A/n: Sorry i took a bit longer to update. This chapter was originally going to have the Ball in it, but i promise that'll be in the next chapter. Please review! Thank you . . .

'If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me.'

Rinoa stood outside the Garden Entrance, a little ways into the reception so as not to get cold. It was unusually chilly outside, so she had chosen to put on a chunky knit cream jumper with an oversized turtle-neck and plain black bootleg jeans. Trying to avoid the gaze of the grumpy old man at the reception desk, she looked down at her hands and pretended to examine her nails. Casually glancing behind her, Rinoa was relieved to see Selphie walking towards her, Irvine strolling along next to her, his long legs trying to slow down to match his friends pace.

Rinoa had told Selphie that she would take her shopping out in Balamb town for a brand new elegant dress to wear later on for the evening ball. The raven-haired girl had a bit of a reputation among friends for being over zealous when it came to purchasing clothes. Not that she could be blamed; its what most teens would do if their dad was loaded down with large amounts of Gil.

"It's about time Selphie!"

"I'm sorry . . . I overslept. I was just so tired."

Rinoa looked up at Irvine, who seemed to be hovering around looking rather awkward.

"Hey. Did you want something?"

Selphie would have to have a word with Rinoa later for being so rude.

The sharpshooter seemed to ignore the snappy tone in the small girls' voice and shot her a smile, along with other general niceties such as asking how she was.

"I'm just fine, but Selph and I have to go now, so bye."

Again, he ignored her and turned to leave, but just before he did so, he bent down and gave Selphie a quick, soft kiss on the lips, followed by a playful ruffle of her hair.

Rinoa stood with her head cocked and a bemused look upon her doll-like features.

"Okay. Did I miss something?"

Selphie blushed as she watched her newly reacquainted 'more-than-friends' companion, jog back up the steps with his hands in his pockets and a swagger to his step.

"I'll tell you all about it over shopping . . ."

Her small female friend clasped her hands together and bounced up and down with a grin on her face, before linking her arm through Selphies and dragging her off for yet another famous shopping spree, Heartilly style.

"Sef! I've found it! This is THE dress for you! It screeeaams you!"

Selphie glanced around the small clothes boutique, renowned for its brilliantly tailored, brilliantly fitting dresses. The snobbish looking woman behind the wooden cash desk sighed and shook her head at Rinoa's uncalled for outburst. One other no doubt loaded teen in the shop also gave the enthusiastic girl a strange look, the kind one might give if someone sprouted two heads and turned green.

"Rin, keep it down will you? We're getting looked at funny."

"Oh, so what. Go on, try this one on, it's perfect for you!"

Caught off guard, Selphie stumbled slightly due to the vigorous way that her friend had thrust the dress into her.

"You said that about that purple one . . . and the one before that, and the one before that."

Rinoa gave an exaggerated sigh and stood with her hands resting on her hips, glaring at Selphie.

"Okay, I'll try it."

Walking over to the changing cubicle, she pulled the cloth curtain shut and looked at the dress that her fashion addict friend had picked out. Selphie hadn't much liked the other ones, but this one really appealed to her. It was pure white in colour and the same length as her yellow dress. This was made of satin, with a low plunging, square neckline. It had long, bat wing style sleeves, made out of a slightly see-through chiffon material of the same colour. The top half was bodice-like, with corseting up the middle. Black ribbon threads criss-crossed the chest and could be pulled tighter to achieve a full cleavage look. Selphie had never much bothered with flaunting herself in that way; had never really felt the need. She wanted boys to notice her for her personality, not her body. Shucking off the yellow jumper and black mini skirt she had put on in the morning, she took the soft dress off its hanger and slipped it on over her head. It was a perfect fit and it clung to her curves just the way it should.

Selphie smoothed it down over her body and looked up slowly into the mirror in front of her. The person staring back appeared to be a stranger, but it wasn't. Tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear, the brunette looked at herself for a few long minutes. She could hardly believe it was her looking so amazing. Secretly, she had always thought of herself as plain and dowdy looking, without any particular features that made her stand out. But with this dress on, well, it changed everything.

"Selph! Are you done? Come out, I wanna see!"

