Secret Tears, The beginning of Final Fantasy VIII from the eyes of Quistis Trepe
"Can you please be quiet class?!" giggled the young instructor, "we have a busy day today…"
She moved to her desk and began to call the register, "Squall Leonhart?" nobody replied, "Squall?" yet again nobody replied, the instructor sighed and looked around, and carried on with her register, " Seifer Almasy?" the class was silent "Seifer?!"
From the back of the room, a slight girl, dressed in the usual Garden uniform, raised her hand "Instructor Trepe," she whispered, "I saw Seifer and Squall leaving the Garden earlier…" The instructor stood up and shook her head, "Does anybody know where they've got to?" she asked, nobody answered. "It'll do them no good not telling me you know?" she beckoned, the class just gazed back. Instructor Trepe moved from her desk and walked over to the door, "I want you all to go over the notes in 'The basics' on your study panels please, I wont be gone long" and she walked out, into the second floor hall, that was barely decorated, and she ran for the lift.
As it went down, Headmaster Cid began one of his regular Garden updates "As you all know the Garden festival is coming up soon, and I would all like you to know that new student, Selphie Tilmitt will be leading the upcoming event. Have a good day Balamb!" Instructor Trepe giggled at this, she didn't know why, but Cid had always made her laugh since she had joined garden, he was always so kind to her.
She had joined Garden when she was 15, and passed her SeeD exam with some of the highest marks that Balamb had ever seen, but instead fo becoming a full time SeeD, she had decided to stay and teach at her former school. A lot of the student loved the young instructor, because unlike many of the other instructors she was on the students wavelength, being only a year or so older than many of them, some had even formed a fan club, and had began to produce cards with her image on.
The lift pinged to a stop, and Instructor Trepe wandered out, "Quistis!" a familiar voice beckoned, "Hey Quistis, don't you have a class?" giggled Xu, Quistis' best friend.
"I should have, but I've heard that two of my students have been seen leaving the Garden, you haven't seen Seifer or Squall have you?"
"Squall Leonhart?" quizzed Xu, "that's not like him at all…"
"I know" exclaimed Quistis, "that's why I've got a strange feeling about all of this"
"Want me to come with you Quistis? I've got a free day today"
"Lucky for some" giggled the worried instructor, hiding her fears, "I'd appreciate it if you did"
Xu nodded and the pair ran to the Gate, in search of the missing students.
The small island that housed Balamb Garden was practically bare, yet extremely lush. The only two noteworthy places in the area where the Garden, and the small, idyllic town of Balamb. The town housed a train station that easily connected the small town, to the metropolis of Timber, and the huge city of Deling.
Quistis and Xu couldn't think where they should begin looking.
The forest's near the Garden?
"Squall isn't stupid enough to go into the forests. " thought Quistis to herself, for she knew that
T-rexaur's resided in there, and Squall knew his limitations.
The beach?
They could be there, but why would Squall have gone with Seifer, they weren't friends, far from it. They had always, as long as Quistis had known them, been rivals and would do anything to annoy the other.
Quistis and her friend had drawn a blank, "They wouldn't have gone to the Fire Cavern would they?" questioned Xu, "you know them better than me." Quistis shook her head to the question, she knew that they where training to go to the fire Cavern, that's what her lesson was planned for today.
"I haven't a clue where they could be," sighed the worried instructor.
Xu nudged her friend, and as Quistis turned she saw, floating around the pair, a swarm of hideous Bite bug's. These bugs where large and blue, and flew around Balamb's Alcauld plains, and loved nothing better than poisoning the natives.
"Ready Quistis?!" yelled Xu pulling a blade from the sheath on her belt.
"As ready as ever!" Quistis teased her chain whip from where it always stayed, wrapped around her belt. The chain flew around her head, finally cracking to the floor.
A bug began to fly toward Xu, and bit at her body, as if she was a piece of carrion. Unfazed, the experienced instructor pushed her blade into one of the huge insects, and it fell to the floor. Another began to circle Xu, but every time it came near she would ward it off with a slice of her sword.
Quistis could see the trouble Xu was having, hitting the vile creature. So, she placed her hands above her head, and drew them down in front of her.
