((Re-uploaded with corrections))
A/N: How many different ways can one say 'wow'?! The response we're getting for this story is surprising! Welcome all readers! We're very happy that you're enjoying it so far, and we only hope that you continue to enjoy it. ^o^
Grasshopper2: Welcome back! It's been a while since you've been on ff.net. We're glad to hear from you again. ^o^
Nammi-chan: Ahh…Squalphies, aren't they the most addictive substance on earth? Hehe.
Selphie108, A fire Inside Girl: Your questions shall be answered in this chapter.
Jordan Herrick: The way you wrote that was uber funny! And we have to say that we totally agree. We can't stand Irvine, and he is a wuss (we came to this conclusion when he chickened out trying to shoot the sorceress, good intentions or not). But don't you worry, like I said, much more Irvine bashing to come. ^o^
deathmuffin: Thanks for the compliments! We hope you continue to enjoy the story as much as you have been.
Chapter 7
With a sigh, Kadowaki plopped down into her cushioned office chair. She glanced at the paperwork that had piled up on her desk and took a swig from her coffee mug as her eyes scanned over the small print.
"Dr. Kadowaki," a voice came from the doorway.
The doctor looked up over her rectangular glasses. "Yes?"
"I was training in the Training Center and cut myself on my dagger," the young man explained, extending an arm to show off his wound. He had ripped part of his shirt off and tied it around the gash on his upper arm, but the fabric that was once white was now a dark shade of crimson.
"Well, you sure did cut yourself. You know, you're supposed to cut monsters with your weapon."
"Yeah, I know," he sighed, averting his gaze to the floor.
"Come over here and we'll wash that off," she said, pushing her chair back and walking to the sink. "How deep is the cut?"
"Pretty deep," he grimaced as she peeled the fabric away from the injury.
"Run it under cold water," she instructed him, "I'll be right back with some gauze."
The student nodded and Kadowaki disappeared into her supply closet. "Kids these days are so reckless," she grumbled quietly and returned with some gauze and an antiseptic. She turned the faucet off and looked at the boy.
"This is going to sting," she warned as she sprayed the antiseptic over the wound, "But it will help prevent infection."
Just as she started to wrap his arm, someone else burst through the door.
"Please take a seat, I'll be with you shortly," she said without bothering to look behind her to see who it was.
"It's an emergency," said a familiar voice.
"What is it this time, Squall?" Still she didn't turn around.
"Take a look for yourself," he said.
Kadowaki pried her eyes away from the boy's arm to look over her shoulder. Squall stood in the doorway with Selphie on his back, holding on to her thin legs. One of her lank arms draped over his shoulder and hung in front of him. Though she was conscious, her face was still white as paper.
"Oh, Hyne," the doctor muttered, dropping the gauze. "I'm sorry," she looked at the boy, "could you finish wrapping your own arm?"
He nodded and she ran to one of the recovery rooms and threw the door open. A girl was lying down in the bed.
"Up, up, up!" the doctor demanded.
"But, Dr. Kadowaki, I still don't feel good," she complained.
"Go sit down in the office, Ms. Tilmitt needs your bed."
Still upset about leaving, the girl got up and walked out.
"Lie her down on the bed, Squall."
"Seriously, I'm fine, take me back to my dorm," Selphie said weakly as Squall laid her down. "I need…to feed…my dog."
"You are in no condition," Kadowaki said quickly, then turning to Squall, asked, "What exactly happened?"
"She passed out in the elevator."
"Judging by how pale she is, her blood sugars must be low. Squall, in my desk I have some peanut butter and crackers that I keep for the diabetics, bring in a package for her. Now, Selphie, did you eat breakfast this morning?"
"Yes."
"Lunch?"
"…No."
"Selphie, we've been through this. You're hypoglycemic, if you skip meals, this is what happens."
"I didn't 'skip' it," she argued, "I was going to get something after I talked with Cid, I didn't expect to be stuck in an elevator for an hour."
"I know, Selphie. But next time, try to be prepared. Carry a granola bar with you for 'emergency use'."
"Yes ma'am," Selphie sighed.
Squall re-entered the recovery room and threw the crackers down in front of Selphie. "All right, Squall. Watch over her, if you need me I'll be helping the gentleman in there."
Kadowaki bustled out of the room leaving the two SeeDs alone. Tiredly, Selphie sat up to pick up the crackers that landed at the foot of the bed. Carefully she opened the package and leaning against the pillows, ate the small peanut butter sandwiches.
"She says the same thing every time this happens."
"Then why don't you do what she says?"
"I do for a while, but I get out of the habit," she sighed and snuggled deeper into her pillow. "It isn't as simple as she makes it out to be."
Squall said nothing, only pulled a chair over next to the bed. "Your face is gaining color again." He reached forward and grasped her hand and for a second she felt as if she could die. "But your hands are still cold."
She felt her cheeks redden intensely. "It's always cold in the infirmary, though," she giggled.
Squall shrugged, "I don't think so."
Just then Selphie noticed something she hadn't before. "Your arm!"
"Huh?"
"Your arm! It was broken! Why's it out of its cast?"
"Oh, a special potion Xu gave me."
"Nifty!" she grabbed his arm and examined it. "Does it still hurt?"
"No."
"That's pretty cool," Selphie smiled.
"I'm just happy to be out of that cast."
Before anyone could say anything else, the intercom in the side of the room crackled and came to life. "All SeeD candidates that participated in the exam today please assemble in your designated area. Your results will be presented to you shortly."
