Selphie Kinneas
Roses
The SeeD's Rose
Chapter Six-The Last Rose

Irvine looked wide-eyed as the brunette fell to her knees and then flat faced on the ground. His heart leapt as he opened his mouth, but before anything came out a call from behind him interrupted.

"You! What happened here!"

Caught off guard Irvine spun quickly to see a group of Garden Faculties in their draping uniforms, behind them was Seifer, Fujin, and Rajin with properly trained SeeDs.

The Disciplinary Committee of course… Irvine thought to himself. It looked so obvious that he caused the doom to all the students that lied motionless on the ground. Irvine gulped and put a cool smile.

"Sirs, this really wasn't me." He began hoping for the benefit of the doubt.

Seifer came to the Garden Faculties. Being in charge of the Disciplinary Committee gave him a bit more authority than the rest of the Garden students but Seifer had a knack for pushing his luck.

"I say we hear him out. Kinneas doesn't look like he was in battle stance." Seifer walked idly to Irvine and put his hand on Irvine's shoulder roughly. "Right Kinneas?" He said pushing him slightly.

"I can't explain what's really going on but I didn't do this." The cowboy replied calmly. If I say Selphie did it, I might put her in trouble.

"Very well, Seifer! See that Mr. Kinneas is sent to the infirmary for any injuries. Fujin and Rajin, you two as well as the rest of the committee take these students to the Balamb hospital." A Garden Faculty shouted.

Seifer pushed Irvine to the ground as the committee began completing their orders.

Irvine ignored the rudeness as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Er, thanks Almasy." He muttered not truly being appreciative.

"I didn't do it for you!" Seifer snapped almost a fraction of a second later. "Quistis told us about the note and kept getting worried. So she went a reported it to the Headmaster. The headmaster told some faculties to go look for anything suspicious and Quistis made me go along." Seifer grinned proudly as he spoke again, "Since I am the leader of the Disciplinary Committee, I volunteered them to come and help."

"Must really be an advantage to be dating an instructor." Irvine mumbled sarcasticlly not intending Seifer to hear the comment.

"And for thanks you can never tell anyone I'm dating her!" He shouted, "It's illegal and Quistis will lose her job!"

Irvine stood and brushed himself off, "Whatever I'm not saying anything. Listen Seifer, it was Selphie. She casted a bunch of Death magics and knocked out everyone. I don't know what's wrong with her though," Irvine sighed and pondered for a moment.

Seifer looked bored and raised an eyebrow, "And…? I don't really care Kinneas."

"Just tell me if Selphie is going to be in trouble or not! If she is, I'll take the blame!" Irvine snapped.

"Whoa, temper. Is that the whole story Kinneas? Tell the truth when the Headmaster talks to you, believe me he will." Seifer started off cutting blades of grass with his gunblade. "I got to escort you to the infirmary."

"What about Selphie?" Irvine interrogated eagerly. Seifer peevishly sighed and called out a name.

"FUJIN! RAJIN!" From the crowd of committee students that inspected the injured and started carrying them to town two non-uniformed people came from the crowd and Irvine could already remember them as Seifer's posse.

Seifer came before the two and stood straight, "See that girl in the back, that's her I think. Selphie, you guys know her right?"

"AFFIRMITIVE." Fujin replied monotonously. Seifer nodded as continued.

"Be careful… Kinneas is freaking annoying so just make sure she's okay before you two get back to Garden, got it?"

"Whatever ya say, Seifer. Plus the faculty people said we gots to make sure they all got good treatment. You gotta come too after yer done with Kinneas, ya know?"

"Alright," Seifer walked off and started dragging Irvine through the plain.

"W-wait! What about Selphie!" Irvine shouted.

"I got orders Kinneas just shut up for a minute!" Seifer irritably shouted as he continued to drag the cowboy.

oooo

Irvine lay still on the infirmity cot. His eyes laid in slumber but his ears keen as ever. It was normal for any soldier to be alert even in sleep.

He heard a footfall. A few more followed. Irvine could feel a hand's warmth nearing him, his eye flew open as he leapt quickly to his feet. He felt a bit out of place when he saw himself only confronting the Headmaster's wife.

"Rest assured Mr. Kinneas… there is nothing more I can do to bring you harm." She said softly.

Her black hair moved slowly as she straightened herself, there were tears in her eyes. Her lips moved and spoke a simple sentence so inaudible Irvine was lucky to catch it.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

Irvine turned his head away.

"Edea, maybe you should leave. You look awfully tired." Dr. Kadowaski called from outside the patient's quarter.

Edea didn't move but called still facing Irvine, "No, I have to go visit the students at the hospital. They all are very injured."

With that she began to walk away, "But I have a very bad habit of straying off the road… with so many monsters I do fear leaving Garden alone. If only I had an escort."

"I'll go with you, Matron." Irvine mumbled.

"Wonderful, I'll feel so safe knowing you are at my side." Edea smiled.

oooo

Irvine looked longingly at the ground as Edea walked quietly beside him.

"I'm glad you remembered me, also very sad that you remembered me." She started. Irvine looked to her as her smile began to fade again.

"During the Sorceress War, there were just too many children without homes… too many parents dead. In the orphanage, the stronger more talkative children left first. I… I feared what would become of the rest."