Not waiting for an answer, Rinoa, as impatient as she was, yanked open the curtain and pulled her friend out into the middle of the shop.

For a few seconds, the raven haired girl gave no response, but stood there in awe and silence. When Selphie shifted her stance and gave a twirl, it must've started up Rinoa's brain again, because she began to jump up and down in excitement.

"You look so, so, SO beautiful!"

"Thank- you."

"We're getting that one! It's perfect. You're gonna have all the guys in Balamb chasing after you!"

Selphie smiled and looked down at herself, before looking back up slowly to the girl in front of her.

"Rinoa . . ."

"Yes?"

"Can you see my cuts through the sleeves? Be honest . . ."

In response, Rinoa studied her friends left arm through the delicate, semi transparent sleeve. You could only see red marks faintly if you looked up close, for a good few moments.

"No, you can't. It's okay."

Unexpectedly, she brought Selphie into a tight hug, knowing all the pain and troubles her much loved girl-friend had been through.

"Now, take it off, and I'll buy it for you, then we'll go shop for accessories!"

The dress was expensive, 4000 gil in fact, but Selphie knew that no matter how much objecting she did, Rinoa would insist on buying it for her, so she let it lie and did as her friend told.

After the dress had been paid for, and packaged in a pink box with a ribbon on top, Rinoa's cell phone began to let off a series of steady beeps in her pocket. Most students had pagers given out by their instructors but Rinoa had objected, not liking the chunkiness of it, and had opted for buying her own communication device; a sleek, silver, up-to-date mobile phone. She flipped up the top, answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rin, it's Zell,"

"Heey Blondie! What are you calling me for?"

She heard shuffling and a muffled voice in the background, whom she presumed to be Irvine by detecting a hint of Southern Galbadian drawl.

"Is Selphie still with you?"

"Yeah, we've got the dress! It's SO nice, you should see it on her! Now we're gonna go buy stuff to finish it off!"

On the other end of the line, Zell tried to sound enthusiastic for the excited girl, but it came out sounding more sarcastic.

". . . Great. Apart from . . . you can't."

Rinoa pulled a puzzled face at Selphie, who was standing next to her, only gathering from the conversation that she was speaking to a certain blonde.

"What? Why?"

More whispers coming from Irvine were picked up by Rinoa's keen ear.

"Okay man- Shhi- get off!"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, sorry, Irvine tried to grab the phone. Anyway, don't buy any jewellery for Sef,"

"Why!"

"Don't blow! Its just . . . Irvine's bought her a necklace that he wants her to wear tonight."

Although Selphie couldn't hear any of Zells side of the discussion, she could tell he must've said something sweet at least, because the friend by her side gave a smile, her chocolate coloured eyes twinkling with delight.

"And Rinoa?"

"Yes?"

"Don't breathe a word to her. It's a surprise for later."

"Oh. Okay. See you around Zelly!"

Rinoa looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye before feigning tiredness.

"Phew! All this shopping has really taken it out of me. Let's go back."

Selphie cocked her head in thought. It wasn't like Rinoa to cut a shopping opportunity short.

"Weren't we going to buy accesso,"

"No, no. I'm sure I've got some jewellery we can wear," Rinoa interrupted before taking her friends small hand in hers and pulling her out of Balamb town. They hadn't taken a rental car, seeing no need as their destination was only a ten minute walk away. Whilst the two girls made their way back to the Garden, little conversation ensued, until Rinoa spoke of Irvine.

"So . . . you and Irvine seemed pretty close when he walked you down. Did I miss something?"

Selphie tried to hide a smile by looking down at her feet, but it didn't quite work, because the attentive teen next to her caught it.

"Heyyyy. I haven't seen that for ages!"

"Seen what?"

"You smiling, silly!"

Rinoa took hold of Selphies hand once again as they walked, gripping whilst swinging their arms in a rhythm matching their pace. The raven haired girl often held her friends hands; be they male or female. It was a unique sign of trust, care and loyalty.

"So, tell me then."

Selphie took a deep breathe, as if what she was about to explain was a big feat. She focused her forest green eyes upon those chesnut ones, sparkling with anticipation and looking intensely at her face.

"Let's just say Irvine realised the error of his ways . . . at least, I hope he did."

