Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Tears of Pearls ❯ Chapter 1

[ A - All Readers ]

Tears of Pearls...

"Here you go!" Selphie said smiling, as she handed the last customer
her scoop of ice cream. It was carefully wrapped in the security of a
napkin, in case of any drips. Nodding with a grin, the patron ran off,
strawberry ice cream in hand.

Selphie let out a tiny sigh of relief as she closed down the booth,
which she had currently been running as a "part-time job", next to
being a SeeD. But the job had been running later and later every day,
causing her lack of sleep, which meant she'd be indolent through her
classes and SeeD Missions the next morning.

The booth had earned its place just outside of Balamb Garden, which
made it a highlighted hangout for the students. On busy days like
those, Zell would come over and help serve the ice cream, occasionally
eating some himself. Of course, his opinionated reasons for having hot
dogs there as well, never failed to entertain her. Zell was always fun
to have around, and he had a knack for being there when you needed
him.

Strolling away from the booth and towards the Garden, Selphie fingered
a small-scale bracelet on her right wrist. The Garden was quiet, as
most students had retreated to slumber by this time at night. It was
unusual for Selphie to get home so late, but the line had been much
longer than it usually had been. The fact that it was a Friday night
must've intrigued the students to get out a bit. Traveling over to her
dorm in thought, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Her eyes were already set on the warm and cozy bed that she was
definitely ready to fall over on, but then shifted to the pajamas she
knew she had to change into to be one hundred percent comfortable.
Selphie yawned wearily and unfolded the light blue pajamas with the
yellow ducks, slipping off her casual attire and putting on something
made for her comfort.

How nice it would've been to hang out with some of her friends
tonight, but duty calls. There's that saying though--"All work and no
play makes Jack a dull boy." Selphie certainly did not want to be one
that was perceived as dull. Of course, Irvine preferred the saying
"All work and no play makes Sefie a dull girl," meaning he wanted to
see her once and awhile. She didn't blame him. She would've loved to
see him, as well as the rest of the gang for a change. Everyone was so
busy with things that it was hard to catch up on each other.
Squall--who remained his position as an assistant of Headmaster Cid's,
Herself--busy with being a SeeD, Garden Festivals, and the ice cream
booth, then the rest of them, just plain busy with SeeD work.

Selphie tossed her clothes to a side and crawled into her bed. How
wonderful it felt to be tucked up to the neck in a blanket. And, oh
yes-- wait. Maybe she would get to see Irvine tomorrow, even though
the notion of it sickened her. And no, it wasn't because she didn't
like him...her liking for him was the reason she needed to be able to
converse with him, get him alone for a change. This thought made it
all the harder to sleep. Selphie lay on her side, flattening those
illustrious curls, with a small tear coming from the corner of her
eye, only to dampen her pillow.

At this point and moment of her life, Selphie decided that it was just
about the right time to tell Irvine that she truly did love him. But
what Selphie hadn't realized up until tonight, is his reputation for,
well...loving all women. Reality had just stabbed her in the back. In
this case-- reality hurt. But surely, Irvine couldn't feel the
feelings to other women as the same as the feelings he felt for her,
right? After all, it was meant to be, even since childhood. Or maybe
that's just how Selphie made out the words. She pulled her pillow
around her head, trying to keep out all those awful thoughts. All she
had to do was stay confident and surely, all would be worthy. After
all, "happy is good", and those were her words. She should listen to
them. And if he turned her down, then it's her fault for falling in
love with the relentless cowboy in the first place.

What an awful thing to say! If he broke her heart, he was
automatically relentless without a second chance? It certainly wasn't
like her to say that...so she figured it was essential that she got
some sleep. Maybe Selphie could sleep on it, and wake up for the rest
of her life to her cowboy.

***

Selphie clenched her fists tightly and walked into the cafeteria. It
had definitely been a good night, all the wonderful dreams about what
might happen if her words go as plan. All those romantic words she and
Irvine had shared in her dream might become a reality today!

Her eyes scanned the cafeteria for any comrades, and Zell stuck out
like a sore thumb. Grinning, she began to stride over, and then
stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Irvine next to him. Would it
be okay to go up and talk to him, considering they'd be doing a lot of
talking later? Another student had been in the way...so obviously, she
couldn't have seen him prior to that. Well...she didn't need to tell
him just yet! Selphie continued her pace towards the two, and ran up.
Irvine turned, blue eyes, handsome face, cowboy hat and all. He smiled
in great pleasure to see her. Selphie's heart fluttered. How could
anything go wrong?

