Selphie Kinneas
Roses
The Fugitive's Rose
Chapter Seven- Come With Me
"You're not here." Selphie whispered under her breathe. "YOU'RE NOT!" She turned around with no avail. Before her very eyes was the same tiresome yet smiling cowboy, Irvine Kinneas. Selphie clasped her hands over her lips and rushed into Irvine's comforting arms.
"Irvy!" She cried as small tears wet Irvine's filthy sleeve. He patted her gently before he pulled her away.
"You're here… for me aren't you?" He said in a humble whisper. Selphie nodded with affectionate disappointment. (… That's not possible.) Irvine slowly raised his wrists before his façade and held them out to Selphie. "I surrender to you." He said. Selphie screamed as she grasped Irvine's strong hands.
"NO! I CAME CAUSE I HAD TOO! I'M NOT GOING TO LET THEM TAKE YOU AWAY! GOT THAT!?" She shrieked. Irvine shrugged as he laid his palms back to his side.
"They'll hear us here. Come on, I know where we can hide." He snatched Selphie's arm and dragged her behind him. He pushed a lantern which opened a hidden door behind the dust infected thrown.
They appeared to be on a narrow stairwell that circled a long tower. There were only three more steps down but what seemed an eternity to go up. Irvine's grip on Selphie was tight as he flew up the stair as fast as the wind. Selphie couldn't keep with his abnormally fast pace and allowed him to drag her in midair the whole way. They arrived at the center of the tower. Irvine punched a single brick and a small screen emerged. Irvine placed his eyes into it as another hidden door unbolted. Irvine pushed Selphie in and entered himself.
Selphie landed on a small musty mat as in exhaled with filth. She returned herself to her feet and observed the dark room they were in. Irvine flickered an oil lamp that dimly lit the room. There were several amts laid on the floor with ragged patched sheets on them. The rest of the empty corners were filled with men's items.
"…Where are we?" Selphie asked in daze.
"An old dormitory. This placed was abandoned by the G-Aero a year after we came here. People started suspecting things and we left. A few rooms that are locked and safely protected are still used I think. G-Aero members come once and awhile, but only they know where the rooms are. You can see already that this place has lots and lots of secret rooms and passages."
Selphie stayed motionless as Irvine leaned against a wall and sat on the ground. She thought of Irvine's first letter to her, "Nothing I've said to you, other than my name, has been a lie." If it was true, where's the part of the G-Aero life? He told her his life story, well now it was time to find out the whole truth. She slowly advanced to the cowboy and put her arms around his worried and stressed neck. She pierced his lips with hers as the two sat in embracement.
Selphie felt her kiss being replied as Irvine's arms caressed her. She ended her lip-to-lip as she pondered deep into Irvine's gorgeous blue eyes. His handsome grin appeared across his face as he held Selphie close to his chest. She could hear the soft beating of his strong heart.
"Irvine… tell me about your life. The whole thing." She whispered.
Irvine rested his skull of brown silky hair on Selphie and started. "I'll tell you anything Rose." He inhaled deeply as he began to tell his tale. "I told you I lived in Cannyal with my parents until the sorceress war. They sent me with my uncle in Brahia when I was only three. My uncle kept me under his harsh residence till I was five. He got sick of me and sent me to the orphanage. When I was there, I was expecting all the other adorable kids would new homes before me. Then a man with gruff hands said he wanted me to come with him. He was all right in front of the orphanage keeper, but once we were outside, hell had started.
"53 boys were adopted, none were older than six or seven years old. I was one of the youngest, five years old. We were taken to an old island where the sun rarely shined. It was always dark, cold and rainy. Even in summer. Everyday we were forced to do trainings that would kill children, and in fact, everyday there were less and less kids in the dorms. When I was seven someone gave me a handgun and told me I was to practice with it. I got pretty good by the next year when I was dragged on a mission on accident. I was by an old guy and I shot with my handgun. The old dude next to me got shot real bad in the arm and told me to use his rifle to protect us both. I aimed and pulled the trigger and fell flat on my face.