"Well, he better have done, else he'll have my temper to deal with!"

"I slept with him last night."

"Already? How was it?"

"We didn't do anything; well, we kissed a couple of times. I'd had a nightmare, so he just held me. It was nice."

"You kissed! Cute! What was he like?"

Selphie restrained herself from letting out a sigh. Partly at the memory of Irvine's soft kisses and partly at the way Rinoa was a bit of a gossip, and far too interested in boys for her own good (despite having Squall as a boyfriend).

"Do you think she'll like it?"

As Irvine twiddled a blue velvet, rectangular box in his large hands, an anguished look played upon his tanned features. He was sat atop Zells bed, long legs crossed underneath him, opening up the box, inspecting the necklace, and then shutting the box. He did the exact same thing every 5 seconds or so.

Zell was looking in the mirror, re-doing his hair after washing it, paying extreme attention to each individual spike which needed to be gelled again. He was in the early stages of getting ready for the ball, his black tuxedo suit hanging up beside him on the wardrobe screaming to be put on. Turning around to face his friend, he shrugged his shoulders at Irvine, who was looking at him expectantly, obviously for some re-assuring words.

"I'm the wrong guy to ask, Irvine. Anyway, I thought YOU were the ladies man of the group. You're the one who's supposed be setting examples for us to follow."

"Burden me even more why don't you!"

"Sheesh. Chill out man. She'll be so flattered by the gesture that it won't matter if she hates it or not. It's not as if it's a big ugly ol' thing. It's small and pretty."

"Aww, Zelly's got a soft side."

"Shut it! You wanted advice didn't you?"

"Yeah,"

"Well then, don't piss me off!"

"Damn. What're you so wound up about?"

Zell said nothing, but turned his back to the inquisitive teen perched on his bed.

"Ahh, I know. It's that library girl, isn't it?"

"Anna! She's called ANNA!"

"Whoa. Okay. Keep your little pink thong on."

The small blonde turned back around to face his friend again, his fists clenched by his sides and his mouth shut tight in a thin, angry line.

"Look, Irvine, I'm already nervous enough, so can you not make jokes?"

"Sorry. Why are you nervous? You've already done her a trillion times."

"NO I haven't!"

"Well, you've already kissed her. I saw you. At that club. Didn't look nervous then."

"That was different. I was drunk."

"So you're afraid she might be a heifer without the ol' alcohol goggles on?"

"NO. It's just . . . oh there's no point in talkin' to you. I might as well be havin' a conversation with Seifer."

Irvine put the box that contained the necklace down beside him on the bed and lifted his hands up in a defensive way.

"Hey, don't compare me to him. I'm sorry. Tell me whats up."

Zell studied Irvine's chiselled features for any hint of mockery, but found none, so continued talking.

"I know I've already kissed her, but, well . . . we've never spent much time together, and I clam up around girls I fancy the pants off."

Irvine's serious face began to turn into a saucy grin.

"Yeeeaah . . ."

"Hey!"

"Sorry. Why don't you just do that thing therapists tell you to do when you have to give a class speech?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know. Imagine her in her underwear."

"NO way! I'll get sprung, and then she'll notice and think I'm some sort of sex obsessed weirdo . . . like you."

"I'm not a weirdo. I just like the ladies."

"Don't you mean 'lady'," Zell asked, his arms folded across his chest and an inquiring look on his face.

"Just a phrase."

"So what, don't go shittin' on Selphie again."

"Don't go on the defensive! I've told you, I love Selphie. And she knows that."

"Just makin' sure. Hey, did you tell that blonde cow Celia that you're goin' with Sef tonight?"

Irvine's expression visibly soured when the name of the biggest mistake of his life was mentioned. Clearly not wanting to linger on the subject, he gave Zell a hasty reply.

"Yeah, I told her. She tried to slap me, and then said she'd get Seifer on me, and then said she was going with Seifer anyway."

"Pffft. The male equivalent . . . makes sense."

"Hnn. Anyway, we've got, like, just under an hour 'til the Ball. I'm going back to my room to get ready."

"Okay, see ya there, Irvine."

"Selphie? Can you zip me up at the back?"

"Sure."

