Author's note: Finally the start of the long awaited QuisxSquall story. I'm sorry for the few people who have been waiting on this for awhile now, but I promise it will be updated on a regular basis~
It stems from the same AU verse as the other fics I have posted, so if references are mentioned, that is why.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story as it's one of the few that have had a lot of work put into it by me and my friend.
Disclaimer: We do not own any characters, places, or intellectual property of Final Fantasy VIII, or Kingdom Hearts.
Squall Leonhart stood at around the height of 5'8", with brown unruly hair nearly unkempt half the time, but still managing to look quite perfect atop is head. His blue eyes were the utmost brilliant shade, and were glossy today, in matter of fact. He wore his distinctive black leather jacket, and underneath was a white v-neck shirt, but kept his usual black pants with the three interconnecting belts at his waist, and his pair of black boots. His Griever silver-chained necklace hung from his neck, and the matching ring gleaming on the finger of his hand. He was dressed casually, but still gave off a mature commander look as he walked about in the hallways, enjoying his solitude and resorting back to his introverted self.
He started to recall his past memories back at the orphanage, along with the memories of his adopted sister Ellone. Remembering the oldest girl there used to protect him when Seifer used to bully him, and she was always there to rescue him as well. As silly as that sounded, it didn't sound as ridiculous back then when he was just a child.
He even remembered the day his father, Laguna, had brought them to the orphanage back on Centra. Squall would recognize the familiar faces of who he had spent time with back then, and that included everyone that had endured the burden of saving their world.
Still, at some point a conversation with Cid had led to the topic of him possibly teaching the younger SeeDs as an instructor - since who better to teach them, than their very own leader who had survived and gone through so much already as SeeD. He had given it some thought, but upon some certain events unfolding some time later, he had opted to start over somewhere new - and away from anyone who might know him.
This was partially what had brought him to visit Destiny Island, and serve as a professor instead of at the Garden.
Squall breathed out heavily, shrugging his shoulders at the thought of being a teacher. He really didn't even enjoy what he'd been through as a SeeD either. Either way, the male shoved all those previous thoughts away to focus on the task at hand.
Continuing down the hallway, he was looking for a certain room today, and hoping to find what he was looking for. Could it be? He wondered as he proceed forward, stopping in front of a classroom that appeared occupied.
He reached for the door's handle, twisted and pushed it open, and inside he looked toward the blonde-headed figure sitting at the large teacher's desk, books and other sorted items placed nicely on top.
Squall took a moment to realize he had barged in without knocking. "Ah.. Sorr-" He paused, looking at the familiar face, the pair of glasses she wore looking familiar to him, but the eyes behind them that were brooding.
"Quistis?" He said, a sense of surprise in his tone.
When he heard that someone from Balamb had come to teach on the island as well, he had hoped it would be someone he knew, but he wouldn't have guessed it would be Quistis Trepe - the child prodigy since she was fifteen years old, and the same girl who had attended the orphanage that Squall had been to.
Quistis sighed, clearly not amused that she had been disturbed. She was so close to being done with the day's blasted paperwork too, and various other forms she still needed to fill out for the school. Still, not once did her writing utensil stop moving, even with the sudden intrusion into her classroom.
"Yes, I'm Quistis. Is there something I can do for you?" She asked, not even bothering to look up from her papers at the person who had barged in unannounced.
"Oh, and for the record, knocking first would be appreciated. Just so you know." Quistis said flatly, as she straightened out her current stack of papers. Putting those aside on the corner of her desk, she pulled out another colored folder and began working on it's contents.
It hit her a moment later though, after flipping over one of the papers, that she had been so fixated on her work, that she hadn't even noticed who she was talking to.
Squall stood there at the doorway between the hallway and the classroom, his hand still gripped around the handle, tightening over the next few drawn out seconds.
Quisty. He said subconsciously whilst he looked at her busing out and about on the paperwork on her desk. Squall had always known she was strict and independent with her work, and she was never the type to slack off. He admired that.
His grip from the door's handle loosened, taking a few steps forward and approaching the front of her desk. He placed both his palms face down on the desk, and looked down at her. "That's not a very appreciated greeting to an old friend, Quis." He said with a smirk, leaning off from the desk and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.
"Don't you remember me?"
"Remember you..?"
Quistis stopped in the middle of writing, to linger on those words. She realized how familiar the voice was. It brought backs memories of someone she knew, but hadn't seen in years. For a brief moment, Quistis wondered about the possibility of him being here. Although, there was no way that person could be here; or at least she thought anyway.
She inhaled, trying to regain her composure. Quis leaned back in her chair, and took a good look at the person standing in front of her desk. The second she looked Squall in the eyes, her gut did a 180 degree flop.
"…Squall? By Shiva's breath, is that really you?" She was in shock. It had been at least 4 years since she last saw him; and by all means she didn't honestly ever expect to see him again. And yet, here he was, staring her down, like he had done so many times before.
"In the flesh, Instructor Quistis Trepe." He said with a slight crooked smile, staring down at her from where she sat. Squall positioned himself so that he slightly leaned against her desk before he took a seat near the edge to avoid sitting on the stacks of papers and school-related items that belonged to her.
"Busy at work already? You just got here." He crossed his arms, smirking. Squall eyed her for a while before averting his eyes to window, gazing a bit outside whilst breathing heavily. Sighing as he thought about how many years had gone by ever since Quis, and the rest of the gang, has been separated after taking their own paths - but not once had Squall would've thought to have Quistis and him cross paths again.
"You got assigned to teach, too, I see. Suits you. Considering back at Balamb..."
She moved her last folder onto the stack, and propped her elbow up onto the cleared space on her desk, then cut him off mid sentence.
"Did you really think I would slack off on my work?" Quistis grinned, resting her chin on top of her left hand; eyes still focused on Squall. "And besides, teaching is the only thing I'm truly good at." A thought hit her a second after saying that; and as she was about to ask him something, she noticed he seemed to be slightly distracted.
It wasn't hard for her to notice at all though. She always just knew when something was wrong with him; and even after the years of being separated, nothing could change that fact. And yet, she had no room to talk either. Lately she'd been catching herself thinking about the past, and everything that had occurred. I wonder if he's ever thought of any of the friends he left behind… Or even.. Her mind wandered, as she waited for him to say something.
Squall nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, and cocking his head to each side to lessen the strain on his neck, to get rid of the cricks in his nape. He smiled widely with a precarious look in his deep blue eyes as he concentrated on her words.
"Well… no. Good point." He said, laughing under his breath at how persistent she was with labor. "Don't work too hard now. You have to be able to distinguish between work and your own free time. Can't be working all the time. Gonna need a break once and while, right?"
He shook his head, realizing she had a questionable look on her face, but nothing more –- like she was going to ask something. He seemed a little more bothered by something else, but tried not to show it. He lifted himself up from the desk and looked at Quis. "Well, good luck with everything here. My classroom is not that far from here, so if you ever need anything… Don't come bothering me."
He tried to stifle a sincere smile along with a bit of muffled laughter, trying to contain himself. Squall turned and headed to the door, waving his hand behind him as he walked.
"See you around."