"Thanks to me the old man died, so did 20 others in the mission recruits. They were all surprised I was still alive, but really I wish I was dead too. Punishments got harder and you were never allowed to ask questions. If you did, they would send you to what is called an "ordeal room" it sounded harmless but what they do is get five more experienced soldiers to beat you up with their weapons and leave you armless. I was sent there about four out of seven times a week. Somehow, I just didn't know I lived. 45 of the kids never even made it to the third year. By the time I was 10 I was able to work a rifle really well. They sent me to an advanced trainee base. I thought about what I was doing, it was wrong so each I said this, I was sent to the ordeal room. When I was 13 I was started going on missions with people. When I was 14 I was already stronger than a lot of the older soldiers.
"I was 15 when I started my little legend, it wasn't purposely really. I left marks on accident. Everyone in G-Aero began to fear me, exempt the head honcho anyways. I was given a partner, Lavender Franit. She was the best female soldier but still no comparison to me. She died on our first mission to the Centra… here. Here I am now, 19 still a legend running from the law. Fugitive… that's me."
Selphie closed her eyes imagining Irvine's biography in her head. She came to her knees. "Irvine… I'm so sorry! This is your life? Being tormented since you were three years old?!? NO! I thought I was living hell when I had no mom when I was 13! Now my life is great, but yours… it's never been great." Irvine chuckled softly as he brought Selphie closer again.
"That's not true, my life has been great." He said kindly. "Since I met you. Why do you think I did all of that, bring you a rose, and take you to Trabia, all of it. Cause I love Sefie. I really do." Selphie shot her emerald orbs and looked deep into Irvine's pupils. He was serious.
"…I love you too Irvy."
In the comforting silence it hadn't crossed Selphie's mind that perhaps, the soldiers might have found their whereabouts. Esther had so many clever people, maybe they would find the hidden dormitories. She laid her head on Irvine's thigh and breathed softly. No one could ruin this moment.
"Damn! This part of the wall is hollow. I think it's a door!" A muffled voice from the closed entrance called.
Selphie was started in haste while Irvine shook his head in worry. He scanned the room for an exit. "Come on." He hissed as he pulled Selphie to a corner. He lifted a part of the floor and dropped Selphie down a black abyss. Irvine placed half his body in to the sliding corridor as he left one hand to close the floor portion.
Selphie flew through the tunnel as light started to meet her eyes. She was thrown back into the previous room with the large thrown. The door was shut and the lantern lights were weakening. Irvine came and landed swiftly near her.
"… We don't got much time now do we?" Irvine asked as he raised an eyebrow to Selphie. Selphie hugged her knees as she began to practice words for departure.
"Don't leave me Irvine! I love you so much! Just don't go… not yet." With that Selphie hopped to her feet, but stayed put. "Don't you understand!?" She screamed not noticing where she stood.
Irvine lifted his hands. "Keep it down Selph." He hissed as walked to her. He held out a hand looked deep at Selphie's sadness. "Come with me… please?"
Disclaimer: "The Gravity Of Love"/ Enigma
"O Fortuna velut Luna"
"O Fortune like the Moon"
"What?" Selphie interrogated flabbergasted. Irvine smiled. He reached his hand out to Selphie's fragile arm.
"Come with me." He repeated. Selphie's eyes with wonder as the words in her mind went blank. She pulled her arm away and stared in amazement. Of all things she'd pray or think Irvine would say, this was certainly not one of them. She hung her head.
"I can't."
Turn around and smell what you don't see
Close your eyes ... it is so clear
Here's the mirror, behind there is a screen
On both ways you can get in
Irvine slowly shrugged as he turned around and faced the dark ceiling. "You sure? I think it'd be great. I wonder about it everyday. We'd get out of here and find an empty island, build a home. Heck, we could raise and train wild chocobo. It'd be us, just us. No one would ever find Irvine Kinneas or Selphie Tilmitt again. We'd have a little farm, and grow all sorts of colorful stuff. It'd be us living off Mother Nature. It'd be heaven on earth."
"Irvine stop!" Selphie shouted angrily. Irvine curved his head sideways and waited for her reply. "Listen, I've got a life here. Okay, I have friends, I have goals, and I have my dad-"
"Yeah, I'd really love to go visit daddy dear who doesn't give a damn about you, or even remember the name 'SELPHIE'. I yell that every night in dreams Selphie! Does any one you got do that? Do they pray every night that they'd just get the chance to look at you!? DO THEY!? And your dad, all he cares about his new family! Do you think twice why that bony lady was all over him? Cause he cares about her more than he'll ever care about what he used to have! I risked my life just to come and tell you how I felt about you, and to say sorry for lying all that time."
