The Story of Final Fantasy VIII
I am not the author of this story. I am simply re-wording it and partialy making my own version of a previously completed masterpiece based on my thoughts and feelings for this game. I want to make this game into an actual book, so it's many fans could experience this breath taking story in a whole new way.
On an unnamed world...
Squall Leonhart: A lonely 17 year old who focus's on his duty to avoid vulnerability. Avoids close bonds and relationships due to past abandonment. Many know him to be as the "lone wolf."
eye color: blue
height: 5'8" (173 cm)
hair color: brown
date of birth: august 23
age:17
hometown: Balamb Garden
blood type: AB
name description: His name, Squall, is an English word, referring to a Storm. His surname is derived from the Greek element Leo meaning "lion", and Hart, derived from the Dutch hart meaning "Heart", a fitting etymology in that, while he is cold and aloof, he is also a born hero.
appearance/clothes: Squall is most often seen wearing a distinctive black leather bomber jacket with fur trim on the collar and a low-cut white shirt underneath. With this he wears black pants along with three interconnecting belts hanging off the waist as well as black boots and gloves. He has a silver chain necklace with a Griever pendant on the end and a matching ring.
INTRODUCTION
I'll be waiting...here
So when you come here
You'll find me
...I promise...
Squall walked along the black volcanic rocks below him. Ashes floated among the air making it look almost as if it were snowing. His boots scraped against the loose rocks that scattered the ground. The sky was filled with dark, unnatural clouds. He was headed for the fire cavern. A dangerous place. But he was required to go in and obtain the GF(guardian force) that resided within if he was to participate in the field exam.
GF's were powerful spirits from another realm. In a process in which the GF is junctioned to a human, the human gains their power. The GF then lives inside their masters mind. Balamb Garden did research on these Guardian Forces and was the only organization permitted to do so. But there are many side effects and secrets to a GF that many did not know yet. Because of this, every SeeD candidate and SeeD cadet was to take every precaution to ensure that they were well fit to handle the junction of a GF.
"SeeD," was the name of an elite military force. All students at Balamb Garden trained to become a member of SeeD, and that was Squall's primary objective.
Each student was given a different mission. He was well prepared for his for he proved to be a good fighter. He was especially well experienced with his gun-blade he called, "Griever." A gun-blade is a fusion of a sword and a gun. It doesn't actually fire projectiles, instead, when the trigger (located under the revolvers handle, which was also the hilt) is pulled, a rush of heavy flames shoot out from the front/tip of the hilt/revolver to the tip of the blade, thus making the impact much more devastating. It had a long and wide blade with a red Grievers head imprinted on the center of either side of the blade. It was heavy, a weapon to be held with both hands. A chain with a silver Grievers head on the end of it hung off the back of the hilt.
'Looks like this is it,' Squall thought as he approached the entrance to the cavern. Ashes blew around his long, brown hair in the wind. A peculiar feather floated down from the sky and landed at his feet. He stopped and signed heavily.
'Not him,' he thought in disappointment.
In front of the cavern entrance stood Seifer, Squalls rival. He stood tall and proud with a sneering expression on his face. His blond hair, about 3 inches in length, blew to his right towards the north. He wore a blue vest with a cross-like design lined in white, a long gray coat with a red emblem resembling the symbol of the Cross of Saint James on the sleeves along with black boots and gloves. A silver chain hung around his neck.
He slowly reached for his own gun-blade. He was the only other student in the entire Garden to have chosen this weapon, thought his was slightly different. His had a pistols handle unlike Squall's which had a revolvers handle. The blade was also slimmer and was able to be wielded with one hand, displaying more speed and agility.
Squall knew what was going to happen, so he didn't even bother to try and reason with him. After all, they were standing on either side of the Gardens outdoor dueling ring. He knew he was looking for a match and so he did the same as Seifer and silently drew out his gun-blade. The design of the red lion-like monster on the side of Squalls gun-blade shimmered in the flash of the frequent thunder.
Seifer rose his blade up into the air, pointing it directly at Squall. He then broke into a sprint straight towards Squall. The cape of his coat flew up from the cool wind.
Squall rushed back at him accepting his challenge. He raised his gun-blade up high and brought it down when Seifer came within striking range. Seifer held his blade up horizontally and deflected the blow with ease. He quickly spun around and made a swing that Squall hastily blocked.
They were both consistent in striking and evading and made a good match for each other. Sparks flew as their blades collided and after a few more attempts of hacking each other down they both drew back. Seifer seemed at ease and smiled mockingly. Squall ran towards him furiously and made for another swing. Surprisingly, Seifer positioned his sword behind him and extended his left hand. Squall's blade nearly came down on Seifer's hand just went a burst of spiraling flames erupted from the palm of his glove. The center of the flames impact hit the Griever imprint right in the middle of squalls blade, knocking him backwards into the gravel. He quickly rolled over and began to stand, but was taken by surprise once again when Seifer made a quick downward slash at his face. The blade struck his forehead and ran down past his eye and the left side of his nose. He fell to the ground again. Most of the left side of his face was covered in dark, red, blood. The blood dripped off his face onto the black ground, making a crescent moon shape. Seifer stood back, pleased.
