed him.

"Irvine!" he shouted

He could see Irvine wrestling Rinoa back from the abyss.

"No…Stop, Rinoa…get back."

Zell turned around and ran.

What was happening to them? They were falling apart. One by one…

---

He had his eyes closed, his face hidden in his pillow. He didn't want to be found, he wanted to be left alone.

"…Zelly?"

'Please go away.'

"Zelly…can I talk to you?"

He took a deep breath. "sure."

He sat up but didn't look at her. She sat down next to him and put her hands on her knees.

"It's about Squall."

His eyes flashed to her, but he forced himself to look away.

"…Squall."

"Yes, I- He-" she swallowed difficultly. "I saw him last night. I talked to him. He- he sounded so sad, so desperate…and I was mad at him!"

A single tear rolled down from the corner of her eye. Zell couldn't avoid her anymore.

"Why?" he asked.

"I shouted at him! Oh Hyne, maybe it's my fault he-"

Zell grabbed her hand. "Shh…it can't be your fault. It's alright. Why did you shout at him…"

She hiccupped. "I…was angry…because what he had done to Rinoa. He had gone behind her back and…"

She wiped her eyes with her arm.

"He hurt Rinoa and you by using Quistis…I was just so mad. How can someone…be so mean…to hurt the one he loves like that…by cheating…I just didn't understand that."

Zell put his arm around her.

"So…when I came back from Quistis' grave and I saw him going to see her…I got angry. And I confronted him…and now…I blamed him for her death! And now he's dead…I feel…what if I made him jump? What if he killed himself because of what I said?" She threw her face into his shoulder and cried.

Zell closed his eyes for a few seconds. How was he supposed to handle so much grief?

"I…Hyne Selphie…you didn't make him. He didn't kill himself over an argument. I saw him yesterday, he was looking down that chasm…he was thinking about it that moment. I told him not to. I told him to forget about it. But he told me he couldn't. He loved her, Seffie. He genuinely loved her. He couldn't live without her, I guess."

"But…Rinoa…"

"She…I'm sorry, I can't say…I don't know."

"…He didn't really love her…not really, did he." She said quietly.

Zell hesitated. He didn't know if Irvine had told Selphie yet.

'Probably not. Or she would be crying about that instead of Squall…'

"….No…he…I heard him say that…Rinoa was only there for the official stuff."

Selphie didn't seem shocked about that. "I know…he told me."

She stood up.

"I'm glad that you let me talk to you, Zell. You're the only one I can talk to. Irvine never listens when I want to talk to him, but you're always there for me. You're an angel."

"No Selphie, you're the angel. You're nice to everyone, you care about everyone…"

'Sometimes I feel you're too good for this world.' He thought bitterly.

He took her hand. "Come on Seffie. Let's go outside. We might not be able to climb over those walls, but at least we can get some fresh air in that garden."

Selphie shook her head. "No…that's alright. I just want to be alone for a while….I'll just…polish my nunchaku's. It calms me."

She pulled a dark red cloth from her pocket and rubbed it over the chain of her weapon.

Zell nodded slowly. Frankly, he wanted to be on his own too. But he did not want to leave his friend like this. He opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head.

"I'll be fine. Go on, have fun."

"…If you say so, Seffie."

He turned around and headed out into the corridor. Where should he go… He didn't feel like going outside alone. He wandered around mindlessly. Through a window he could see a blue-dressed girl outside.

'Poor Rinoa.' He thought.

He imagined how she should be feeling. Her boyfriend had committed suicide because the girl he had really loved was died. But then again, even if Rinoa still felt love for Squall…she wasn't alone. Not like he was.

'She's still got Irvine to care for her…I don't have anyone…'

He felt his entire being slowly fall back into that dark hole of sadness he had fought so hard to leave behind.

"No. Not again."

He tried to focus on some happy thoughts before he sank back into crying. Suddenly he felt someone jerk him into one of the rooms.

"What are you playing at." Irvine hissed while pinning him to the wall.

"I- I don't know what you mean." He said while he gasped for breath.

Irvine released his throat. "I said, what are you playing at?"

"With what?"

"With Selphie, that's what! She keeps telling me that I don't listen. That you're the only one she can talk to…I know she trusts you with everything…what is going on between you two?"

Zell blinked. "Wh-What? You think me and her…I'd never! We're just friends!"

"Sure. That's why she'd rather spend time with you than with me."

"But she'd never! Do you really think she would do something like that? Do you even know how innocent, naïve and sweet she is?"

Irvine snorted. "Of course I know. She's my girlfriend! But innocence's got nothing to do with it. Look at Rinoa. She's as innocent, naïve and sweet as an angel, but look at how sweet she really ended up to be."

