Disclaimer: (see Parts I or II.)
A/N: All I own is the idea for this piece of creative writing, so please don't take it.
To QueenAdreena: Thank you for giving the 1st review! This update is for you.
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Irvine walked swiftly and with confidence down the corridor of Balamb Garden on his way to set things straight with Selphie. Some wildflowers growing in a pot hanging on the ledge of a window caught his eye. He checked to make sure that no one was looking before plucking some to give to Selphie as an offering of piece. He was sure that they would brighten Selphie's mood.
As he approached Selphie's dorm room, Irvine practically had to force himself to keep going. It seemed that his legs were becoming weak and heavy, and he wasn't so sure anymore that this was such a good idea. Not that he had thought that it was a good idea in the beginning, but Zell's confidence in him had been contagious.
When he got to Selphie's dorm room Irvine prepared to knock on the door, hesitated, but knocked anyway.
From inside the room he heard a loud commotion, a curse from Selphie, and then the unlocking of the door.
Selphie poked her head through the crack of the door and adjusted the bath towel, which she had wrapped around herself. Then she looked up to see her ex standing at the door. She narrowed her eyes at the man whom had wronged her. "Oh… It's you," she said hatefully.
"Look, Selphie-" Irvine began, but Selphie had already begun to close the door on him. Irvine stuck his cowboy booted foot into the door to stop it from closing. "I think it's really important that we talk," he continued.
"This isn't the best time." Selphie indicated the towel around her. "I just got out of the shower and-"
This time Irvine cut her off. "It'll only take a minute," he promised, and pushed on the door in an attempt to let himself in.
Selphie held the door firmly in place. "No, I'm busy right now," she refused.
"Selphie… I don't want you to have any mistrust in me and-" Irvine could feel the pressure on his foot increase due to Selphie trying to close the door again. "And I got you these flowers-" Irvine held out the pathetic-looking wildflowers that he had picked. They had already begun to wilt.
With every word that came from Irvine's mouth Selphie was becoming more enraged. "You brought me flowers?" she said in fake sweet tone.
Irvine shrugged and nodded his head still holding them out to Selphie, waiting for her to accept them.
"You think that flowers will make up for all the times that I felt ignored?" She furrowed her eyebrows and her complexion began to redden. "All the times that I felt worthless to you? And used by you? Now you want me to just trust you again, like nothing ever happened? Well guess what Mr. I'm-So-Hot-I'm-On-Fire," she put her hand on her hip, "I'm never going to give you any of my trust ever again!"
"Who's there, Selphie?" asked a muffled voice from inside the room.
Irvine's eyes widened. There was someone else in the room with her?
"No one, Seify-pooh," Selphie called into the room. She looked back at Irvine, who was still shocked that Seifer was in her room right now. Selphie lowered her voice. "Now you listen to me. I'm with Seifer now and there's nothing that you can say, or do – or pick – that can fix what happened between us."
Irvine watched, horrified, as Selphie finally turned away from him and was able to close the door. He still held the wilting flowers in his hand.
What was he going to do now? His world was nothing without Selphie. Without her, he may as well just curl up and die. Irvine sulked his way back down the hall toward Zell's room. He thought that Zell's plan might actually work and make Selphie take him back, but he guessed the world just didn't work like that.
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Zell hopped around various items on his floor to answer the door for the person with the knock so weak that he had hardly heard it at all.
Irvine stood hunched in the doorway and held out his hand with the bunch of wilted flowers in it. "When I die, which will be in about…" Irvine checked his wristwatch, "two minutes and 50… 49… 48… seconds, I would like you to put these flowers on my grave." He turned to leave, but then turned back again. "Oh, and on my headstone tell them to engrave: 'Irvine Kinneas: here he lay, thought he'd live to a ripe old age, but then someone else his lover did take, and he died that day from a broken heartache,' or something like that."
Irvine turned again and walked in a quick and purposeful pace to the place where he planned to leap from the Garden rail and plummet to a heroic death. People would be talking about it for ages! Irvine nodded his head to himself in confirmation with his thoughts. This was the best thing to do – for him and for Selphie.
Zell was still standing stupefied in the dust of Irvine's takeoff before his friend's words finally began to process in his head. Irvine… die… Zell's eyes suddenly widened and he shouted, "two minutes and 48 seconds!"
Several passing students stopped to stare at Zell as he bolted down the hallway past them to catch up with his suicidal friend.
"Irvine! Wait!" Zell shouted down the hallway to the taller man, still running to catch up with him.