Squall stood up in a rage and made another run towards him. He dragged the tip of his blade along the gravel as he ran, sparks shooting out of the blade. Seifer still had his guard down when Squall swung his gun blade upwards performing a backhand strike, leaving a similar wound that mirrored his own. As he struck, his own wound pulsed with incredible pain as his vision blackened...and all before him vanished.
CHAPTER 1
Balamb Garden
Squall awoke on a recovery bed in the infirmary. He lay on his back with his right arm resting over his forehead. A light breeze flowed into the room from the window above. The only sound was the birds singing and the wind blowing. He was still in his normal clothes and his head ached horribly.
Someone appeared at the window to his right. It was a beautiful, young woman in a long yellow skirt and a blue sleeveless shirt, along with long green fabrics that hung off each of her arms. She knelt down to look Squall in the eyes. He turned to look at her. She looked familiar to him... Too familiar.
"So Squall, we meet again," and with that she left.
Squall was too tired and weak to even think of the strange girl or what she said and dozed off a while longer.
Dr. Kadowaki rose from her desk to go check on Squall. She saw he was asleep, but she thought it'd be best to call his instructor anyway. She went over to the phone and and dialed her number.
"Quistis? Come get your student."
"Yes, yes..."
.
"His injury's not serious, but it'll probably leave a scar."
"......Right, now please come by."
She hung up the phone and walked over to Squalls bedside just as he sat up. "How are you feeling?"
"...My head hurts," Squall held his aching head.
"No kidding. Looks like your eyes are focusing. You should be fine. Why don't you take it easy in training? Next time you might not be so lucky."
"Tell that to Seifer."
"That Seifer... Won't listen to anyone. Why don't you ignore him?"
"I can't just run away."
"Hmm, so you wanna be cool huh? Well don't get hurt in the process. your instructor will be arriving shortly, so be prepared." she made her way back to her front desk.
After a little while Squall's instructor, Quistis Trepe arrived. A slender young woman dressed in a blue SeeD uniform. She wore glasses and had long blond hair put up in a bun, the sides of her hair and bangs hung down around her face. She spoke with Dr. Kadowaki and then walked into the back room where Squall rested. He looked up, still in a daze.
Quistis closed her eyes and signed deeply, then smiled, " I knew it'd either be you or Seifer!"
"...Whatever" Squall's careless tone never took anyone by surprise anymore.
"C'mon, let's go. Today's the field exam."
Squall and Quistis walked down the infirmary hallway. The air was cool and friendly. Birds continued to sing and the many SeeD cadets strolling around seemed to be enjoying themselves. Peaceful commotion and laughter flowed throughout the Garden. Balamb Garden. It was home.
"Squall, Is there something on your mind?" Quistis smiled and looked up at him as they walked.
He was confused. "...Not really-"
"Not really?" she interrupted, already know what he was going to say. "Ha, ha, ha!"
"What's so funny?"
"Funny? No, no it's not that! I'm just happy. I feel like I'm getting to understand my student a little. That's all."
"I'm more complex than you think."
"Then tell me. Tell me more about yourself."
"It's none of your..."
"...business!" She laughed again.
Squall shook his head and signed. They continued down to the end of the hallway and proceeded into the main walkway in the center of the Garden.
Balamb Garden...a large and beautiful place where teenage students grew up and learned the basics of combat and trained to become a member of SeeD. This was Squalls home, where he belonged.
He and Quistis walked along the red carpet that complimented the large circular walkway. Golden rails with glass from the bottom of them to the red carpet went around the main path of the building. The whole Garden was built with a circular shape containing a large walkway around the exterior. It connected to all the corridors that led to the other sections in the Garden. A large fountain in the center of the circular walkway around the large elevator illuminated everything around it. Statues of doves with water pouring out of their mouths were scattered every few feet around the fountain.
Over all, Balamb Garden was best described as a series of stacked rings surrounding a central elevator. It had three main floors, plus a large basement sub-level. The first and second floors were accessible to the entire Garden population, while the third and basement level required special permission.
Squall and Quistis made their way through the lobby and up the stairs to the central elevator. They silently went up to the second floor, down the hall, the right hall, and into the class room on the left. Quistis went up to her front desk and Squall, to his usual seat in the back.
"Good morning class," she smiled at everyone. "Let's start with today's schedule. There seem to have been some rumors flying around here since yesterday... Yes, the field exam for SeeD candidates will begin later this afternoon.
"Those not participating and those who failed last week's written test are to remain here in study hall. Field exam participants will have free time until the exam. Just be sure you're in top condition. Meet in the hall at 1600 hours. I'll announce the team assignments there. Any questions? Oh, and Seifer! Do NOT injure your partner while training. Be careful from now on."
Seifer glanced at Squall and pounded his desk once.
"Field exam participants, i will see you all later. And Squall, I need to talk to you."
