I have decided to dedicate this chappie to two of my best reviewers, RavenMistress and squalmasy. This one's to you two, girls. :'D

Twilight Gaze
Chapter 5: Betrayal

Selphie laughed as Kairi tripped on the curb on her new inline skates. The two of them were on their way to Zell's house to pay their respects to the family for the loss of Zell's father Gerald. The girls didn't hold the same level of contempt towards Zell for his initial attitudes with the group – although his egotism against Tidus was rather unnecessary. Selph and Kairi were willing to give the kid a second chance, as long as he was willing to take it.

Selphie helped Kairi to her feet again and the two of them continued on their way to Zell's house. It was almost noon, and it was no surprise when they saw the Dinchts' lights were dim.

Selphie skated up to the front door of the Dinchts' house, followed somewhat clumsily by Kairi. Knocking on the door, Selphie readied herself for anyone or anything to open the door.

She wasn't expecting Wakka.

The redhead looked as if he hadn't had a wink of sleep all night, and his eyes were drooping far worse than the brunette had ever seen.

"Wakka, what are you doing here?" Selphie asked with wide eyes.

"I've been trying to help comfort Ma Dincht and Zell," the man replied. His eyes flashed to the right and saw Kairi trip as she tried to take off a skate. "Are you okay, Kairi?" he asked.

Kairi blushed as she looked up him in humility. "I, uh, got new skates."

Wakka raised an eyebrow weakly. "If you guys want to come in, come on," he said, opening the door wider. "Zell is in his room and Ma Dincht is asleep on the couch in the living room."

Selphie and Kairi entered the dark house and spread out to take a look around. The drapes on the windows were closed, the overhead lights were turned off, and there was a rather loud sobbing coming from the living room. The place looked like someone had died.

Oh, wait.

Wakka placed a muscular hand on Kairi's shoulder. "I'll be in with Zell," he said, letting go of her and turning down the hall.

Selphie looked over the back of the couch and saw Mrs. Dincht, asleep and sobbing. Tear stains were streaking her face and her face was red. Her hair was a mess and her dress was wrinkled from assorted sleeping positions from the constant tossing and turning.

"What a mess," Kairi whispered, her brow furrowed in worry for the Dinchts.

"Is there anything we can do?" Selphie asked.

Kairi shook her head. "About the only thing we can do now is to be here for them. There's not much else that we can do."

Selphie sighed. "I guess you're right." She gently rubbed Mrs. Dincht's shoulder before turning towards the hallway where Wakka had gone. "I'm going to go see how Zell is doing."

Kairi nodded. "I'll stay out here with Mrs. Dincht."

Selphie walked down the hall and knocked lightly on the door that she had seen Wakka walk into. She waited a moment and turned the knob. She opened the door and peeked in, spying Zell with his head buried under a pillow and Wakka sitting on the edge of his bed next to him, his face full of worry.

Wakka noticed Selphie as she entered and he was stark silent as she closed the door. His gaze returned to Zell and a strong hand went out and began to rub the blonde's back in a comforting fashion. Selphie hated seeing Wakka like this – he was really worried for Zell.

Zell said something that was really garbled from underneath the pillow. Wakka leaned close and asked him to repeat it. Zell did, and it was even more incomprehensible to Selphie, but Wakka seemed to have understood. He sat up straight and looked over at Selphie. "How's Ma?" he asked her.

"She's asleep on the couch," Selphie replied, walking over to the foot of Zell's bed. On the way, she had to step carefully over a tipped over T-board and a basketball. She went to lean on the bedpost at the foot of the bed, but balked when she noticed a pair of boxers strewn over it. She decided not to lean on anything.

Zell made a noise that Selphie was pretty sure was, "Still?"

Selphie nodded sadly. "I don't know how long she's been there like that, but Kairi's still in the living room with her, in case anything happens."

Zell's pillow slid off of his hair as he sat up. The large spike in the front was down in his eyes – it didn't look very nice that way, and Selphie could see why he kept it up all the time. "Thanks," he said, his eyes swollen and his face forlorn.