The brunette stopped fiddling with her hairstyle and walked over to where Rinoa was standing in front of the mirror, trying and failing to do up her dress.

Selphie took hold of the fiddly zipper and pulled it up until it was secure. While this was being done, Rinoa slicked on a layer of cherry flavoured lip gloss, and ran the mascara wand through her already-long eyelashes.

"Thanks! So, how do I look?"

The raven haired beauty gave a twirl, the bottom of her short dress fanning out a little.

"Rin, you look absolutely gorgeous." And that she did. Her dress was bought a few months before in preparation, from the same Boutique that Selphie had gotten her outfit from. Rinoa's dress was much like the cream one she wore when she first met Squall, apart from the colour was that of a deep, midnight blue and had a few more details. The hem of the dress bore a small, black frill, running all around the bottom, giving it a somewhat Latino feel. Rinoa had pinned a flower corsage off to the top right-hand side of breast. It was rather large, and made of black silk but finished off the look perfectly. Upon her dainty feet were shoes of the deepest blue to match her dress. Her ebony hair was loose and resting atop her shoulders.

Selphie stood gazing at her friend, feeling a little outshined by her beauty, but the instant Rinoa grabbed her shoulders and faced her towards the mirror, it went away.

"Whats with the hangdog expression? You look beautiful. You're practically shining!"

"Thanks, Rin."

"Hey can I put some make-up on you? Just a little? Please!"

"Okay."

Rinoa beamed whilst picking up her mascara from her desktop.

"Now don't blink or it'll smudge."

Selphie obeyed, knowing what a temper her friend could sometimes get herself into.

Once Rinoa had finished with the eyes, she reached around behind her and picked up a pot that read 'ultra smooth lip moisturiser'. She slicked a little onto her friends lips before exclaiming that she'd finished. It tasted of bubblegum and Selphie had to fight not to lick it off. She had to admit, the small amount of make-up was the perfect touch, accentuating her delicate features.

"See? Now you're ready!"

The ebony haired girl exclaimed, before suddenly noticing Selphies bare feet.

"Are you gonna put you're shoes on?"

"NO, I thought I'd go barefoot."

Rinoa, always one for being a little slow on the uptake, gave her a puzzled look.

Selphie laughed, "I'm joking! But I do need help putting on those heels you got me. They're impossible to do up."

The shoes were of a black satin, matching the corseting on her dress. They had a thin tapering heel of about 4 inches, boosting Selphies height somewhat. A single black bar crossed her foot just above the toes, and another bar wrapped around her ankle. Here was where it got tricky though, and was the part Selphie need help with. Above the ankle straps were numerous lengths of black satin ribbon which need to be criss-crossed up her leg, finishing a few inches below the knee and secured in a cute, little bow. Once the massive feat of putting on the shoes was out of the way, there came a single knock at the door of Rinoa's dorm.

"That'll be Squall and Irvine. I told them to come here and get us."

"Why? Its not even a five minute walk to the ballroom," Selphie questioned.

"Sef, we need our men to escort us!"

"Oh, right. I forgot we were defenceless little princesses."

Rinoa rolled her eyes at the brunettes intended sarcasm and placed her hand on the doorknob.

"Ready?"

The two, formally dressed men waited for the door in front of them to open.

Squall knocked sharply again, getting impatient. Irvine glanced sideways at his friend. He looked dashing, dressed top to toe in a black suit, along with a black shirt underneath, the top few buttons undone. He hadn't bothered with a tie. Irvine had chosen pretty much the same attire; apart from he wore a white tuxedo shirt underneath, with a little bowtie around the neck. On anyone else, this would've looked silly, but on Irvine it simply made him look all the more handsome. The usual cowboy hat had been left behind, so he'd decided to let his hair loose. Whilst studying his friends face, he noticed that the mans slender jaw was clenching, probably in annoyance at the door not opening.

"Ease up man. You know what girls are like when they get ready."

" . . . Yeah . . . Rinoa's not like ordinary girls though . . ."

Irvine couldn't figure out whether Squall meant that as compliment to his girlfriend, or if he meant it as an insult, but before he could ponder anymore, the wooden door swung open with a creak of its hinges.