"The SeeD exam! Oh no! The inauguration ball is going to start in…" she looked at the clock, "…fifteen minutes!"
Kadowaki ran in to the room. "Selphie, I forbid you to leave until you have regained your strength. Get some rest; the ball will be going on all night. Oh, and Squall, I need your help."
"With what?"
"I'm going to be getting lots of patients in the next fifteen minutes. I need some help setting up extra cots."
"I'll help," the boy with the wounded arm volunteered.
"Okay, never mind, Squall."
The two walked over the supply closet. Squall sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Why are you still here?" Selphie asked. Squall merely shrugged. "You're the Commander! You're supposed to deliver a speech at the ball."
"All the more reason not to go."
"But it would be fun! Everyone would be there. It wouldn't be fair for you to miss it."
"It isn't fair for you to either. Besides, I don't really like going to these things anyway."
"Why not? You could go and dance with a bunch of pretty girls," she teased.
"I'd feel bad if I left you here."
"I'll probably go eventually. I'll get ready as soon as Kadowaki lets me leave. It shouldn't be too much longer, she's going to be getting a lot of very injured Junior Classmen soon."
"Then I'll leave with you."
It was silent again and all Selphie could think was, Is he just being nice? Or is he really this worried about me? The silence hung between them for a long time, but this time it wasn't quite as uncomfortable.
"Here comes the first one," they heard Kadowaki say some time later.
Sure enough, a steady flood of candidates filed into the infirmary, most with minor injuries. One however was carried in on a stretcher.
"What happened here?" Kadowaki asked the SeeDs who brought the wounded girl in.
"She was attacked by an Elnoyle, and she needs a blood transfusion, stat," a female SeeD answered.
"Elnoyle!? What was an Elnoyle doing in Timber?"
"There were several, actually," the SeeD replied. "We found that a man had somehow caged several and let them loose. He's been taken into custody."
"All right, Selphie, you're free to leave. Be more careful from now on!" the doctor instructed as she wheeled the young woman into the recovery room.
"Yes, doctor," she bowed her head and got up from the bed.
"What's her name and blood type?" the two heard as they exited the infirmary.
"Hope she's okay…" Selphie muttered, looking back at the girl covered in her own blood. "I remember fighting Elnoyles and they don't go down easily."
"Do you remember our SeeD exam? We had to fight an Elvoret, two Galbadian army officials, and I was chased out of town by a giant metallic spider."
"Of course I remember! How could I forget that!? I thought you were dead! I still have nightmares about that stupid thing!"
Squall jammed his hands into his pockets and said nothing.
As the two approached the dormitories, Selphie glanced up at a clock. "Woo! Oh no! It's almost seven thirty! You're late and it's my fault!" She stopped walking and turned to point Squall in the chest. "I told you to go ahead and leave! Now you're late to give your speech!"
"Selph…"
"Why didn't you just go!?"
"Selph…"
"It wouldn't have offended me!"
With a sigh, Squall lifted her chin and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I stayed because I wanted to."
That stopped Selphie's talking and she watched Squall disappear into the boys' dorms to change into his uniform. Face burning red, she covered her mouth with two fingers and she could swear that her lips were still tingling.
In a daze of sorts, she stumbled into her dorm and automatically wished she could call someone and tell them what had just happened. Unfortunately, everyone was at the ball. Rocks watched her from his spot in the corner, wondering what she was so happy about.
Still smiling and blushing she turned on her radio and walked to her closet. When a girl was accepted into SeeD, it was mandatory for her to wear her uniform for her inauguration ceremony. After her first year, however, she could wear a formal gown to the ball. Selphie found the dress she had purchased just for this occasion hanging in its protective bag and pulled it out of her closet. It was a full-length, sleek black dress that was strapless. The only decoration on the dress was three green stripes that wound from her upper thigh to her bust before tapering into points.
After slipping into her dress, she realized one problem. There was no way she would be able to tie up the back by herself. "This is great," she mumbled under her breath. "Uh…" she began fumbling with the strings to no avail. "I'll worry about it in a second! I don't suppose you could help, could you Rocks?" The dog sat up and looked at her, tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Didn't think so."
Without bothering to tie up the back, she walked into her bathroom, sat down on her marble countertop and began to apply makeup. Next, she straightened out her usual hairstyle. Taking a last look in the mirror she turned off her bathroom light and shut the door.
"I guess I'll have Quisty tie it when I get to the party."
With a quick look around her room, she picked up her shawl, high-heels, and stuck her dorm key into her handbag. "Ooh…I am so late!" she squealed, turning off the radio and running out the door, still carrying her accessories under her arm.
"Selphie?"
She stopped running and looked around. Squall was leaning against the wall in his crisp SeeD uniform, and damn, she thought, he looks good!
"What are you doing here? You're supposed be giving your speech!"
Squall smiled at her but changed the subject. "You know…your back isn't done right."
"Oh! Yeah! You can help me! I couldn't tie it by myself!"
"But I don-"
"It's just like tying shoes!"
Squall walked over to stand behind her and yanked back on the strings only to hear Selphie gasp. "Whoa! Not so tight! I need to be able to breathe!"
"Sorry."
She felt him loosen the strings, slightly, and tie it. "Oh, thank you so much!" she sighed, then she started to run again. "Come on! We're already an hour late! I wanna see who all made the cut!"
"You still don't have shoes on…" he stated slowly.
"Apparently you've never run in high heels!"
"No…I can't say that I have… But why run? It's no more than a five minute walk."