"Hey, it's no problem," Selphie said with a sad smile. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Zell looked up at her and gave her a weak smile that wasn't entirely sad. "Friends?"

Selphie kind of chuckled and rubbed her shoulder, blushing. "I figure everyone needs a friend. Sorry we were so hard on you, Zell."

Wakka's mouth dropped open as he stared at the little brunette girl. He shut his trap and looked over at Zell. "Dude, you're lucky. Selphie doesn't apologize for being annoying or mean, eh?"

Selphie huffed and planted her fists on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. "I'm not usually mean! We treated you a little unfairly, that's all," she added to Zell. "You forgive us?"

Zell's smile broadened, but his eyes continued to force it to remain weak-spirited. "Yeah, I forgive you guys. I know what it's like to be around the new guy and get the impression that he's a real jackass."

Selphie grinned, almost completely oblivious to the dreary circumstances that were around her. Zell noticed how cheery she was, and it seemed to bring him up as well.

"Thanks, you guys," Zell said sheepishly, giving Wakka a clumsy smile. "I think I'll be okay."

Selphie grinned again and turned towards the door. "You'll be all right," she said. "'Time heals all wounds,' right?"

Zell nodded, his smile persisting. "I guess."

"That's great. I'll be heading out to see how Kairi's doing with Mrs. Dincht," Selphie said. "You two going to be all right in here?" she asked.

Wakka sent Zell a questioning look, but Zell didn't see it. He nodded, his smile gone. "Yeah, we'll be okay."

"Good," Selphie piped. She opened the bedroom door and stepped outside, closing it behind her.

When Selphie arrived back in the living room, the first thing that she noticed was that Mrs. Dincht was awake and in the kitchen, busy at the stove.

"What happened to the sobbing mass of mother that was on the couch just a sec ago?" Selphie whispered to Kairi.

"She woke up, saw me, and promptly began to freak out about how bad her hospitality was for not having something for me to eat," Kairi replied with an amused smile. She was watching Mrs. Dincht dash around the kitchen in the preparations of a meal for the guests. "I think she needed the company."

"I think so, too," Selphie said with a giggle.

"How's Zell?" Kairi asked, not looking at Selphie.

"I think he'll be okay," Selphie said. "I…I apologized on everyone's behalf for everything that we'd put him through."

Kairi's eyes shifted instantly to look Selphie in the face. "You…you did what? You apologized? You?"

Selphie huffed again. "What? Can't a girl be sorry? Jeez."

"That's not what I meant," Kairi said with a laugh.

"Kairi, dear," Ma Dincht called from the kitchen, "please go tell Zell and Wakka that dinner will be on soon."

Kairi nodded with a smile. "Of course, Ma." She turned and headed down the hall, following Selphie's trail, finally coming to Zell's door.

"Hey, Zell, Wakka," Kairi said, turning the doorknob and opening it. "Ma Dincht said-" Kairi froze, her eyes wide in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Zell's face was mere inches from Wakka's, as if they had been whispering to each other. That, however, wasn't what Kairi was so shocked to see.

Zell's hand was wrapped tightly around something that Kairi knew to be part of human anatomy that women didn't have, which meant that Wakka didn't have pants on. For some reason, this didn't register with Kairi. All she could see was Zell's hand clasping Wakka's manhood.

"Kairi," Wakka whispered, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Hey, Kairi, what's going on?" Selphie called. Footsteps were heard coming down the hallway. "Why aren't you back ye-" Selphie's eyes, if possible, were larger than Wakka's.

"What the hell…?" Selphie blurted.

Kairi backed out of the door and turned down the hall, her eyes still wide and her face pale. Entering the living room, she turned strictly towards the door and exited the domicile.

"Who just left without saying goodbye?" Ma Dincht called from the kitchen, sticking her head out into the living room.