The insect found itself frozen in mid air, as a cloud of arctic frost encased itself around it. Freezing it's blood to ice, and cracking it's bones with extreme cold. As it fell, it smashed into a cloud of icy dust. The remaining, cowardly, bugs flew away, afraid of the pair. "Are you alright?" exclaimed Quistis, worried that one of the bugs had poisoned her friend, Xu giggled at her friends panicky nature.
"Don't be silly Quistis, I've fought hundreds of the things, I'm probably immune to their venom by now" The pair laughed, but then the harsh reality hit them, Squall and Seifer where still missing.
":Let's just search the island, their on here somewhere." Xu suggested to Quistis. The worry could be seen behind Quistis' glasses. Her eyes seemed to be filling with tears. She nodded her head, and looked up to the sky.
Xu finished off another Bite bug, and ran over to her friend, who was standing on a small hilltop, eyeing up the area around her for any sign of her unruly students. "Still no sign Quistis?" bellowed Xu, they had been looking for nearly and hour. "I'm not sure…" replied Quistis, spying something in the distance. She raised her hand, and pointed to a place that was rarely visited by students from the Garden. "Do you see anything over there?" asked Quistis, "I'm sure I just saw an explosion over there, it looked like a fire spell or something." Xu ran to the place where Quistis stood and began jumping to try and get a better look. "Is Seifer wearing a long white coat?" Quistis nodded to her friend, "why, can you see him?" her face began to look happier at last,
"I think so!" exclaimed Xu, as she began to move to the place where she thought she had saw Seifer.
As Quistis and Xu approached the rocky area, the could hear shouting, and cursing coming from the missing students. It sounded like a battle was raging upon the rocks. Metal was clanging and sparks where flying.
Seifer rushed at Squall, and slashed at him, but Squall easily parried the blows from his opponents gun blade. They carried on like this for a while, ignoring the instructors shouting. Squall let his guard down and Seifer's loaded blade came crashing into his face. The blood came flowing from the wounded mans face as he looked up, counter attacking and slashing Seifer in the place where he himself was cut.
Both of the students fell to the ground, blacking out. Quistis gasped and ran over to her favourite student, Squall. She began to chant, as a green light began to surround his body, Xu was doing the same to Seifer. "Our cure spells are too weak!" spat Xu,
"We'll have to get them back to Doctor Kadowaki" Quistis said in a flood of secret tears.
"Can you please be quiet class?!" giggled the young instructor, "we have a busy day today…"
She moved to her desk and began to call the register, "Squall Leonhart?" nobody replied, "Squall?" yet again nobody replied, the instructor sighed and looked around, and carried on with her register, " Seifer Almasy?" the class was silent "Seifer?!"
From the back of the room, a slight girl, dressed in the usual Garden uniform, raised her hand "Instructor Trepe," she whispered, "I saw Seifer and Squall leaving the Garden earlier…" The instructor stood up and shook her head, "Does anybody know where they've got to?" she asked, nobody answered. "It'll do them no good not telling me you know?" she beckoned, the class just gazed back. Instructor Trepe moved from her desk and walked over to the door, "I want you all to go over the notes in 'The basics' on your study panels please, I wont be gone long" and she walked out, into the second floor hall, that was barely decorated, and she ran for the lift.
As it went down, Headmaster Cid began one of his regular Garden updates "As you all know the Garden festival is coming up soon, and I would all like you to know that new student, Selphie Tilmitt will be leading the upcoming event. Have a good day Balamb!" Instructor Trepe giggled at this, she didn't know why, but Cid had always made her laugh since she had joined garden, he was always so kind to her.
She had joined Garden when she was 15, and passed her SeeD exam with some of the highest marks that Balamb had ever seen, but instead fo becoming a full time SeeD, she had decided to stay and teach at her former school. A lot of the student loved the young instructor, because unlike many of the other instructors she was on the students wavelength, being only a year or so older than many of them, some had even formed a fan club, and had began to produce cards with her image on.
The lift pinged to a stop, and Instructor Trepe wandered out, "Quistis!" a familiar voice beckoned, "Hey Quistis, don't you have a class?" giggled Xu, Quistis' best friend.
"I should have, but I've heard that two of my students have been seen leaving the Garden, you haven't seen Seifer or Squall have you?"
"Squall Leonhart?" quizzed Xu, "that's not like him at all…"
"I know" exclaimed Quistis, "that's why I've got a strange feeling about all of this"
"Want me to come with you Quistis? I've got a free day today"
"Lucky for some" giggled the worried instructor, hiding her fears, "I'd appreciate it if you did"
Xu nodded and the pair ran to the Gate, in search of the missing students.