She looked around the vicinity then responded with, "I didn't think of that." Immediately she stopped running and slipped into her heels, situated the shawl around her shoulders and lastly began putting in her earrings.
Squall merely walked next to her and wondered how she could do all of this so quickly when he must've been waiting outside her dorm for more than fifteen minutes.
Finally they reached the dimly lit Quad and at the entrance Xu was waiting for them. Her black hair was done nicely in an up-do and she wore a long, elegant silver dress.
"Selphie!!" she exclaimed, hugging her. "We were so worried about you! Is everything okay? You look great!"
"Thanks, you look awesome too, Xu."
"Oh, and Squall," the SeeD smiled at him, "Cid has been pacing for the last forty five minutes. I think you better hurry up and deliver your speech before he gives himself an ulcer."
"Fine," he grumbled. Selphie could tell he was neither excited nor happy about it in the slightest. The racket of dozens of people talking quieted down as Squall stepped up to the podium. Cid looked up from his pacing and all of the muscles in his face seemed to relax.
"Oh, thank Hyne," the headmaster breathed.
"Congratulations all candidates who passed today's exam," Squall said boringly into the microphone, scanning the Quad. "I don't enjoy giving speeches, I'm not very good at it, so I won't sugar coat anything. You are SeeDs; trained mercenaries. From here on out life will become more dangerous, you all know this, as I'm sure you were aware when you took the test."
From the audience, Sae and Arisu looked at each other, then back to their Commander. He was oh-so-wrong. They only took the exam because they were forced to take it. But they had a plan to get out of this party. As the two knew, they were required to wear their new uniforms, so instead the two girls wore the furthest thing they could think of from their uniforms; their gym clothes. They could only hope that Cid spotted them soon.
"Anyway, I commend each and every one of you for making it this far," he droned on. He wasn't sure what else he should say.
Seifer stood in the crowd next to Renee, beaming in his new SeeD uniform. Renee on the other hand wore a long and elegant ivory gown that, like Selphie's, was also strapless, and her brown hair was done up except for a few strands from her bangs that curled into ringlets.
Seifer cupped a hand around his mouth and was preparing to yell, "Get off the stage!" but Renee elbowed him in the side before he got the chance to.
"Be nice!" she whispered harshly.
Seifer shoved his hands back down into his pockets. "This is boring," he complained.
Renee stood on her tiptoes and began to look around the Quad. If Squall was there, Selphie was bound to be there also. Finally she spotted her in the back and waved. Selphie returned the gesture and pushed through the crowd to stand with her.
"I heard what happened," Renee whispered when Selphie made it completely over there.
Selphie sighed, "Is there anyone who hasn't heard?"
"I don't know, it's not every day something like that happens in Garden."
Suddenly everyone began to applaud. Apparently Squall had finished his speech.
"So, you came with Seifer?" Selphie asked.
"Yeah. He asked me in Timber."
"Aw, how sweet," Selphie smiled.
"Didn't you come with Squall?" Renee asked.
"No. Well…sort of…"
"Selphie, you make things so much more complicated than they really are," Renee laughed.
"Well, we came together. But I don't think it's a date."
"You don't think?"
Selphie shook her head.
"Well…I guess it makes some sense."
"What're you two talkin' about?" Seifer asked.
"Where've you been?" Renee laughed again.
"Listening to the end of Leonhart's speech. It was so incredibly boring he probably set some crappy world record."
"I'll let you two get back to your date. Have you seen Quistis?"
"She was talking with Xu earlier," Renee mused aloud.
"I just saw Xu…"
"You might want to try Cid," Seifer suggested.
"Oki dok! I'll see you two later!" Selphie waved and walked off to find Cid. It wasn't hard to find him, she could recognize his voice anywhere, especially when he was yelling.
"Is this your idea of some sort of sick joke!? It is an insult to SeeD!" he was yelling at Sae and Arisu who looked torn between laughing and crying. "I want you to go change into your SeeD uniforms and report back here ASAP!" he ordered, spit flying from his mouth as he screamed.
"O-Okay, Headmaster," they said quietly. Then as they ran past Selphie, they winked and mouthed, "We're not coming back!"
"Um, Headmaster Cid?"
"Yes?" he answered, impatiently.
"I am terribly sorry to bother you, but have you seen Quistis?"
Rubbing his temples, he pointed to the Instructor. She was talking to Nida not too far off. "Thanks, sir," and she ran over to her friend.
"Hi, Quisty!"
"Selphie!" both her and Nida said at once. "Glad you're doing better!"
"Wow, Nida, you sure clean up nicely," Selphie smiled at the pilot.
"You look great too, Selphie. You owe me a dance before the night is over for scaring me like that earlier," Nida said.
"Agreed!" she shook his hand.
With a wink, he walked away.
"If that's the case, how many dances do you owe Squall?"
"Huh?"
"He was so incredibly worried once he found out it was you in the elevator."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Quistis said, smoothing out her black SeeD skirt. No fancy dresses for her. "It was quite cute, but don't tell him I told you that."
Selphie blushed, "I won't!" she declared.
"Oh, by the way!" the Instructor exclaimed, holding up a finger, "The Rank A SeeD exam is in two weeks. I thought I should tell you."
"Rank A?"
Quistis nodded, "You should take it."
"Me? Take the A Rank test!? The only Balamb students that passed that were you and Squall!"
"You could pass it too."
"No way! I'm too dumb!"
"Selphie! You were a member of the group who saved the world."