Selphie came dashing down the hall and headed for the front door, after Kairi. "Sorry, Mrs. Dincht, but Kairi and I just remembered that we have somewhere to be. Sorry we can't stay for dinner," she added with a bow. The brunette turned and headed out the door behind her friend, leaving Ma Dincht in the kitchen, alone again. The sniffles were already beginning to resurface.

The next day, Kairi and Selphie were at the dock, where they had told Wakka to meet them. The redhead was dreading the encounter – he was expecting a lot of "how could you do that to poor Tidus" and "you should be ashamed of yourself." Wakka sighed as he saw the boathouse with two female figures standing outside it. He started down the hill, but he didn't get the chance before the two of them started running up the hill towards him.

"Wakka, we need to talk," Selphie said urgently, poking the redhead in the shoulder.

"I know," Wakka murmured. He made a face. "Just slap me and get it over with, eh?"

"Slap you?" Selphie repeated. "Why would I do that?"

"For cheating on Tidus," Wakka replied, looking at her with one eye shut tight.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that? Yeah. We needed to talk to you about that, too."

Wakka's other eye opened. "What? What happened? That's not what you called me down here for?"

Kairi shook her head. Wakka then noticed that tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were swollen from crying. She looked amazingly like Zell had the day before.

"What's the matter?" Wakka asked his younger friend.

"Something's wrong with Chappu," Kairi said with a sniff.

Wakka's brow furrowed. "What's wrong with Chappu?"

Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She looked to Selphie for help. Selphie nodded and stepped up.

"Kairi caught Chappu looking at gay porn," she said simply.

Wakka felt a surge of adrenaline. So the cat was out of the bag.

"He's not gay, is he, Wakka?" Kairi asked, her eyes begging him to say no.

"He isn't gay, Kairi," Wakka replied, his head hung low. "He told me that he was bi. He loves you, and he'd never want to hurt you. But he also likes guys. Sorry."

Kairi's eyes teared up again and she collapsed into sobs. Selphie crouched beside her friend and placed her hands on her shoulders in comfort.

"Kairi, I know he wouldn't want you to be hurt by it," Wakka reminded her. "It's just a little detail. He loves you, you know."

Kairi stopped sobbing. "He…he hasn't told me that in weeks."

Wakka's brow furrowed. "Wha?"

Kairi sniffed. "He hasn't told me he loved me in almost two weeks. He used to say it three times a day or more. He's become pretty distant to me lately." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Wakka's narrow waist. "Please, Wakka, tell me this is a horrible dream…"

Wakka put his arms around Kairi in a brotherly hug and didn't say anything.

"Please," Kairi said, her voice collapsing into sobs on Wakka's chest.

Selphie just looked at her friend, her eyes tearing up. She hated seeing Kairi like this. No one on the island liked seeing Kairi like this. But what could she do? This wasn't her problem, and it wasn't Wakka's. Kairi and Chappu needed to deal with it on their own – otherwise, nothing would come of it. Selphie turned and looked out over the ocean, towards the island that the youth played on. She sighed. We're not little kids anymore, it seems. Tears crowded Selphie's eyes again and she wiped them away. Time's betrayed us. We're all grown up now. We don't have time for the little things. What's going to happen to us? I mean…Kairi and I are the only straight kids on the island that we know of. Where does that leave us?

"Selphie? Something wrong?" Wakka asked, still holding a quietly sobbing Kairi.

Selphie sighed and shook her head, wiping her tears from her eyes again before turning to face her friends. "No. Just thinking, that's all." She put a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "C'mon, Kairi, let's get you home. You need some time to think." She took Kairi away from Wakka and started leading her up the hill towards their houses, leaving Wakka alone on the dock.

Wakka turned and looked out at Destiny Island. It seemed so long ago that we played there, the redhead thought to himself before sighing, shaking his head, and turning back up the hill.

I wonder what's going to happen now.

Phew. Sorry for the late update AGAIN. But you know what? Thanksgiving no school for me LOTS OF TIME TO WRITE :D So….expect at least one more chappie of this story up sometime in the next week.

Tig OUT!