Disclaimer: Square owns FF8. I own this fic. Clear, everyone? OK, let's go! The excerpt of a song used is from "Every Little Thing You Do" by Westlife.
Love YaZell didn't like the idea of this. Getting an expert's opinion was one thing, but the expert he needed to see wasn't exactly on his list of favourite people. But what had to be done, had to be done.
He needed the advice and expertise of Irvine Kinneas. Irvine, of all people! Zell thought the cowboy was a real pansy, always hanging around the women folk while acting all 'sensitive'. Sensitive, to Zell, was a tooth that needed extracting. Though Zell may not have found much charm in Irvine, the majority of Garden's female population seemed to have found bucket-loads. He attracted female attention like bees to a honey-laden hive. They couldn't get enough of him, showering him with smiles, gifts and quite a few less than innocent propositions.
Pulling girls had never been a preoccupation with Zell. He had been way too busy training and honing his martial arts skills to contemplate consorting with the opposite sex. There was just this one girl who had been on his mind a lot of late. She had woken him up out of his self- immersion with a knock, albeit a timid one, on the door of his heart. It had totally blown his mind that a girl who seemed so quiet and shy would have the guts to approach him the way she had. Bella had proven herself to be a lot more than what she appeared to be. In his mind, she had just been the pig-tailed girl in the library, who seemed so scared of him, she stammered whenever he asked for her help. Yet somehow, she had found the guts to go look for him at his home in Balamb and even tell him how she felt.
"I..re-reall-ly ad-ad-mire you. I w-was just h-hoping w- we c-could be friends and…g-get to know each o-other b-better." She had said that so earnestly as she bravely tried looking him in the eye for once. That was when he realized he'd never noticed how pretty her eyes were. And how soft her skin seemed. Zell found himself wondering how it would be like, to just run his hand over her cheek or feel the warmth of her fingers in his palm.
At the party after the victory over Ultimecia, he had spent time with her. He had ended up making a fool of himself by stuffing himself so full of hot dogs he started choking. Thinking about it, he figured he'd dropped pretty low in her eyes, especially when he started up-chucking the dogs so he could breathe.
So that was why he needed Irvine. He figured if there was anyone who knew how he could re-elevate his position in Bella's affections, Irvine would be the one. I'm going to owe that lame-ass cowboy big-time, he sighed. But for this, it was worth it.
"So Zell needs my help in the romance department," Irvine chuckled, as Zell glowered. "Hate to tell ya, son, but I saw it coming. You sure weren't getting girls on your own. Since I can't have all the lovely ladies, why not share?"
"I don't want any of your 'lovely ladies'! I just want to get this one girl to like me again." The cowboy was getting on his nerves. Hell, it wasn't like it was going to be the first time. Or the last. He merely glared as Irvine started guffawing.
"So there is, or should I say, there was, a girl who was into you. Hmm, guess you're not such a hopeless cause, after all."
His eyes brimming over with amusement, Irvine tipped his hat off to Zell, bowing as he did so.
"Irvine Kinneas, sharp-shooter and lady-killer extraordinaire, at your service!"
Zell groaned inwardly. "So, what's the catch?"
"Nothing 'big. Just that I get to tell Selphie. She'd just absolutely die!"
"Of laughter, you mean! Hell, Irvine, I'll never hear the end of it! You, and Selphie bugging me in the bargain..Aww, crap. OK, then. Go ahead, tell your girlfriend."
There was no getting out of this now, Zell thought gloomily.
"So, Casanova, how do we start?"
"Well, Romeo, I heard you singing in the shower before. You're not too bad."
"Thanks for that so-called compliment. And what does my singing have to do with it?"
"There's nothing like a song to woo even the most non- receptive female! I'll hire a band, with Selphie's help, of course. Pick you out a song, then stage a performance in the quad! I get to make you, and Selphie happy in the bargain. The Garden Festival's a long way away, so it would be a dream come true for her."
"Are you trying to make me look like a fool, Irvine? What if I mess up and look like a total idiot up there?"