"Good morning, Sefie!" He said. Selphie sometimes wished he would keep
the pet names, out of public, but at the moment it didn't matter. She
waved a hand happily.

"Good morning!" She said, trying to be as cheerful as she usually was,
happy-go-lucky, Sefie-- just for Irvine. Zell popped up next to her,
and set a hand on her shoulder.

"'Sup Selphie?" He asked, giving a wave and his irresistibly cute
smile. Selphie giggled as the three sat down to a near table.

"Hey Zell..." she said, acknowledging him.

"Hey, I'm really sorry. I was suppose to come help ya at the ice cream
shop yesterday, wasn't I Selph?" He asked, scratching behind his head.
Selphie smiled and slowly cocked her head to a side.

"It's okay. I did fairly well considering I didn't have any help.
Thanks though!" She replied, Irvine brushing some unruly strands of
hair from her face as she spoke. She grinned; glad to know that Irvine
liked her enough to at least show her signs of affection. The three
had a little bit of breakfast together, though Selphie merely nibbled
on it. Her worries about telling Irvine had eaten out her appetite.
This was so odd...she had been so ready, so why now? Why did she have
to choke up now? This really made her hope that Zell or Irvine didn't
take it as if she were turning anorexic. She certainly wasn't, and she
knew Zell would be upset about it, if she were. There would be no one
to stand in line with him and chat while waiting to get hot dogs.
Irvine would probably be upset too...he is her friend. Quistis...she
would just lecture her about how she's treating her body. Squall...he
probably wouldn't say anything, but surely he'd think it. Bearing in
mind that she didn't plan to turn anorexic any time soon, or ever at
all, Selphie figured it wasn't anything to think about.

Selphie looked to Irvine and Zell. What great friends she had, to be
able to care for her...well, even if they didn't all talk very much.
She smiled and took another bite of the giant chocolate chip cookie
Irvine had treated her to. Not too much later than that, Zell hopped
up from his seat and gave a broad smile to the two.

"Hey! Sorry guys, but I gotta run! I'll see you later...be waiting for
hot dogs, eh? Peace out!" He said quickly, as he went up to Selphie
and pretended to punch her lightly on the cheek. She turned her head
to this action, almost as if it were a reflex.

"I'll talk to you later Selphie..." He said, winking, and then running
off. Irvine and Selphie hadn't even gotten the chance to say good bye,
but it didn't bother her much. Zell wasn't hard to miss. Though Irvine
seemed to be caught flabbergasted.

She wondered if this was a good time to tell Irvine...they were alone.
It just wasn't exactly a romantic spot. Maybe she could at the least,
kick it off. What would be a good way for a hint?

"Hey Irvine...?" Selphie said meekly, turning to him.

"Yeah Sefie?" He asked, smiling. Oh, how she wished she could take
that smile off of his face and put it in a bottle. That way if he ever
did leave her, she could keep it forever. She blinked. What was she
going to say?

"Where do you see yourself in a couple of years?" Selphie questioned.
What a dumb way to kick it off. It had been the only thing that could
come out of her mouth, and her mind followed.

"Hmm...in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife, a dog, and a car?"
He answered, with a hint of tease in his voice. Selphie giggled and
nodded. What did she expect from a question like that? All she had to
do was build off of it. At least he hadn't made her feel stupid.

"You think you'll ever find the right girl?" She continued. This
really wasn't the way she wanted to be saying it, but at least it was
an inkling for her on whether or not she should tell him her feelings.

"Of course! I've found her already! She's the most wonderful girl
Selphie...I only wish I could show you how amazing she is...you would
like her a lot."

Selphie took a quick intake of breath. She had been stabbed the night
before...but now she had just been buried underneath the soils of the
Garden. There was a girl...and it wasn't her. Selphie could feel the
tears welling up in her eyes as she looked toward him with a slight
dizziness.