Irvine shook his head as he spoke aloud, "But when someone wanted a tiny, useless kid like me-"

"Irvine, that's not what I meant. I simply couldn't refuse someone who sought a child. I didn't know why he wanted a small scrawny boy, but I assumed he must've lost a son and was trying to find a replacement." Edea made Irvine face her, "Why did he want someone like you Irvine?"

The cowboy looked into the Matron's eyes, he never knew her well or for very long but he remembered she was so kind. And to bid a child farewell was hard for her, is that why she stopped being an orphanage keeper? No longer wanted to see a child leave her?

"Someone small wouldn't be able to escape, wouldn't defy because they were too scared, would obey just to stay alive. That's why."

A long silence fell between the two, the town came in sight.

"……………………………... Do you hate me now, Irvine?" Edea asked so softly.

What a dumb ques- Irvine thought hard, if he never was in the G-Aero, he would have had a better life without so much bloodshed and murder. But also, he would never met Selphie. "No, I don't hate you…" He whispered.

Edea smiled as she moved forward for an embrace, Irvine hesitated and slowly returned the favor.

"Why, why did you stop being an orphanage keeper?" Irvine asked bluntly. Edea grinned, and forged grin.

"Fear Irvine, fear of losing the ability to control myself." She replied.

"What?"

"Irvine, I am a Sorceress. I was frightened that I may hurt the children, be cruel or do something even more terrible. There are worst things than the G-Aero, but it is not that we have power that is of danger, it is we use it, right?"

Irvine shook his head, "Right."

"Now then, Selphie will be coming back to Garden tonight no matter what. I believe you need to buy something for your lover." Edea smiled slyly.

"Sure, but do you mean…?" Irvine cool grin slowly dissolved in surprise.

"I do, come a man like you surely hid some money. Enough for a decent... well you know, I suppose. Come with me Irvine we'll go together."

Irvine was in awe, "How did you…"

"Sorceress," Edea finished for him as she walked off into the shops with Irvine dragging after her.

oooo

Selphie sat straight as students of the Disciplinary Committee helped Smith walk, he was the only student still in need of care. Everyone else had been healed with a night's rest and a few hospital potions.

Irvine didn't come to see me… she sat at the edge of the bed as Rajin entered the room.

"Everyone gots to go back to Garden, ya know?" He called. Selphie smiled as she energetically hopped ready to go.

"Yeah! Let's go!" She forced a large smile, where's Irvine…? She followed Rajin out the hospital room and outside where a blue rented van was waiting to take the students back to Garden.

The group that had attacked Irvine all sat inside where Selphie could see Headmaster Cid in the passenger seat recalling the interview with them. In the hospital, someone came to ask what happened. No one lied, not her either.

Selphie sighed as she stepped into the van.

"SELPHIE WAIT!"

The brunette quickly jumped out and saw Irvine running with a lady in ebony tagging behind him. He knelt before her and caught his breath. "Good, you didn't leave yet."

The lady smiled and patted Selphie and stepped into the van and beckoned the driver to go. Selphie confused looked around for other options back to Garden.

"Irvy… what're you doing?" She was dumbstruck. Irvine didn't reply but grasped her wrist and started to pull her way from town, to the outskirts…

Selphie saw the city pass in a blur as they stopped, at none other than the beach. A place that only good could come. Selphie only smirked as she sat on the sand and relaxed Irvine probably wanted a fresh breeze.

The wind soothed the atmosphere as it almost slipped Selphie's mind to ask what happened after last night.

"Irvine!" She shouted as she jumped to her feet. Irvine smiled as he came to her side loyally.

"Yeah Selph? What's wrong?" He asked coolly.

"What happened, last night… I was so tired and drained. You, I was so scared!"

Irvine put his hand to Selphie's lips, "Calm down little lady, don't worry. Nothing wrong happened. It's all good."

"No, tell the truth I wan-"

"I said it was fine, really!" Irvine replied irritably. Ignoring his efforts Selphie went on arguing that Irvine was hiding something.

Peeved, Irvine reached into his trench coat and pulled out a single rose, "Here." He mumbled angrily, "I wanted to say something nice but you were too paranoid."

Selphie's eyes glittered as her hand went around the stem, "Oh… Irvy, thank-" Before she took another breath a little glitter shown and fell onto the sand of the beach. Slowly Selphie laid out her hand to reach for it, as she held it she looked closely and saw…

"It's a ring…" She gasped. A lovely silver band with a small diamond hewn in silver flower designs. She turned to Irvine sill in complete shock and awe. "It's a ring." She repeated so softly.

"Yeah, it is… okay I'm not so good at this but uh er…" Irvine bent on one knee and held Selphie palm. "You're, the only reason I want to live now Selphie. Will you marry me?"

Selphie cupped her mouth with her free hand, "I-I yes! Of course why wouldn't I!" She threw her arms around Irvine's neck and embraced him dearly,

"I LOVE YOU IRVINE KINNEAS!"

Irvine held Selphie close, he could smell her sweet scented perfume… roses. His eyes closed and for the first time in his life Irvine Kinneas shed a tear… of joy.

I love you too Selphie… I love you too.

000000000000