Before we begin, I want to say that I don't own FFVIII or anything. Also, this is my first fanfic, so I would appreciate reviews and feedback on what you think of it, and how I could improve my writing. Just to clarify, this story takes place around the beginning of Disk 3, after Edea is defeated but before the battle with Ultimecia
And now, the story begins...
Chapter 1
Squall crouched through the lush foliage, searching for an adversary. He had to be careful though; he didn't want to run into something too powerful like a T-Rexaur, especially since he was alone. He spied a Grat standing between him and freedom. Well, might as well get out of here, he thought to himself. After all, it had been a good workout. He rushed out of his hiding spot, and before the monster had a chance to react, he had already cut it down with his Gunblade. He ran through the doors of the Training Room, not stopping until he was already safe and sound in his dorm room.
Squall Leonhart threw himself onto his bed, panting heavily. Got to do better next time…thought Squall angrily. He knew letting Zell borrow his GF's, moments before his training sessions, wasn't a good idea. Of course, neither was lending Selphie most of his potions. Couldn't they understand he just wanted to be left alone? He was tired of everyone always pestering him…he didn't feel like doing anything anymore. It's not like he ever chose to become leader of Balamb Garden. He never chose to fight the sorceress. All these things had been forced upon him. What if he chose not to do any of it? What if he quit? But even he knew the answers to these questions as soon as he had thought of them. He would never leave Garden; it had always been his home, maybe his only one. It's where all his friends (he cringed at the thought of it; he didn't want any friends) were, and would stay, as long as it took to finally defeat the sorceress. As Squall's stomach grumbled, he realized he hadn't eaten today. As he made his way to the cafeteria, he decided it was all for the best; he was thinking too much anyway.
Of course, his solitude couldn't last; he had barely started to walk towards the cafeteria when he heard a voice yell, "Yo, Squall! Wait up!" Squall groaned; of all the people that he could have run into, why, why..."Hey Squall, how's it going?" asked Zell Dincht. "Fine." answered Squall, avoiding eye contact. After all, maybe Zell would leave him alone if he acted like he wasn't very interested in what he had to say. It was a feeble hope; he knew Zell better than that. "Hey, thanks for lending me your GF's man, they helped a lot." exclaimed Zell, "Here you go!" As the power of his Guardian Forces returned to him, Squall couldn't help but feel better, more...complete. "Thanks." said Squall as they reached the cafeteria, and he got in line. "Hey, I'll stick with you, I haven't eaten lunch either." said Zell. Squall had to stop himself from strangling Zell right there. He had to eat with him too? This day was getting better and better...
As they sat down, Zell started babbling on about how unfair it was he never got to eat the hot dogs...Squall found it amusing how Zell always found a way to be in line to see the person who got the last hot dog, but never getting it himself. Then he started talking about some test he had taken, and how he thought he did. Tests seemed so...childish now. Didn't Zell realize they had a much bigger test ahead of them? Maybe it was his way of dealing with it...although Zell was (he hated to admit it) his best friend, they were complete opposites. "And then I decided that's the last time I would try to teach a chocobo to sing...So anyway, what's everyone else up to?" asked Zell. "Huh?" Squall came out of his thoughts. "Oh yeah, I think Quistis was going over some battle plans with Xu...and who knows what Selphie and Irvine are up to." Zell looked shocked. "NO WAY!! Selphie and Irvine..?" "Who knows?" replied Squall. He wasn't going to get involved anyway; what his teammates do is none of his business. It annoyed him how Zell seemed so shocked though, only an idiot couldn't be able to see that Selphie and Irvine were going to end up together. "So, uh...have you been to the hospital wing today? I was going to go visit Rinoa, but..." Rinoa...he had tried to not think about her, thinking by putting her in the back of his mind and by throwing himself into the Training Room constantly, he could be able to forget about her, even for a moment, forget about the pain.