"So was Zell; that doesn't say much," Selphie joked.
"You led an infiltration on a Galbadian missile base for crissakes!"
"Quisty, you and Squall are prodigies! There is no way I could pass that test!"
"What test?"
Selphie spun around so fast it could've given the normal person whiplash. "Stop appearing out of nowhere!" she yelled at Squall, clutching her chest.
"The Rank A SeeD exam," Quistis answered his question. All color drained from Squall's face.
"I remember taking that stupid test."
"Tell her that there is no way I could pass it!" the shorter girl yelled, pointing at the blond Instructor.
"No, I'm sure you could pass it…if you started studying now. Right now."
"I can tutor you," Quistis offered. "Being A Rank has so many benefits, you really should consider taking the exam. It only comes once a year."
"What kind of benefits?"
"A bigger dorm for starters, complete with a mini-kitchen."
"The pay's not bad either," Squall admitted.
"Quistis, pardon me, but will you do me a favor?" Cid asked, approaching the group of three.
"Yes, sir. What, may I inquire, is it you want me to do?"
"I sent Sae and Arisu back to their dorms to change and I just came to the conclusion they won't be coming back unless I send someone to get them."
"Why not let them stay in their dorm?"
"It's part of their punishment," he laughed.
"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it," Quistis saluted and ran out of the Quad. Cid nodded at Squall and Selphie then walked off as well.
"Those two definitely are strange," Squall said. "Their idea of punishment is going to a party?"
"Well, they didn't want to be here in the first place. They were forced to take an exam, they were passed regardless of what their score was, and then thrown into a job they have always been scared of doing."
"When you say it like that it actually makes me feel sorry for Weak and Weaker."
"Hi, Seifer," Squall said monotonously.
"Hey, Squall! Cool speech!" Renee smiled, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Ooh! Yeah!" Selphie jumped up and hit Seifer on the shoulder. "Congrats on finally passing your SeeD exam!"
"I could've passed it all along," the blond man claimed, "I just didn't want to, that's all."
"I see…" Selphie joked, winking at Renee. She knew the reason he passed was because he was determined to take Renee to the ball afterwards.
Suddenly a slow tune began to play in the background. "Ah! I love this song!" Renee squealed, yanking on Seifer's arm. "Let's dance!"
"Why can't they play some good rock songs?" Seifer complained, but allowed Renee to drag him on to the dance floor.
"How is rock romantic?"
"There're a few love songs," he argued back.
"Yeah! But not like this!"
Their argument faded into the crowd of other dancing couples, and Selphie couldn't help but laugh at the two. "They're so funny!"
Feeling courageous, Selphie decided it was her turn to make a move. "You wanna dance too, Squall?"
"I don't like dancing."
"Then you haven't danced with the right girl yet!" she smiled, pointing a finger in the air.
Before Squall got a change to respond, Nida tapped Selphie on the shoulder. "How about that dance?"
"Oh," she looked back at Squall.
"Go ahead," he said.
Nida offered Selphie his arm and led her away from the Commander. Now Selphie felt bad, but reassured herself with the thought, there will be more slow dances.
"He really likes you," Nida said from out of the blue.
"Huh?"
"Squall. I can tell."
"You have got to be out of your mind. I may like him, but-"
"Selphie, as your 'adoptive big brother', would I lie to you?"
"To put it bluntly, yes."
"That hurt," Nida pretended to pout, "Oh well. I suppose I'll have to talk to him anyway."
"Talk to whom, might I ask?"
"Squall."
"Why?"
"To inform him that if he tries anything that I'll kill him."
At this statement Selphie laughed. "Adoptive brother and father, huh?"
Nida smiled, "A two for one deal."
"I'd love to see that fight!" she laughed even harder.
"You have no faith in me?"
"Against Squall? I have faith in no one."
Nida looked as if he was about to say something when someone tapped on his shoulder.
"Mind if I step in?"
Nida smiled and stepped away, mouthing, "Told ya he likes you."
Selphie stuck out her tongue then looked up and smiled at Squall.
"So you decided you wanted to dance?" she asked.
"It wouldn't hurt."
Selphie laughed and put her arms around his neck. "Then let's dance!"
It was very awkward for a while, neither talked, only danced. This was interrupted when the sound of breaking glass was heard. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing and all looked in a corner.
Squall's eyebrows furrowed and he squinted in that direction as well. "What's happening Squall?" Selphie asked, jumping up and down in place, trying to see over the top of everyone else's heads.
"I'm not sure, but it doesn't look good." Then all of a sudden his eyes widened and he grabbed Selphie's hand and led her to the scene of all the commotion. Once they were closer, Selphie could tell who was fighting. Renee and Rinoa were facing each other in some sort of stand off, both had looks of pure hatred on their faces.
Zell and Seifer stood not too far off, obviously debating whether or not they should intervene.
"What you did was really low," Renee growled, clenching her fists.
"For the last time, I didn't do anything!" Rinoa screamed.
"Just believing that…bitch is low enough! You're supposed to be Selphie's best friend! You have known her longer than me, Sae or Arisu, and we know better than that."
"If you just barely know her-"
"Don't say that she is that way! I know better!" Renee roared. "You know what? There aren't many people who I don't like, but I can't stand you!"
"When Roxanne actually saw-"
"Does she have physical proof of anything?"
"No. But neither does Selphie!"
"But I would trust Selphie's word over hers! Roxanne is the epitome of evil, and I hope she burns for it!"
