Dreams
by TacomaSquall
I don't remember my parents. My earliest memories are of the orphanage, and all of the kids there. Squall and Ellone, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine were all there, as were others. I was always ignored because I wasn't smart like Quistis, or pretty like Selphie, or cute like Irvine and Zell both could be. I craved attention, drank it up like a huge glass of milk that provided sustenance to my sense of worth, instead of my body. So I drew attention in the only way I could, by stealing the spotlight. Usually, that meant getting into trouble. I can't help it. I wasn't going to be some sandy-haired boy who sits alone in the corner because no one wants to play with him.
Time went by, and Chicken-Wuss was able to charm his way into a family with that easy smile and puppy-dog-like friendliness. It was a shame to see him leave the orphanage, he was my best source of entertainment. The loss was lessened when we added another boy to the group. His name was Raijin.
Raijin was always big, and not always very graceful. I remember that he always used to bump into things and knock them over, and he was always tripping over his own feet. Anyway, Raijin looked at me and decided that he wanted to be my friend. It was really cool to have a pal to hang out with, and we talked a lot about what we wanted to do in the future.
Shortly after that, Matron left, and Cid decided it was time to start up some private schools, called Gardens. He made three of them: One near Balamb; One near Galbadia; And the third on the Trabia Snowfields. We soon found out that the Gardens would be training mercenaries, called SeeDs. When we grew a little older, we were offered the chance to enroll in the Gardens. Not surprisingly, all of us chose to go to the Gardens – Irvine in Galbadia, Selphie in Trabia, and the remaining four of us in Balamb.
Ever since I entered the Garden, I knew I wanted to be a SeeD. Better yet, I knew that I was going to be the epitome of a SeeD. I was destined for greatness, for the adulation of the masses. I was going to be something more than just "that orphan who always gets into trouble."
Not long after I entered Balamb Garden, I came upon a group of kids who were picking on a tall, silver-haired girl for her speech impediment. She couldn't help the fact that she couldn't modulate her voice very well, every word coming out at a yell. I stopped their teasing and stood up for her. Her name was Fuujin, and we became fast friends. Soon afterwards, Chicken-Wuss enrolled at Balamb Garden. All was right with the universe.
With my newfound friends, I found that I could get even more attention. The three of us became known as the Disciplinary Committee, because we were willing to punish any infraction of what we deemed was cool. Raijin had a different name for us. The Posse.
Years passed, and we drew closer to graduation. We were often in trouble, because the Garden's faculty did not share the same views about discipline. I suppose I should say that they did not share the same criteria we did for disciplinary action. They frowned on our activities, and they more than once gave us poor marks on exams or assignments due to our activities. It was no big deal. Sooner or later, I would become a SeeD, and then I would show the world, the Posse by my side.
Rain Boy seemed to take my incipient greatness as an affront to his sensibilities. Of course, I was, and am, the better of the two of us, but he wasn't bright enough to bow to reality. That is what led to our little sparring session, and our scars. It was shock to break through the hard exterior and discover that the robot actually was alive! That revelation alone was worth the scar, although things were not settled. Things still have not been settled yet.
Then everything happened in Dollet, during the SeeD Final Exam. Because Chicken-Wuss and Rain Boy were so damn half-hearted about doing something more than the mundane duty we had been assigned, I failed. We needed to work together! The faculty of Garden decreed, in all their pomposity, that I would never be a SeeD. Even worse, they made both Chicken-Wuss and Rain Boy into SeeDs! Looking at it from the outside, that's pretty funny.
You know, there are many things about life that I find amusing. The way that Chicken-Wuss flies off the handle when you push him around, the way that Instructor Trepe tries to hide her interest in Rain Boy as something more than just a student. Even more amusing is the way that Squall doesn't even notice her devotion. As hard as Squall tries to be cold and distant, it's amazing that he notices anything going on around him.
I've started to realize something, though. Being a bad boy to gain attention isn't helping me to reach my goal. As long as everyone thinks I am a bully, they are not going to look at me as the epitome of anything positive.
But they look on a hero, a knight in shining armor, as something grand. They give to such knights all of the adulation that I have longed for all my life. In my dreams, the accolades given to such heroes have been mine.
My first step, as a hero, is to go to Timber. Rinoa tells me that the people of Timber cry out to be free from the tyranny of Galbadia. I have discovered that Galbadia's President is going to be making an appearance there soon. I will find a way to get to him and end his rule over Timber. In one fell swoop, I will have liberated Timber and paved the way for a better ruler in Galbadia.
I wonder how Rinoa will reward me for saving Timber. And, if she won't, I am sure that someone else will…
Fin