A/N: Ok, well, in a weird way, I'm back. But since I went back and re-read my story, I realize that I tried to progress it a little faster than I want. So…After many months (years) of being dead I'm gonna revise this story. Only thing is, I've changed the direction of this story (if I ever had one), so a lot will change but not everything. Thanks, and sorry for disappearing for so long.
Again- Squall is a female in this story, I've had a flame, and I know it doesn't work for everybody. I don't care. If you don't like it, DON'T READ!!
1) No Yaoi. Period
2) This is set BEFORE FFVIII
Pairings: SxS, a bit of QxN, and whatever I may think of.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Summary: Squall has pretended to be a female for many years while at Garden. She, and all others, has forgotten everything, although they have no GFs junctioned currently. Soon after her 15 birthday, Squall starts noticing strange happenings as something big starts.
Angel Fire
Prologue
Thunder rolled in the distance while another lightening strike landed near the little house. A loud scream echoed down the hall as well as a nurse maids hushing. "Raine love, it's almost there, push!" The maid whispered the encouragement to the sweat soaked woman. The nurse's attendant looked nervously on the sight while waiting for an order.
"I can't anymore!" It wasn't a lie either. She'd been trying to have this child for the last forty-eight hours and there were still few signs of progress.
"No, I can see it." And it was the truth. Not ten minutes later, a squalling girl entered the world. "It's a little girl Raine, a girl!" The maid exalted. But, the woman Raine was now fighting a different fight. "Melody, come here!" An urgent whisper put the attendant in motion. But Raine couldn't hear, nor feel what the other woman tried to do. She only saw heaven, and beautiful wings.
Chapter One: Burning Ice
Walking down the hall, Balambs smallest Gunblade trainee stared hard at the floor, ignoring the figure attempting to catch up with her. "Hey, what you running from? It's only a sparring match!" Called the voice she was so desperately trying to avoid.
Seifer was usually not one to be ignored, but he knew this was just one tactic his stoic rival would attempt before 'he' would give in and duel. It was a ritual of sorts; Seifer supposed it was almost like a dance. Gaining speed, he caught up with the errant brunette.
Squall had the pleasure of thinking Oh joy before feeling a hard wall to her back.
"Come on, it'll be fun." Seifer smirked as the 'boy' looked away from his face with an impassive look. "You can't ignore me boy." Seifer said in a sing song voice.
"I don't want to duel." Was the low reply that even Seifer had to strain to hear.
"Well, ain't that nice? Wanna know something? I don't care. I need to train 'cause they got me signed up for a SeeD test." Blue eyes looked up to meet green. With a sigh, a small nod was issued. "Alright, I knew you'd see it my way. Meet me at the front gate in thirty minutes." And then after doing a once over, "Bring some potions too." And with a smirk, the blond was gone down the hall, leaving a very quiet brunette in his wake.
Swallowing another sigh, Squall turned toward the dormitories and started to prep herself for a long and annoying battle. Growling low in her throat, she wondered why she let herself be talked into dueling every time.
After eventually making the trek to her room, she was faced with the metal door. Punching in the lock code with more aggression than needed, Squall stalked into her room and began gathering all the necessary items she would need in her upcoming duel. Gunblade, potions, and a few status tonics to cure any ailment she might run across on the way to their "Spot".
Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had fifteen minutes before she was declared late and thus a coward. Sucking in a deep breath, Squall held in for a moment before releasing. Without another thought, she strode from the room and on to a battle.
Seifer studied his opponent while 'he' settled into 'his' stance. 'He' hadn't said anything since he had agreed to the duel, but it wasn't much of a surprise. Squall was never much of a talker anyway. "So, have you gotten any better? Or is this just going to be another waste of my time?" He asked, smirking at the anger flaring lightly up in the blue eyes across from him.
Squall seethed in her head for a moment, thinking about how he was the one to instigate every duel, yet he bitched about it not being good enough. It was like buying a magazine, yet writing to the editor on how it sucked ass. Fortunately, she was forced to think about it no longer, as Seifer came charging toward her without warning.
"You gotta stay on your toes boy, if you ever want to beat me." Seifer crowed lightly as Squall gave a weak parry. She knew she wasn't as strong as he was, but hey, she still wanted to give it her all. It was just a fact that women were weaker, unless they pushed themselves to become the best. And she planned to do just that.
Swinging her blade in an attempt to ward off an on coming blow, Seifer dodged left and parried, pushing her back a few paces. "It doesn't look like you've gotten any better… what a shame. I had been hoping I'd actually get some training in." Seifer was back to smirking again.
Again she thought why do you continue to ask me here? But held her tongue knowing it would get her nowhere but on the ground faster. Maybe she should just say no next time. The thought was fleeting as she was forced to dodge another blow and parry the next.
"Move faster or next time I won't miss." Seifer called as they parted for a breather. Glaring, Squall charged at the taller man, hoping it would catch him slightly off guard. It did for a moment, and that's all she needed to land a quick blow, breaking through the skin on Seifer's arm despite being blunted.
"Little bastard, that actually hurt!" Seifer snapped as he reeled back, taking a moment to inspect the cut. It would definitely leave a bad bruise. Glaring up at the little 'man' across from him he swore Squall'd learn what 'causing first blood meant. "You shouldn't have done that…But, good for you for trying to grow a spine." He growled, "Although the timing was not your best." He finished with a smile.
Frowning, Squall saw a fire leap into her rival's eyes and wondered what exactly he had in mind. Pulling her blade up in defense, she decided to wait and see what he'd pull. When a slight bit of fire surrounded Seifer's blade, Squall took an involuntary step back.