"Excuse me?" Roxanne stepped into the fight as well. "When you are going to talk trash about someone, learn to keep your voice down!" And with that, the redhead slapped Renee across the face.
Selphie gasped and darted forward, but Squall held her arms back. "Stay put, it's not worth getting in trouble over."
Mouth agape in shock, Renee brought a hand up to her cheek. It took a while to clear things up in her mind, but once they were clear she scowled at the two girls. All attempts to 'play fair' vanished.
Renee reached over to the punch bowl, picked up the bowl and threw the glass at Roxanne, just barely missing her head. The bowl shattered into many pieces at her feet, but the red liquid splashed up and stained her white dress.
"Why you little-!"
"Bring it on, Barbie. I'll cream your ass!" She screamed, jumping forward onto Roxanne and tackling the girl into the hard ground.
"Not without our help!" Sae and Arisu had broken free from the grasps of the twin boys they had been dancing with, and were running to join the fight as well.
"For Selphie!" Sae yelled, running in and kicking Rinoa in the shin. The five girls were duking it out in the middle of the Quad.
"Let me go!" Selphie wailed, trying to jerk her way out of Squall's grasp.
"It's three to two, your friends are fine," he reassured.
Seifer and Zell ran over to where Squall and Selphie stood. "What should we do, man?" Zell asked. "They've got nails! If we get in there to try and split them up we'll get slashed to ribbons!"
"Let go of me and I'll split it up!" the small SeeD hollered. Reluctantly, Squall let go of her and she ran into the heart of the fight caught Renee's fist before it came in contact with Rinoa's face.
"Stop it!" Selphie screamed at them. "You are all acting like babies! Why are you making such a big deal over this stupid rumor?"
"But, Selphie…" Arisu stopped bashing Roxanne's head into the table and let go of her hair. "You heard what she said about you!"
"What both of them said!" Renee yelled, taking back her hand. "You can't just let them get away with that!"
"As long as there are people like you three that believe me, then I don't have to worry."
"But-!" Sae yelled.
"But nothing. Now stop it before you land yourselves in detention!"
Roxanne wiped some blood from her lip with the back of her hand. "So it must be true. You aren't denying it! She really is sleeping with-!"
Selphie tried as hard as she could to hold her anger back, but couldn't hold it any longer. "Shut up!" she screamed, and before her brain could process what she was doing, she felt her fist connect with Roxanne's nose. For a split second the world seemed to travel in slow motion. Roxanne fell backwards, blood spurting from her nose, and Renee, Sae and Arisu stared wide-eyed at Selphie. "Why pretend to know everything about something you know nothing about!!?"
The boys used the girls' shocked silence to their advantage. Squall, Zell and Seifer were the first to run out and drag their girls away. The blond twins followed soon after to pull Sae and Arisu away. Irvine was the last to come; he stood over Roxanne in a state of panic before carrying her to the Infirmary.
"Calm down, calm down," Squall was telling Selphie who was still shaking in her fury.
"If you really hurt Roxy, I'll kill you!" Rinoa screamed. The only thing holding her back was Zell, and he was having a hard time at that.
"It'll be no more than she deserved!" Renee shouted. "I only wished I had punched her!"
"Oh my God!" Selphie panicked, suddenly aware of the blood on her hand and what she had done to Roxanne. "What've I done?"
"Shh…" Squall tried to calm her.
"I think you're safe," one of the twins said.
"Yeah, I don't think Cid saw," his brother finished.
"Think again," a voice boomed from behind. Everyone's face went pale, and all the girls looked up at Cid simultaneously. He was peering down his hawk-like nose at them.
"The show's over!" Cid yelled at all the onlookers. Reluctantly the crowd dispersed and Cid stood over the group of ten. "Stand up, ladies."
All of the girls stood up and looked at the ground. Sae hid the light blue fabric that used to be part of Rinoa's dress behind her back as the Headmaster paced in front of them. "I could expect this from Sae and Arisu," he began, glaring at the two, "But I expected better from my high ranking SeeDs," he looked at Renee and Selphie, both of which felt like disappearing. "And Rinoa, you are only staying in Garden because you are technically still a client. Keep this up and I'll tear up your contract. Disrupting the peace in my Garden is unacceptable, is that clear?" Rinoa nodded and burst into tears.
"Sir, with all due respect," Seifer interrupted, "What about Roxanne? She is the one who started the physical hostilities."
"I will talk with her later," he replied shortly, then he took a deep breath. "You will all serve detentions. I will choose the punishment," he glanced up at Seifer who nodded in return, then back to the girls. "And it will start with leaving the ball early. Yes, even you two," he looked at Sae and Arisu. "If I hear about any more fights your detention will just get worse." Cid warned them as they started on their way out, the boys following behind.
Selphie felt all the eyes follow her out, she wanted to cry just like Rinoa, but held back the tears. The large group made their way into the hall, which was very bright in comparison to the Quad.
"It's eleven," Seifer announced. "The party doesn't end until three, we should find something to do to kill time until the party's over."
"I'm going to my dorm!" Rinoa choked out. The thought of being around them any longer made her sick. Zell rolled his eyes and followed her.
"The Training Center is still open," Renee said slowly.
"No!" Sae and Arisu screamed at once.
"No more fighting, remember?" Sae finished.
"I'm sure he didn't mean monsters," one of the twins laughed.
"Sh!"
"Are you going to introduce us to your dates?" Renee asked.
"Oh, yeah. This is Blaise," Sae pointed to her date.