Irvine didn't look back and continued to walk with determination.
Zell caught up with Irvine and latched onto his arm like a child not wanting his mother to leave.
Irvine jerked his arm violently in an attempt to lose the shorter boy. "Let go!" he demanded.
"No!" Zell shook his head and held on to the man's arm. "Not until you promise to come back to my room and talk this over."
Irvine tried to loosen his arm again, but it was no use. Zell wasn't going to let go and he knew it. Stupid stubborn blonde, thought Irvine. He sighed heavily. "All right."
"Good," Zell cautiously let go of Irvine's arm. "Quickly now, we have to get back before security sees my room." Zell suddenly remembered that he'd left his dorm in such a hurry that he'd left the door wide open for the world to see. "My room's one big fire hazard."
Irvine nodded his head; there was no point in denying that.
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Once again, Irvine had been invited into Zell's room. This time Irvine carefully made his way to the squeaky couch on his own without being asked. He flopped down on it as before and bounced up and down on it a little to hear the springs twang from the stress that his weight caused them.
Zell thought that Irvine was enjoying the squeaky noises a little too much, but smiled with relief that his friend appeared to be feeling better. He leaned up against the wall. After all, Irvine wasn't really going to leap from the Garden, right?
As he watched the taller man carefully, Zell wondered what it must have felt like for Irvine to see Selphie with Seifer. He wasn't quite sure that he could even imagine it. Irvine had sounded pretty serious about dying. It was as if he'd it all planned out.
After finding a comfortable position on the couch, Irvine looked up at Zell, who was watching him curiously. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.
"Huh?" Zell blinked in confusion.
"You look like you're off in space."
"Oh…" said Zell. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" asked Irvine.
"About you…"
Irvine looked at the shorter boy with interest. "Why were you thinking about me?"
"Were you serious?" Zell asked carefully.
Irvine raised one eyebrow and smiled crookedly. "Serious about what?"
"You know… about what ya said about dyin' and stuff?"
Irvine looked away from Zell's big, staring eyes. He took off his hat and patted his hair to make sure that it wasn't all messed up. "I dunno. I guess I was at the time but…" His eyes met Zell's and he smiled. "I'm sure glad you stopped me."
"Maybe you should talk to someone," Zell suggested, pushing himself off of the wall. "Someone like Dr. Kadowaki or Headmaster Cid; someone who could help you."
Irvine waved his hand through the air dismissing the idea. "I don't need any help," he replied coolly.
Although he didn't say anymore, Zell continued to stare at Irvine with a worried look.
"I don't," he reassured. "Now can we just drop the topic?"
Zell looked down at the messy floor. "Fine."
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Irvine and Zell hung around Zell's dorm for most of the afternoon. They shared the cafeteria dinner special, which Zell could have eaten all on his own, but then he wouldn't have had the money to pay for a separate meal for Irvine. Unfortunately, Irvine couldn't afford to buy his own meal because the man had spent all of his money previously at the pub.
After their meal, Irvine finally said his thank yous and goodbyes to Zell, whom he had left broke and still quite hungry.
Zell stood up from the cafeteria table, almost thankful that the man had left, and went straight to the Infirmary to have a talk with Dr. Kadowaki concerning Irvine's recent actions. He wasn't sure what Irvine would say when he found out that Zell had told the doctor about him, but he really didn't care either, as long as Irvine was okay.
"I see…" Dr. Kadowaki said after Zell had told her in its entirety the events that had happened that morning. The doctor put a hand to her chin. "I will have a talk with that Irvine tomorrow. The situation will be treated with the utmost of care," she reassured.
Zell nodded.
Dr. Kadowaki put a comforting hand on Zell's shoulder. "You've done a brave thing to tell me about your friend, Zell. You should feel good knowing that you may have prevented a young man's death."
Zell nodded again. Dr. Kadowaki must have seen the spaced-out look on his face.
He left the Infirmary feeling a little better than he had throughout his meal with Irvine. At least he could now rest assured that Irvine would be in good hands by morning. He would never forgive himself if Irvine decided to jump off of the Garden while he wasn't around to stop him.
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Irvine snuggled down into the bed in his own dorm room. It had been a few nights since he had actually slept in his own bed, what with all that was going on in his life. He was only too lucky to have Zell for a friend to help him through this time.
Although the boy could be a pain in the butt sometimes, Irvine was sure that with the help of friends like Zell, he would be ready to take on the world! Only this time it would only be one lady at a time. But come morning, would Irvine still feel so great about having Zell as a friend?
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End of Part III.