The small island that housed Balamb Garden was practically bare, yet extremely lush. The only two noteworthy places in the area where the Garden, and the small, idyllic town of Balamb. The town housed a train station that easily connected the small town, to the metropolis of Timber, and the huge city of Deling.
Quistis and Xu couldn't think where they should begin looking.
The forest's near the Garden?
"Squall isn't stupid enough to go into the forests. " thought Quistis to herself, for she knew that
T-rexaur's resided in there, and Squall knew his limitations.
The beach?
They could be there, but why would Squall have gone with Seifer, they weren't friends, far from it. They had always, as long as Quistis had known them, been rivals and would do anything to annoy the other.
Quistis and her friend had drawn a blank, "They wouldn't have gone to the Fire Cavern would they?" questioned Xu, "you know them better than me." Quistis shook her head to the question, she knew that they where training to go to the fire Cavern, that's what her lesson was planned for today.
"I haven't a clue where they could be," sighed the worried instructor.
Xu nudged her friend, and as Quistis turned she saw, floating around the pair, a swarm of hideous Bite bug's. These bugs where large and blue, and flew around Balamb's Alcauld plains, and loved nothing better than poisoning the natives.
"Ready Quistis?!" yelled Xu pulling a blade from the sheath on her belt.
"As ready as ever!" Quistis teased her chain whip from where it always stayed, wrapped around her belt. The chain flew around her head, finally cracking to the floor.
A bug began to fly toward Xu, and bit at her body, as if she was a piece of carrion. Unfazed, the experienced instructor pushed her blade into one of the huge insects, and it fell to the floor. Another began to circle Xu, but every time it came near she would ward it off with a slice of her sword.
Quistis could see the trouble Xu was having, hitting the vile creature. So, she placed her hands above her head, and drew them down in front of her.
The insect found itself frozen in mid air, as a cloud of arctic frost encased itself around it. Freezing it's blood to ice, and cracking it's bones with extreme cold. As it fell, it smashed into a cloud of icy dust. The remaining, cowardly, bugs flew away, afraid of the pair. "Are you alright?" exclaimed Quistis, worried that one of the bugs had poisoned her friend, Xu giggled at her friends panicky nature.
"Don't be silly Quistis, I've fought hundreds of the things, I'm probably immune to their venom by now" The pair laughed, but then the harsh reality hit them, Squall and Seifer where still missing.
":Let's just search the island, their on here somewhere." Xu suggested to Quistis. The worry could be seen behind Quistis' glasses. Her eyes seemed to be filling with tears. She nodded her head, and looked up to the sky.
Xu finished off another Bite bug, and ran over to her friend, who was standing on a small hilltop, eyeing up the area around her for any sign of her unruly students. "Still no sign Quistis?" bellowed Xu, they had been looking for nearly and hour. "I'm not sure…" replied Quistis, spying something in the distance. She raised her hand, and pointed to a place that was rarely visited by students from the Garden. "Do you see anything over there?" asked Quistis, "I'm sure I just saw an explosion over there, it looked like a fire spell or something." Xu ran to the place where Quistis stood and began jumping to try and get a better look. "Is Seifer wearing a long white coat?" Quistis nodded to her friend, "why, can you see him?" her face began to look happier at last,
"I think so!" exclaimed Xu, as she began to move to the place where she thought she had saw Seifer.
As Quistis and Xu approached the rocky area, the could hear shouting, and cursing coming from the missing students. It sounded like a battle was raging upon the rocks. Metal was clanging and sparks where flying.
Seifer rushed at Squall, and slashed at him, but Squall easily parried the blows from his opponents gun blade. They carried on like this for a while, ignoring the instructors shouting. Squall let his guard down and Seifer's loaded blade came crashing into his face. The blood came flowing from the wounded mans face as he looked up, counter attacking and slashing Seifer in the place where he himself was cut.
Both of the students fell to the ground, blacking out. Quistis gasped and ran over to her favourite student, Squall. She began to chant, as a green light began to surround his body, Xu was doing the same to Seifer. "Our cure spells are too weak!" spat Xu,
"We'll have to get them back to Doctor Kadowaki" Quistis said in a flood of secret tears.