"Oh dear...h-hey Irvine...I've gotta run. I think taking a w-written
test was on my agenda...see you later!" She said, her voice growing
hoarse toward the end of her sentence. Selphie ran off, her curls
bouncing in unison with her steps. She had quickly made her way out of
the cafeteria, even faster than Zell when he was trying to get to the
cafeteria in time for a hot dog. She could her each pound of her boot,
her heart seeming to beat just as fast as she was racing, racing to
get away from her broken heart. Selphie tried to leave it behind. This
just couldn't be possible! She had been so ready, had so many
wonderful dreams, had this exact day planned for her to tell him.
Tomorrow, it would be Valentine's Day, and she had wanted to be ready
for that! But it seriously looked like it wouldn't be, unless she
confessed her feelings to Irvine and he fell in love with her all over
again. Selphie had just made her way to the entrance of the dorms,
when-- BANG! She had crashed right into Squall, falling into his
arms...the arms she really wished she hadn't been in right this
minute. He put his hands on her arms and waited. What could she expect
from him besides a really weird look and something like, "Watch where
you're going..."

Squall watched her cry for a little bit longer before he finally
figured out something really was wrong. He blinked readily, pulling
her from his chest, and his now dampened shirt.

"...Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her. That's what people asked
him when he was sulky, so he finally decided to use those words back
at society...or Selphie. She pouted a little bit more before she could
at last catch a breath and speak up.

"Not really..." She muttered in response, keeping her head down to
hide tears, and pulling away from his grip-- running to her dorm,
without looking at him again. Squall let out a sigh and reached out
his gloved hand to rub the area in-between his eyes. Her crying had
naturally given him a migraine, but he had never seen Selphie that way
before. Squall retraced her steps, following her dorm. He studied the
number and details on her door before positive with his decision to
knock lightly.

Knock. Knock.

No answer. Squall knocked a little bit harder this time.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He waited a couple more minutes, and then resolved that she wasn't
going to answer the door to that. Squall put an ear to the door. All
he could her was her weeping...maybe she couldn't hear over it? At the
moment...he really didn't want anyone to think of him as insensitive.
Especially when you see Selphie running down the hall, bawling her
pants off... Selphie wore a dress. He set his forehead against the
door, and banged a little harder.

"Selphie...will you...let me in?" He asked...hoping that he was
speaking loud enough so Selphie could hear him-- but soft enough so no
one knew he was trying to get into her room. He could already see the
passing eyes looking at him as if he were crazy.

"Uhh...wait one second." Selphie replied-- her voice sounding
different from her lengthy time of crying. Squall heard a couple
noises, a blowing of the nose-- a couple of sniffles, before she
managed to open the door and let him in.

Squall quickly escaped inside and shut the door behind him. Selphie
stood in front of him, with her head hanging down in mortification.
She was feeling pretty pathetic, and she must've been, to have Squall
comforting her.

"What's...going on?" He asked, rubbing in-between his eyes again.
Selphie moaned a bit, and crossed her arms over her chest. Squall
doesn't talk much...so maybe the secret would stay safe with him.

"It's Irvine..." She said quietly under her breath. Squall's brows
came down. What was wrong with Irvine? He seemed fine this morning...

"What?" He asked, perplexed, as he walked over to a chair and took a
seat. Selphie pulled one up in front of him and whimpered.

"Irvine...he..."

Selphie wasn't quite too keen on how she wanted to say it. She looked
to Squall, who seemed to be getting restless, and evidently, he
wouldn't understand her feelings. He already knew that Rinoa loved
him...so he didn't really have to worry, did he?

"Well...you know it's Valentine's Day tomorrow...so I wanted to tell
Irvine...that...you know...?" Selphie blushed, and shifted
uncomfortably. He pulled his hand from his face and held it out.

"That you care about him?" Squall questioned, his hand redeeming its
place on his forehead.

"Yeah...but he doesn't have the same...feelings for me." She replied,
already able to feel herself reddening. Squall apprehended this quite
oddly. He had always thought that Irvine had strong feelings for
Selphie, and Selphie had strong feelings for Irvine. The two were
always together...and Irvine was always thinking of her. So why now?

"Maybe...it's all in your head. Irvine's a little bit different than
other guys...maybe he's just got a different way of telling you he
cares." He said nodding.

"I really...should get going though. If you need any...'help', just
come to me." Squall replied, finishing.

"...Okay." Selphie spoke quietly, and meekly, as Squall got up from
his seat and walked out of her door.

How bizarre, that of all people, Squall came to her rescue. She didn't
ever see him as a very sympathetic person, but maybe she was wrong.
Selphie definitely didn't look to Squall to confide in, all in all, it
must've been pretty hard on him as well. She was sure that opening up
to her like that wasn't easy.