Zell looked at him with a disgusted expression. "Is that really how you see Selphie? Hyne…you don't know her at all, do you. It's a mystery to me how you ended up as her boyfriend when you don't even care about her. Did you just take her because no one lese wanted you? And anyway, you're one to talk. Who the hell do you think you are. Judging her behaviour while your own is even worse."

He felt his anger rise to a boiling point.

"Selphie's a sweet girl, she wouldn't hurt you if her life depended on it and this is how you repay her. By suspecting her of…you disgust me, you really do."

Irvine didn't respond.

"Hyne…and then there's Rinoa. You say that she's a sweet girl, but how can you even start to compare her with Selphie if you know how easily Rinoa dumps her boyfriend for the one of one of her friends? Doesn't that send out a message to you? That Rinoa is less trustworthy than Selphie?"

"At least Rinoa actually let's me love her to the full extent." Said Irvine suddenly, unable to keep his tongue any longer. "Rinoa doesn't shudder when I touch her, she doesn't tell me that I shouldn't kiss her in public."

Zell spat on the ground. "Well you don't have to worry about that public anymore. Squall's dead so Rinoa's all yours Go ahead. Be happy with her. We're all dying one by one in this house anyway, so why not make the most of it?"

"You want me to break up with Selphie? To break her hurt? Why, so she'll come running to you for comfort?"

"Irvine, for the last time! I don't love her and she doesn't love me! And I've seen enough about this despicable situation. She'll find out one day, because if you won't tell her, I will. She didn't deserve this in the first place, but it's the way it is and there's no changing it. But she at least deserves to know the truth."

Irvine looked thunderstruck. "You know what Zell, you're right. Now that Squall isn't around anymore, we'll only be hurting one person instead of two. Selphie'll understand. She'll see how it's al for the best."

Zell sighed.

"You really are a bastard." He muttered under his breath.

He could tell Irvine was fighting hard not to knock him out. Quickly he exited the room.

---

"Zell…can I talk to you?"

Zell looked up. It was Rinoa. Not quite what he had expected. She was crying.

"I- sure, sit down."

He made some more room on the couch, which Rinoa took gratefully. She looked different, somehow. Maybe because she had never looked this tired before. Or maybe because she had tied her hair into a ponytail with a dark red ribbon.

"You see…I talked with Irvine, or rather, he came to me. He wants to tell Selphie…about us. I don't want to, not yet."

He let out a loud sigh. "Rinoa, this isn't fair on her. She needs to know the truth and if you don't tell her, I will."

Rinoa hung her head. "I know. It's just that…you see…I still love Squall. He may have been very reluctant in showing his emotions, but he was a sweet and caring person. He might not have cared for me a lot, I know. But that didn't stop me from loving him."

"So you loved Squall. Then why Irvine?"

"He…he sweet-talked me. He charmed me. I developed…stronger feelings for him. Can't you see how difficult it was for me? I was in love with two people. One didn't love me back and the other was already taken. And now that one of them died…if we told Selphie, she'll be hurt. And I don't think it's fair to hurt her even more than we already have id we can avoid it. I want to stop. I want out. It's unfair on everyone if Irvine and I continue. It's unfair on Selphie because she doesn't have to know. And it's unfair on Irvine because I can never forget Squall and how I loved him."

Zell could hear her voice was trembling.

"Rinoa…you're giving up happiness to ensure the happiness of your friend. But…I don't understand. How did you-"

"Get in this mess? I was sad. I was lonely. Irvine offered me the warmth I couldn't get from Squall. And at the time I didn't really think about Selphie. I only started to realise that Irvine and I were crossing a line when it was too late. Please Zell, don't think bad of me. I feel rotten as it is."

Zell looked at her. He knew she was going through hell.

"But what about Irvine? What about him?"

"He'll survive. As soon as this is over, as soon as I can get out of here, I'll leave. I'll go back home, to my father."

"So you'll leave us all." He concluded sadly.

"I can't handle this anymore. I can't face this. I know my father will help me and my-" she hesitated and quickly looked down at her feet.

Her face slowly turned red. Zell suddenly understood.

"Rinoa…are you pregnant?"

---

Ah, another chapter done…well, we're getting closer to unravelling this mystery. Rinoa's pregnant? Who's could the baby be? After all, she's been with two men…and what about Selphie? Will Irvine really break up with her? Find out in the next chapter of Angel…. Dumdumdum……..

Thank you DarkAngels for the beta-work. I know beta-ing takes some time :)

And thank you Yunie-star-Tidus-cutie for the only review to this chapter. I guess you're the only one who really keeps reading this. That is why this chapter is dedicated to you!!! TADA!! I hope you liked it. I hope I answered your demand properly :D (Damn Irvine for killing Selphie's fish…I LOVED THAT FISH!!!!!!! sobs uncontrollably)