In a blur, Rinoa flung herself into her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a kiss on his lips, no doubt smearing him in her sticky lip gloss. Once Rinoa stepped away, Squall looked her up and down and they exchanged shy compliments. Irvine, deciding to leave the two lovebirds outside the door, stepped into Rinoa's room, wondering where his date had got to. And there she was, standing by the bed, looking like an angel in Irvine's eyes.

Selphie felt rather uneasy the instant the door had opened so she had backed away, shying off into the bedroom. Now she felt the uneasiness rising in her as Irvine stood staring, his violet eyes as wide as saucers whilst roaming over her body.

He drank in the sight of her as if he'd been deprived of any female contact for his whole life. Irvine couldn't believe that this was the same Selphie he'd grown up with; the very same little girl that he had played trivial war games with in the orphanage; the same girl that he'd come to love. He was aware that his staring was making her feel nervous, but he couldn't seem to find his voice. Her beauty compared to no-one on this earth, it seemed to call out to him, putting him in a trance. Irvine walked slowly over to Selphie and gathered her up in a big hug. Bending down slightly, his lips brushed her hair as he whispered, "Other men have seen angels, but I have seen thee, and thou art enough."

Selphie let out a small giggle and clutched on tighter to the man who had her in this warm embrace. She no longer felt uneasy when he stepped back and gave her another look, this time accompanied with a long sigh.

Irvine reached into his pocket and brought out the small velveteen box containing Selphies present. With a blush coming slowly to his cheeks, he handed it to her.

"Whats this?"

"Just a present."

Selphie looked down at the box in her hand, before opening it up. Inside, on a piece of red silk, lay a silver, heart shaped locket with a small, deep green emerald in the middle. Surrounding the emerald, were tiny engravings of winding ivy and flowers.

She looked up at the man standing in front of her and smiled, genuinely happy.

"This is beautiful."

Irvine smiled, "Open it up."

Selphie took hold of the small locket and opened it carefully. On one side was a small picture of her and Irvine. It was taken in the blossom orchard a while back. The tiny photo showed the cowboy giving Selphie a piggy-back. They were both grinning as wide as they could. On the other side of the lockets door was a shrunken version of the picture Irvine had on his wall, the one with Selphie on his lap.

The small, brunette girl adjusted her gaze once again to Irvine. He bent down and placed a kiss upon her little nose and lifted his long finger, twisting it around in a circular motion, signalling that Selphie should turn the locket around.

She turned it over in her hands, but not before giving him a perplexed look. Fixing her eyes on the delicate piece of jewellery, she saw that on the back, engraved into the silver were their initials. Underneath were three simple words that touched Selphies heart to the core: I love you.

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she desperately tried to stop before Irvine saw.

"Heey, what's all that for?"

Too late. Good thing this mascara's waterproof.

Selphie moved forward and clung onto Irvine as if her life depended on it. He was a little taken aback by the reaction, but wrapped his long arms around her anyway, resting his hands on the small of her back. Selphie edged back slightly, not crying anymore, but beaming with happiness, a huge smile crossing her features. Irvine ran a hand through his auburn locks, suddenly confused with the female species entirely. One minute they were crying; next, smiling insanely.

"Will you put it on for me, Irvy?"

"Sure thing, cutie."

Selphie placed the necklace in his open hand, then turned around for him and lifted up her hair. Instead of putting the pretty piece of jewellery on for her, as she had asked, Irvine lowered his head and placed a singular feather light kiss just under her hairline. The touch of his soft lips sent a shiver running along her spine. She felt them again in a slightly different place, but they gave her exactly the same reaction. Irvine wrapped the necklace around her neck; doing up the fiddly clasp at the back with ease, then went back to kissing again. He knew that now was definitely not the time or the place to get horny, but he couldn't help it. Luckily, Selphie had more will-power than Irvine when it came to matters of the sexual kind.

Letting her hair drop, she spun around and planted a quick kiss on the sharpshooter's lips before taking hold of his large hand. As she pulled him out of the room, they almost bumped into Rinoa, who was dragging Squall behind her in a similar fashion to Selphie.

"There you are!" The ebony haired girl exclaimed, "Come on, we've got a ball to go to!"