"And this is Blade."
"They're twins!" the two girls beamed.
"As if that wasn't obvious," Blade laughed.
"Hey! I know where we can go!" Seifer exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "It's nice out tonight, why don't we go to the second floor balcony?"
"That's not a bad idea," Quistis approached them from behind, Nida and Xu were with her.
"Don't tell Cid I said this," Xu whispered to Selphie, "But congratulations on punching that Roxanne chick!"
"Selphie, I thought I told you to not bully people bigger than you," Nida laughed, messing up her hair.
"That leaves me with no one to bully!" she pretended to be upset.
"We decided to join you guys; the party sucked anyway. So we told Cid that we'd make sure you didn't fight anymore," Xu smiled.
As the group walked, Quistis spoke up, "I'll talk to Cid tomorrow and vouch for you all. I know I may be able to get some of you out of serving detention."
"How are you gonna do that?" Selphie asked.
"Well, with you it won't be too difficult. I'll just tell him that I am helping you study for the Rank A exam. But this means you'll have to study and try your hardest to pass it."
Selphie's smile quickly faded into a frown. "I have to take it?"
"Unless you want to serve detention."
Seifer nudged Renee, "I'll see what I can do about you."
"Good," she sighed in relief.
"What about us?" Sae asked.
Quistis grimaced. "I'll see what I can do, but Cid is extremely angry at you two after pulling that gym clothes scam."
"If she can't get you out, I'll be supervising," Nida shrugged. "So you don't have to worry about cruel or unusual punishment."
"Well, you don't have to worry about the cruel punishment. It is Nida, after all," Xu laughed.
Nida glared at her, and pressed the button for the elevator. "We're riding the elevator?" Selphie asked, wide-eyed.
"Yeah, it's the fastest way to get there," Quistis said.
"Unless you intend on leaping up there," Seifer rolled his eyes.
"Or you want to walk up those incredibly steep stairs," Sae added.
"It's been fixed, Selphie," Nida said.
"I don't care! It'll be a while before I ride in that thing again!"
"Suit yourself…" one of the twins shrugged and went inside the elevator when the doors slid open.
Selphie looked at the ground and nodded. "I'll walk up the stairs." But as she turned around, someone grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her in. She knew who it was, she could recognize that laugh anywhere. "Seifer! This isn't funny! Let go!"
"Let her go!" Renee yelled at him as well.
Seifer continued to laugh and Squall slid inside the elevator just as the doors began to slide shut. Everyone was crammed shoulder to shoulder in the small space.
"Don't worry!" Nida laughed. "It's not like it's going to break down again!"
"And if it does," Quistis added, "We'll be here to stop you from casting any spells."
The elevator jolted upward and Selphie looked around desperately and latched herself around Squall's arm.
"You'll be fine," he reassured.
"But you know…there's always that itsy bitsy chance that the elevator will self destruct…"
"Shut up, Seifer!" Xu said, rolling her eyes. "Do you get off on torturing people?"
"Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do."
"Ow, Seifer, stop leaning on me you're heavy!" Renee complained, trying to shove him over.
"Ah! My foot! My foot! My foot!" Quistis cried, "Seifer you're stepping on my foot!"
"Is that all you girls do? Complain?!"
"It wasn't a very good idea to have everyone cram in here, huh?" Xu asked, uneasily.
"Squall, your elbow is driving into my ribs," Nida grimaced.
"Sorry, but I can't move at the moment," Squall replied.
"Hyne, this sucks!" Seifer complained.
"You guys are so cruel!" Selphie cried, burying her face into Squall's crisp, black SeeD jacket. "If you hadn't made me ride, it wouldn't be so crowded!"
"Oh yeah, because you take up so much room and all," Quistis laughed.
Then, the elevator jerked to a stop. "What was that!?" Selphie panicked. "Oh Hyne, oh Hyne, oh Hyne! We're trapped! I knew this would happen, but all you people said 'Noooo, the elevator's been fixed!"
"We're at the second floor," Quistis laughed, then the door opened as if to prove her point.
"A little jumpy aren't we?" Renee giggled.
"We crammed about seven people in that elevator! The sheer weight could've caused the cable to snap!" Selphie said defensively, letting go of Squall's arm and stepping out of the cramped elevator.
"Are you calling me fat?" Xu asked from behind in a joking manner.
"No. I am merely saying that we could've died in a horrible explosion, and you people don't even care!"
"Quit being so paranoid already," Seifer chuckled. "We made it up here alive, so we don't have to worry about it, do we?"
Selphie turned bright red and folded her arms across her chest.
"Besides," Nida continued, "If you're really worried about it, and if you really want to, you can take the stairs on the way back down." And with that, he wrapped his arm around Selphie's neck and gave her a noogie.
"Stop it! I don't like any of you at the moment," she said, taking off her high heels and walking to the balcony doors. The other girls followed in suit. Squall smiled at Selphie's tendency to overreact, though he quickly hid it when Seifer turned around.
"Hey, Leonhart, hurry your slow ass up. You comin' or not?"
"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered and walked out on to the balcony and shut the heavy metal door behind him. It was a warm night and strangely, rather bright. The moon mixed with the Garden lights gave the group the perfect amount of lighting.
Squall glanced around. There was a pile of high heels in one corner, and he automatically wondered why girls even wore them. Xu had taken her black hair out of its updo and was running her fingers through it.
"Wow, that feels better!" she exclaimed.