Don't think twice before you listen to your heart
Follow the trace for a new start
What you need and everything you'll feel
Is just a question of the deal
"Has your dad even cared to call you once ever since… let's see what was it you said, since he left and got married? DAMNIT ANSWER ME!? DOES HE!? HAS ANYONE EVER CARED THAT MUCH ABOUT YOU!?"
Selphie stood in complete awe unsure of what to do or say, then the words that never had crossed her mind come out. "Well is my dad or anyone other than you a murder on the run!?"
In the eye of storm you'll see a lonely dove
The experience of survival is the key
To the gravity of love
"O Fortuna velut Luna"
"O Fortune like the Moon
Irvine became still at once. Selphie gasped as she stopped herself at once. She shook her head fretfully. "I didn't mean that! I didn't!"
"No… you're right. You are absolutely right. What was I expecting to accomplish? Well whatever it was, it failed. I might us well stopped resisting whiling trying to be drowned. I would have been dead right now, if I wasn't thinking about you. In my mind I said, 'I'm sorry Selphie, I wanted to see you again.' That alone was the reason I did live! Now I want to be dead. I want to be underwater with that stupid gun and anvil!"
Women Whispers:
The path of excess leads to
The tower of Wisdom
Man Whispers:
The path of excess leads to
The tower of Wisdom
"I'm sorry Selphie. Good bye." Irvine shifted his shoulders and lifted a small part on the ancient thrown. He placed one leg inside.
Selphie still hadn't said another word. Everything was flashing before her eyes so quickly, one minute she loves Irvine to death, and then the other Irvine wants to be dead. It can't end like this. It can't. She had just learned what a harsh life Irvine had and she refused the chance to give him his dream come true? What in Hyne's name is wrong with her?!
Try to think about it ...
That's the chance to live your life and discover
What it is, what's the gravity of love
"Irvine wait!" She rushed towards him and threw her arms around his neck. "Someone examine my head, I don't know what I was thinking!" She kissed him softly on the cheek. "Take me with you." She held him tighter. "Please."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Irvine retorted. Selphie's grip only grew tighter. Soon Irvine gave in and held her. "Selphie, sorry I got carried away like that… but all of it, it's true. Ain't it?"
"It sure is Irvy. Very last word." Selphie whispered as a smiled touched her lips. "Just think about it… we'll have a small little cottage, and little one running around the house. You'll work with the crops and chocobos and the boys will help ya, and the girls will cook with me inside. And then, we'll grow old and the kids'll make a big boat and will all go back to society. By then no one will know ya."
"O Fortuna velut Luna"
"O Fortune like the Moon"
Look around just people,
Can you hear their voice
Find the one who'll guide you
To the limits of your choice
"It'll be our happily ever after!" She cried as she looked to Irvine for a counter. Irvine pushed Selphie away from the hidden passage.
"It sounds great Sefie. Exempt one problem." Irvine said disappointedly.
"What? Where's the problem?" Selphie pouted, usually being upset when she didn't have her way.
"I can't do that to you. I love you Selph, always will. But I want you to have a life. You're gonna graduate, get, married, have lots of kids, and grow old. But Selphie, I'm not going to make you sacrifice the chance of a normal life… cause of me."
But if you're in the eye of storm
Just think of the lonely dove
The experience of survival is the key
To the gravity of love.
NO Irvine! This is the life I want, to be with you! You're right, no one ever cared about me like you." She wept.
"Vice-versa. You'll be in my heart, but you need to find someone who'll make you happy. That' not me, I can try for a 100 years, I'll never make you as happy as someone with a mediocre jail record. Bye sweetheart, I love ya till the end."
"Irvine…" Selphie muttered inaudibly. Irvine disappeared, and most likely wasn't coming back, ever. Selphie shook her head, she lost all sanity as she fell to the ground. "NOOOOOOOO! I WANT TO BE WITH YOU! NO ELSE! WE'LL TRY 100 YEARS! IT'LL BE FINE WITH ME!!!!"
"… it'll be fine with me." Selphie fell on the ground in sobs, it was too late.
"O Fortuna velut Luna"
"O Fortune like the Moon"
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READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!
Is Mary dead for good? Yes she is. Will she mentioned again? Can't tell ya. Wait till next week for Chapter Eight "Captured At Last!" Muwahahahha!