***

Selphie awoke to Valentine's Day, recharged and prepared to talk to
Irvine again. Just because he had fallen for someone else didn't mean
he couldn't fall in love with her again. Clenching a tiny fist, just
like yesterday, she combed out her messy hair and began rummaging
through her closet.

Not really much to wear, she had usually stuck to the aimless, yellow
dress. Well...wearing something special-- did it really make any
difference? After all, if he was going to get Selphie, he was going to
get the real Selphie. And if he didn't want her that way, then he
didn't want the real Selphie. She checked herself in the mirror once
last time, and then marched out the door.

"Selphie!" Zell called, hastily scrambling down the hall towards her,
just as she had walked out the door. She turned to him and beamed.

"Hi Zell!" She said, waving as he ran up to her breathlessly.

"Hey Selph...I made something for you." Zell took out a tiny ring, a
gold band with a petite star in the middle. Simple, but very Selphie.
She smiled and slid it onto her finger. Perfect fit, and it must've
been the incentive on why Zell had so eagerly asked if he could
measure her finger the other day. She threw her arms around him and
grinned.

"Thanks Zell! I love it...and I'm really sorry that I didn't get
anything for you." Selphie hadn't gone shopping for anyone, come to
think of it. Although...something Squall said yesterday had made her
come to her senses.

"Maybe...it's all in your head. Irvine's a little bit different than
other guys...maybe he's just got a different way of telling you he
cares."

Oh...why did Squall have to say things that made so much sense! She
took her arms away from Zell and winked.

"You're welcome..." He said, laughing. Selphie gave him one more smirk
and dashed down the hall.

Squall's dorm...she had to find it quick, and then she had to find
Irvine. Selphie had just realized something, and she needed to thank
him. It wasn't often Squall did something for her, but now that he
had, she really owed it to him. Finally finding his dorm, she banged
on the door with a huge grin on her face. A sleepy Squall opened to
door, rubbing his eyes as if he didn't know what he was seeing.

"Thank you Squall!" Selphie wailed, putting her arms around his waist,
and hugging him tightly as she swayed back and forth. This had
definitely woken him up from his half-asleep mode.

"You're...welcome..." He said. Selphie pulled away, and then squealed
as she ran for Irvine's dorm. Boy was she the traveler today. This had
left Squall in quite a state of bafflement...what had he done to help
her? Absolutely nothing. Squall yawned, and shut his door to get
another hour of sleep.

***

"Irvine!" Selphie said happily as Irvine opened the door to his dorm.

"Selphie! Come on in...I gotta talk to you."

Irvine took Selphie's hand gently, and led her into his dorm. Selphie
had been caught by surprise...at least he had the same feeling about
that. He sat down on his bed and patted the seat next to him. Selphie
sat down obediently and Irvine put an arm around to pull her closer.

"Selphie...you remember yesterday? About the wonderful girl I was
talking about?" He asked, smiling down at her. Selphie nodded and held
onto him tightly. Perhaps she finally got to figure out who this girl
was.

"Yeah...I remember. Do I get to see her?" She asked. Irvine laughed
and poked her lightly on the nose.

"Yes..." Irvine said, smiling as he took her hand and slipped a gold
band onto her ring finger.

"Well, she's the best girl I've ever met in my life...and I want to
spend the rest of my life with her..."

Selphie gasped lightly. It was clear, all of a sudden. She understood
this girl Irvine had been talking about all along. She felt her eyes
watering as she put her arms around his waist and dug her face into
his chest. Irvine smiled lightly as he stroked her hair, feeling her
slow vibration of tears.

"Will you be mine, Sefie? Forever and ever?"

Selphie's heart was pounding through her chest, but for a good reason
this time. She nodded quickly and tightened her embrace. A wonderful
feeling had just washed over her.

"Yes, forever and ever." Selphie said, as she took Irvine's pinky, and
linked it with hers, a promise that she would be his...forever.

Author's Note: This is one of my more romantic and emotional fics. I
usually only do these when I feel I can connect to it. It's hard for
me to do a romance fic unless I can put some real feeling into it.
That way it seems natural. Hope you enjoyed the fanfic, I'm a big
Selphie-Irvine fan. If you have questions, comments, or if you want to
use this fic somewhere else, please contact me at
LonelyMoon@tokyopop.com.