"Your hair looks nice down," Nida smiled at her. "You should wear it down more often. I only see you in ponytails."
"Thanks! But it gets in the way when it's down…"
Squall walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the railings. The Garden was parked somewhere in Galbadia, though he wasn't sure where exactly.
"Hey! Why are ya standing over here by yourself?" Selphie asked, nudging him in the side.
Squall shrugged, then looked at her and realized that without her shoes on, she had shrunken another two inches.
"I was just thinking," he sighed.
"About…?"
With another sigh, he turned around and leaned backwards on to the railing. "Nothing."
"How do you think about nothing? If you were thinking about nothing, then that means you weren't thinking at all."
"Okay, you got me."
"So, what were you thinking about?"
"Nothing," he said again, this time with a small smile playing across his lips.
"Gah!" she slumped forward. "We need to work on your social skills."
"We brought the music!" Arisu yelled as she and her companions burst through the door.
"Great!" Renee exclaimed, "You brought CDs too, didn't you?"
"Yup!" Sae beamed.
A small group of people flooded around the boombox to pick out songs.
"Hey," Selphie flicked Squall on the shoulder. "You still owe me a dance," she smiled.
"…Okay."
"Yeah!" she exclaimed. "It's a promise, right?"
"Right. The next slow dance, I promise."
Selphie's eyes lit up and she smiled even wider. "Okay. And I'll hold you to your word!"
"Alrighty!" one of the twins announced, "This song was requested by Seifer."
"Yes!" the blond exclaimed.
"What did you request?" Renee asked. As if to answer her, a rock tune began to resonate from the speakers. "You can't dance to this!" she complained.
"You wanna bet?" he pulled her close and began to dance with her. Suddenly, the chorus began: I hate everything about you, why do I love you?
Renee's eyes widened and tears sprung to them. Then she pushed away from Seifer and ran for the door. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's a love song!"
Renee didn't care, she pushed through the door and ran down the hall. Seifer watched her run, then ran after her, yelling. "Ren, hey wait!"
Sae and Arisu looked at each other, then ran after them as well. "Blaise! Blade! You stay here!" Sae yelled.
"Yeah, let us handle this!" Arisu finished, closing the door behind them.
The twins stood there, confused once again. "Okay…" Blaise said slowly, "…Uhm, any more requests?"
~ ~
When Sae and Arisu caught up with Seifer and Renee, they were in the Secret Spot of the Training Center of all places. The one place in Garden where the two girls hated to be the most. Huffing and puffing for air, they slowly approached the couple. Renee was in a corner, crying quietly to herself and Seifer was begging for her to listen to him.
Arisu stood on her tiptoes and tapped him on the shoulder. "Maybe you should let us handle this," she said slowly.
Reluctantly, he began walking away when Sae grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. "Wait for us in the hall." He nodded and did as she said.
Arisu plopped down next to Renee and hugged the sobbing girl. "Why are you so upset? You know he didn't mean anything negative towards you."
"Yeah," Sae agreed, sitting down on Renee's other side. "It's Seifer, he's a little rough around the edges. Not only that, I think you're his first real girlfriend."
Renee sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It's not that…"
"Then what is it?" the two girls asked together.
"It's a mix of several things," she admitted.
"You want to tell us about it?"
Renee took a shuddering breath and began. "I am a lot like Selphie in many ways, but I'm also totally different. When I was in Galbadia Garden, I dated a guy named Serius. He was so kind, and he had that way of smiling and making your insides melt, just like Seifer."
"Uh-huh…" Arisu pressed her on.
"But one day, he and I got in a fight. And that song just brings back all sorts of bad memories."
"Why?" Sae asked.
"I caught him and my best friend at the time, Hosako, making out."
"Oh…"
"I couldn't even begin to describe how much that hurt. It was like one of those times where you feel as if your emotional pain was physical. It just really…hurt," her voice began cracking. "I couldn't stay there any longer," she sobbed again, "I couldn't face it. My best friend and boyfriend both betrayed me. I transferred here so I wouldn't have to face either of them any more."
"But Seifer wouldn't do anything like that," Arisu reassured her. "He would never willingly or knowingly hurt you."
"Yeah, so cheer up. You were so happy earlier," Sae smiled at her.
Renee tried to smile as well, but it wavered. "I just don't want to be hurt again. Not like that."
"But you can't live your life in seclusion either."
"Yeah, being hurt comes in the cycle of being in love."
The two girls stood up and helped Renee up as well. "Is my mascara running?" she asked, sniffling again.
"Just a little."
Renee rubbed the black makeup out from under her eyes. "That's better!" Arisu exclaimed.
As the three walked out, Renee said, "Gah, boys are more trouble that they're worth."
Sae and Arisu laughed, "That's the truth!"
Seifer was waiting for them in the hall like he was told, and something in his eyes stated that he overheard what they said. He looked at Renee with newfound respect and pity. Never would he allow her to be hurt like that again, he told himself.
~ ~
"So…Selphie…" Nida approached her and Squall. "I was meaning to ask you earlier but completely forgot."
"What?"
"I overheard you praying for forgiveness when you were stuck, and you mentioned lying about your age to get into Garden."
"Oh…yeah…" she blushed. "When Trabia Garden was established you had to be at least thirteen to enroll."
Squall looked at her in shock. She lied about her age? "Thirteen?"
"Yeah…"
"Don't worry, I won't turn you in or anything, but since you are in Balamb now, we really should have your accurate date of birth."
"It's the same as what's been written in my file, just a year younger."