"This is what a limit break looks like." Seifer smirked, focusing in on a wary Squall, then unleashed a series of slashes wreathed in fire, all aimed for non vital areas. Unable to ward off every blow, Squall settled for blocking the ones directed at more important places. The heat was becoming intense and the clinking of swords became louder as the battle took a desperate feel. Squall felt the many stings from the fiery blade, most leaving a burn and a bruise but very few broke skin.
When he finally let up, Squall pushed off Seifer's blade, trying hard to ignore the damage. "Give up? Or do I need to try that one again?" Seifer seemed elated and Squall was quite certain he'd never been able to pull that one off before. Now she was just faced with the choice of either giving up, or trying to actually fight back. Opting for the second, she raised her blade and charged again. Not the smartest on her part, but it was a small surprise to her rival, which was all she felt like she needed.
Throwing her full weight behind her blade, she landed a blow onto Seifer's sword that nearly nocked it out of his hands. Pulling back she lunged but was blocked. Sweeping her sword out, she attempted to set Seifer back a step but he locked his blade under hers and twisted, flinging it away and upsetting Squall's balance. Landing hard on her back, Squall saw stars and spot as Seifer loomed over head.
"I won again. What a surprise." Seifer smirked, shouldered his weapon and walked away. Eventually Squall slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, looking at the retreating form of her rival who was now about over half way back to Garden. Sighing, she pulled herself up and
walked over to her pack. Pulling out a potion with a wince she settled on pouring the liquid onto a small rag and swiping over the cuts, burns, and bruises. Cocking her head to the side she hissed at the sting of the potion proving it was working.
When the liquid had finished its job, she shuddered and stood. Seifer was no longer in sight. Meaning he must have made it back to Garden. Pulling her pack onto her shoulders she began her trek back to her home. It was a beautiful glowing blue and silver building from far away, u close it was more like a hotel in a large city. Phony and much too clean. Shaking her head at her thoughts, Squall kept walking until she made it to the front gate without incident.
Glancing at the guard at the entrance hall, Squall blinked in greeting and continued back to her dorm. It would be pointless to go all the way to the infirmary and be told something she already knew. Stopping in front of her door she put a hand on her hip and glaring at the note attached to the door. She only had to look at the signature to know it needed tossing without reading. It was Seifer gloating as usual.
Typing the lock code, she entered her quiet room and disposed of her pack. Turning to her small dresser she pulled out the usual black pants and white shirt, as well as an extreme durable bandage and white cotton boy shorts. Stuffing the unusual items inside her shirt and wrapping that in her pants and a towel she wondered out of her room and carefully to the private staff bathroom. She had been given permission by the Headmaster to use the particular facility due to the nature of her Problem.
The Problem being a cross dresser. She wasn't sure how she became this way, only that she was enrolled under Gender: Male and had been she could remember. She had once raised the question to a teacher, who'd directed her to Cid. He didn't give a clear reason as to why, only that for now it was necessary for her training and that it would progress her studies. Now at the age of fifteen, she wasn't quite sure how that worked, but if that was the way it was, it was much too late to change due to the shock, problems, and possible court marshalling from other Gardens. So now, Squall just went along in stride, keeping up the sham and going through the motions of acting male as possible.
After taking a quick look around, Squall pulled out an access card she had in her back pocket and slid it through the lock. With a bing the door opened and allowed her to slip inside quietly and deposit her clothing inside her shower area. The teachers had private baths, with each shower area acting as a small bathroom furnished with a tub/shower, a toilet, sink, all needed toiletries, and a bench to put clothes on.
Stripping from her dirty clothes, Squall turned on the spray to warm and stepped under. Standing there, she allowed herself to relax slightly as the water drops pounded on her hair and on the floor. Reaching over to the shampoo dispenser she gathered a small blob or the stuff and lathered it into her hair. Turning back, she grabbed a wash cloth and soap then began washing off the potion residue, dried blood, and dirt.
Watching the soapy dirty water wash down the drain, Squall turned the water cold to finish her shower. She liked starting her showers hot and then turning it icy to keep cool. It was a habit she'd picked up when weather was unbearably hot. Finally finished, she turned the knobs to shut off the spray and pulled her towel away from her clothes. Drying off took a short time and then she started to wrap the new bandage around her chest. She had started that ritual almost four years ago and now it was getting harder. She supposed that was how women from back the felt with a corset on.
Once finished, she meandered slowly from the room, making sure she hadn't left anything behind. Soon she arrived at her dorm and was lock inside quite cozily. Humming out a sigh, Squall threw her unwashed clothes into a small hamper and pushed it under the bed. Plopping down, she pulled the stiff sheets back and crawled to the headboard and slid under. A short nap before dinner wouldn't hurt…..
-Dream-
Everything was black and faded, but she could still feel the ground underneath was covered in grass. There was a voice, quiet and soothing, but Squall was unsure who's it was or where it came from. Soon that question was answered when delicate hands lifted her head and put it into its lap. She could feel the cotton dress beneath, and wondered how she knew it was a dress. Giving up on figuring out, she closed her eyes and listened to the soft whisper of the wind and smelled the traces of lily laced into it.
First bit done….Hah! I'll be having more time to write because my boyfriend is really busy with school and its summer… Plus I want to revise this really bad 'cause when I looked at the older one, I couldn't help but wonder where was I going and what was I doing with this story? Then I realized, hey, I didn't have a direction so I made one up. So yeah, it's gonna be different and the other chapter will be taken down and revised. Thanks ya'll, I know I've been forever, but bear with me on this!