"If I wanted to do that, I'd have told you to read her a poem instead. Ugh, the thought makes me shudder. In sympathy, of course. Poor girl."
"Quit the wise-cracks and let's just get goin', OK?"
"And I've got just the song, too."
Later, when Irvine had taken Zell to his dorm room and played him the tune he had in mind, he found his the martial artist rather uncooperative.
"What the, Irvine, this song's crap! Boy band stuff stinks, man! Give me punk, hard metal or hard-core rap, any day."
"Oh yeah, like you're gonna be yelling at the top of your voice in words so unintelligible, she won't know what you're saying. Trust me, girls like this stuff. Plus, the lyrics would make her melt! I know. Geez, relax, Zell, you are working with the master!"
Zell muttered something that, luckily, was unintelligible.
"Hey, Bella! You volunteered for the Garden Festival, right?" Selphie accosted the hapless librarian who looked as if, for all the world, she had no idea what Selphie was talking about.
"I don't remember doing tha-","No time to talk, we've got our first meeting to go to! Whoo-hoo!"
Bella found herself being dragged along by an unrelenting Selphie, who was going so fast, her unwitting prisoner found herself struggling to keep up.
When they finally reached the Quad, Bella hadn't the breath to say anything. She probably wouldn't have been able to anyhow, because, there, to her stunned gaze was Zell, on stage. A band was with him as well, and there were streamers and other decorations all over the Quad. A huge banner came into her line of sight, a huge one with the words, "For You, Bella" on it. She felt pretty faint at that moment in time. It was all rather overwhelming but something in her was still alert, wondering what was going to happen next?
"Erm, Hi, Bella! This song's for you," Zell quickly mouthed into the microphone before discovering it wasn't turned on yet. Sheepishly, he repeated himself but Bella had heard him the first time anyway. Somewhere in a corner of the Quad, Irvine muttered, "He could have made the speech a little longer!".
Taking a deep breath, Zell had his eyes shut tight as the band played the opening intro. He opened his eyes just as his cue was coming and looked straight at the girl he had risked abject humiliation for. The verses came out tremulously at first, but steadily as he grew more confident, his words came out crisp and clear.
Hello, let me know if you hear me
Hello, if you want to be near
Let me know
And I'll never let you go
Hey love
When you ask what I feel, I say love
When you ask how I know
I say trust
And if that's not enough
It's every little thing you do
That makes me fall in love with you
There isn't a way that I can show you
Ever since I've come to know you
It's every little thing you say
That makes me wanna feel this way
There's not a thing that I can point to
'Cause it's every little thing you doHe pointed to her as he finished the chorus. "Aww, hell, let's get on with it!" He threw the mic down and jumped off the stage, walking right up to the surprised Bella.
"Hey, Bella, I knew I looked like an idiot at that party with all the hot dogs at all but,sheesh, would you give me a chance? I'd really like to see you again. If that's OK with you, that is."
He scratched his head nervously as he waited for an answer.
"Why, Zell, I'd love to go out with you. I mean, yes, I would like that,a lot. That was a pretty song. Thanks, Zell."
"Really? AWESOME! Oops, sorry for shouting there. Guess you have to go back to the library, then, huh? See you Saturday?"
"Ye-yes, of course. Bye, Zell. I'm going now."
"Yeah, bye. And, uh, take care, and, …love ya!"
Bella stopped right as soon as she heard his last two words. She smiled, turning to him.
"Zell.."
"Yeah.."
"I don't suppose you would, care to walk me to back to the library?"
"Sure! Sure! " Man, what was I thinking? He chided himself. As he passed the cowboy, he gave him a thumbs up as Irvine nodded in reply.
"Guess he didn't need my help after all, huh, Sefie?" Irvine turned to his own special lady.
"I wouldn't say that. " She smiled up at him as she pulled him in for a kiss.
This website is
solely for personal and non-profitable uses.
Webmaster email:
ejunian@pd.jaring.my
©2002,Chrys-Alise Productions
Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X are property of Squaresoft.