"Okay," Nida smiled. "I'll have Xu change it."
"So…how old are you?" Squall asked.
"Uhm…almost seventeen."
"You're still sixteen!?"
"Yeah," she said quietly. "So, instead of being a month older than you, I'm almost a year younger."
"It's hard to believe you would lie about anything."
"Well, believe it or not, I did. But I had a good reason to."
"What was that?"
Selphie pondered for a moment. She knew there was a reason, a very good reason, why she had been so eager to enroll into Trabia Garden early, but she couldn't recall it.
"Is it the GF?"
"Yeah, I can't remember it for the life of me!"
Meanwhile, Blaise and Blade stood not too far away, playing random upbeat rock songs and desperately awaiting their dates' return.
"These are all high-ranking SeeDs, they would beat us up and steal our shoes if they got the chance," one of them whispered to the other.
Quistis, Xu, and Nida were talking, Xu was still attached to the pilot, or so it seemed.
The door opened and Sae and Arisu walked out, followed by Renee and Seifer. Everyone seemed to be back to normal again.
"It's midnight!" Xu said, "You should play a slow song!"
"Okay," Blade said. "Do you have anything in mind?"
"How about 'Embrace Me'?" The twins searched through the compact discs until they found it and then they put it on. As soon as it started to play, Sae and Arisu pulled their dates on to the dance floor. Renee and Seifer danced as well, so did Xu and Nida.
"I promised," Squall said, grabbing Selphie's hand and leading her to the center of the balcony.
The soothing lyrics were intoxicating. It's like a dream to be this happy, I never thought this far. And all the sweet desperation, I want it all…the woman sang. Selphie rested her head on Squall's chest and breathed in the smell of his cologne. She could feel the steady of beating of his heart, and once again prayed that she could stay like that forever.
I read the news and they lied about you, they missed the point of it all. I never knew that much to be with your name, must be a fortunate demon. Embrace me, don't break me…The song ended way before most people wanted it, and the couples broke apart. Xu and Nida sat with their backs against the wall, Xu rested her head on Nida's shoulder and Nida rested his head on hers. Seifer and Renee were looking over the balcony, arms around each other.
But Selphie still hadn't let go of Squall. The two still stood there, seemingly still dancing.
"Selphie?" Squall asked in a whisper. She didn't answer. "Selphie?" he asked a second time. Still no response. As much as he tried, he couldn't see her face.
"Oh…how cute!" Arisu exclaimed, hitting Sae on the arm so that she would look too.
"She's sleeping!" Sae giggled.
"That's adorable!" Quistis agreed. "I wish I had a camera."
"Selphie…" Squall tried again, shaking her this time.
"Hmm?" she asked, looking tiredly up at him.
"Come on, you're tired. I'll take you to your dorm," he said quietly.
Selphie yawned, "No, I'm not," she argued.
"Liar," Squall smiled at her.
Selphie smiled back up at him, "You have a wonderful smile, why don't you use it more often?" she asked, leaning her head against his chest a second time.
He didn't answer her, instead he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her back inside the Garden.
"Goodnight, everyone," Selphie said tiredly.
"Goodnight," they answered.
"Stairs or elevator?" he asked, when they finally reached the elevator.
As corny as it seemed, she felt safe as long as he was around her. Especially when he held her like that. Not only that, she was really tired. "Elevator," she answered tiredly.
"Okay."
Her eyelids felt so heavy, and she knew it was only midnight. "I'm pathetic," she said quietly. "It's only midnight and I'm about ready to fall asleep."
"You had a long day."
Squall walked her to her dorm and to both of their surprise she saw that she had left her door wide open.
"Why didn't you tell me I forgot to close the door?"
"I didn't realize it was open. Is anything missing?"
Selphie turned on the lights and glanced around. "Oh, Hyne! Rocks is gone!"
"Rocks is smart, he'll come back. He probably went to the Training Center to use the bathroom."
"What about the T-Rexaur?!"
"He'll be fine," Squall reassured her. "If he isn't back tomorrow, I'll help you look for him."
"Okay. Goodnight, and thanks for your help today."
"Goodnight," Squall said. "See you in the morning."
Selphie closed the door and immediately changed into pajamas. Tiredly she walked into her bathroom and washed all the makeup from her face.
Just as she turned down the bed she heard pawing at the door.
"It's past your curfew," Selphie said, opening the door for the golden retriever.
For some reason, Rocks seemed a little too pleased with himself when he returned home that night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Are there any artists out there? As we wrote this chapter we began to think 'it would be totally awesome if there were some cute Squalphie pictures out there' but unfortunately, BreeAnne and I are only satisfactory artists. We can't draw that well. If anyone has any Squall/Selphie related art, please email it to us at CuteMooglez@hotmail.com (and if you want, we'll even upload it on our site!) It would really make our day.
Also, we decided that there was no way we could fit everything that we promised last chapter into this one. It actually may span up to three chapters to get all that written. O.O We don't know why, but this story has the longest chapters out of any one story we have ever written.
By the way, the whole 'I can't remember, it must be the GF' thing on the balcony: we are going to start writing another story in the near future entitled 'The Past: Revisited' (another Squalphie, though it only makes a few references…not a hardcore romance, sorry) that takes a look into each of the character's lives before entering the orphanage, as well as some foster care and/or adoptive parents. If that interests you, then we hope you'll read it once we upload it!
Wow…that was a long author's note. Heh. ^o^ Please review us and let us know what you think! Flames and feedback are appreciated!