Most of the students in the class left. The rest gathered around in groups and chatted. Squall was the last to get up. He walked over to Quistis with a bored look on his face.
"You haven't been to the fire cavern yet have you? You won't be able to take part in today's SeeD exam if you don't pass this prerequisite."
Squall thought for a second. '...I was gonna go this morning, but Seifer...'
"Hm? Do you have a good excuse?"
"...Not really." 'why bother,' he thought.
"Then let's get going. Do some studying at the front panel at your seat. Meet me at the front gate in an hour." She walked out the room.
Squall walked back to his seat. He tied to ignore all the chatter and laughter around him as he studied. But he couldn't so he eventually gave up and decided to leave.
"Hey Squall!" some of the students greeted him as he made his way out of the classroom. He simply raised his hand without even looking at anyone as his hello. As he went down the brightly lit, gray hallway he heard someone running down the left hall up ahead, towards him.
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm LATE!!!" a girl with short brown hair in a slim, tight yellow dress came running around the corner and accidentally bumped straight into Squall and fell to the ground.
Squall staggered back a step surprised, "You okay?"
The girl jumped up and straightened out her dress, "There. Tee-hee. I'm fine. Sorry I was kinda in a hurry. Oh yeah! Hey did you just come from that class? Is... Homeroom over?"
Squall nodded once.
"Woo...Oh, nooo...This place is sooo much bigger than my last Garden!" She held her hands behind her back, "Oh, hey, hey, I just transferred here. Do you think you can give me a quick tour of this Garden?"
Squall scratched his head as he thought for a moment, "Sorry, don't have the time."
"Oh, bummer. That's too bad. Well, see ya," she walked passed him and then turned around again, "Hey wait! I didn't get your name!"
Squall signed, "Squall."
"Nice to meet you! I'm Selphie! Well, I'll see ya later." She took off down the hall towards the classroom.
Squall continued down to the end of the hall and took the central elevator down to the first floor. He had free time for an hour and didn't know what to do. His stomach rumbled with hunger. Something that rarely happened with him for he didn't care to eat much.
'Might as well go eat something,' he thought as he climbed down the steps and headed for the cafeteria to his right. He went along the main walkway past the infirmary and the corridor that followed. A person with tall spiky green hair ran past him towards the cafeteria.
Once he arrived at the end of the corridor leading to the cafeteria, he pushed open the glass doors and went inside. The floors were made of dark gray marble tiles. Circular lights cover the ceilings. Lunch ladies worked hastily behind the hot steel counters and the food smelled delicious.
The green haired teenager was at the front of the line complaining, "WHAT!? ALL THE HOT DOGS ARE GONE AGAIN!? ARE YOU FREAKIN SERIOUS!?"
"Yep," the lunch lady laughed, "sorry!"
"Awe man this sucks!" he stormed over to the tables, furious.
Seifer was next in line, laughing at the person who just left to the tables. He was with his usual friends, Fujin and Raijin. The three of them formed a close posse. Fujin was a young woman with pale skin, short silver hair, and an eye patch. She wore a purple button up shirt along with blue tight pants and long black boots.
Raijin was a tall and muscular dark skinned young man. He wore a small, low-cut blue, sleeveless jacket. It was open in the middle, showing off his built body. His gray oversized martial arts pants were held up with a red rope around his waste.
The three of them each grabbed a hamburger and went to sit in their usual table in the dining area. Neither of them seemed to notice Squall behind them. He grabbed a hamburger too and went up the three curved, long steps up into the dining area. All the tables were small, white, and square with a white chair on all sides. He sat at an empty table near the wall.
As he ate, he noticed the crazy hot-dog kid snooping around other people's tables. "Hey you gonna eat that?" he pointed at the leftovers of another students hot dog.
"Um, no, go ahead... Take it," the bewildered student gave him the rest of his hot dog.
"ALRIGHT! THANKS!" He excitedly took it and ran out of the dining area.
"What a loser," said Seifer from across the room.
Raijin starred after the running hot dog fanatic, "That guys got some issues, ya know?"
Squall finished eating and left the cafeteria. He still had about 30 minutes before he had to set off for the fire cavern.
'what now?' Squall thought. He decided to just rest until then. He set off for the dormitories corridor towards the back of the Garden, opposite of the main lobby on the otherside of the circular walk way. There were windows and skylights on in the inner corridor leading to the dorms. It was nice to have a good view of the courtyards here. He opened a wide door to the outer room of the dorms and looked around. It was empty. He liked it this way. His own private room was the only place in the Garden where he could really keep to himself. He walked across the main room and entered his own. It was a very small room with a large window on the back wall, a bed on the right wall, and his gun-blade case leaning on the foot of his bed. His case was long and rectangular and had the silver Grievers design on the front.
He took off his leather bomber jacket and hung it on his clothes hanger hooked to the right wall above the side of his bed. Then he fell onto his his bed and lay on his back, relaxing.
'25 minutes and I'll go to the front gate," he thought as he closed his eyes.