The Guardian

A Final Fantasy VIII Fan-Fiction

by Marcus Dawn

DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VIII, and all aspects of it (characters, locations and other references) belong to Square. Newly introduced characters are original concepts by the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fan-fiction story posted here... I'll try to keep updates moving, and expect to see more appearances as the story progresses. =)


Prelude – Without Looking Back

Location: Balamb Garden – Training Center

C'mon... you can do this... just watch for it's vines, and you'll be okay.

The signature blue and silver Garden uniform belonging to the sole trainee in the facility had seen many better days – slashes in the fabric and minor blood stains of a rookie soldier stood out like badges on a war hero... despite the war of most recent memory being more than ten years ago. No, this suit was made far after the return and defeat of the Sorceress. The jacket cover was unzipped, showing a dampened white undershirt, and a diagonal belt slung around the shoulder like a bandoleer. The student wearing these garments was doubled over from exhaustion, leaning on a long, metal quarterstaff. Charcoal hair curtained the boy's face, just long enough to hide his amber eyes, shaven face, and a pained expression.

The boy was sixteen years old... weeks away from the SeeD test when he'd turn age seventeen. His fellow students consistently mocked him. Overeager, they would say. Unrefined. Undisciplined. He kept his distance from them and focused completely on his studies – a real bookworm. He had aced every written exam tossed his way, despite his instructor pushing extra paperwork at him in attempts to slow him down. He was moving too fast... he was impatient. The problem with a bright and eager student is that once they leave the desk and enter a combat scenario, it becomes a whole new course of study – one that applies the use of misdirection and deceit, plan execution and teamwork. This boy had the first two...

A loud series of clicking echoed from his opponent – a Grat that he had cornered. Though wounded, it still had plenty of fight left. The student made full use of his opponent's weaknesses in finding means to inflict fire and cold upon it – but he lacked what most students had... at Garden, a student would have means to draw magic from his opponent, much like the Grat. This, however, required the passive assistance of an entity as a Guardian Force, or "GF" as the students referred to them. A lot of them were lesser GFs, that only allowed use of the passive abilities, but some, much like Shiva and Ifrit, could be called upon in times of trouble, giving the student a huge tactical advantage. The student in the training facility was making do without one... limiting him to lure his enemy to him and trapping his foe unexpectedly.

Despite the preparation, the student was losing, and he knew it. The creature looked as if it were about to attack, flailing it's large spiked leaves toward him. He gathered his strength and lunged his quarterstaff at the Grat. He felt resistance... and then a puncture of his weapon into the leafy flesh of the monster, only to hear a tyrannical roar... far different to the clicking of the venus-flytrap monster he had attacked... He felt a sensation of being shoved forward, up and over the slain plant, and the world around him went black seconds after.


"Yes, Ryan Wolfe. We found him in the Training Center this time. You better come and get him – he's waking up now."

Ryan's eyes opened and saw a veil of gray-green – textured walls. He could smell a fresh ocean breeze behind the vertical blinds behind him, but also could catch a hint of lavender in the room. With sudden intrusion into his blurred new world, a bright yellow light blinded his eyes, one at a time. He blinked and groaned unpleasantly, reaching to cover his eyes from further illumination. An all too familiar voice scolded him.

"It hasn't been three days, and you're in my office again," Doctor Kadowaki frowned, looking to Ryan with some discomfort – mostly out of worry he was in further pain. "Come in again and I might have to recommend detention... if he isn't watching you, I am, and with field exams coming up, I can't be treating you on a day to day basis."

The lecture was a pleasant awakening to hear. "I swear, it's not my fault this time, Doc... I was training, and I heard... I heard a..." the distinct of the bestial roar and the force that had hit him from behind lingered in memory, but stayed in thought.

Doctor Kadowaki bent over and waved her pointer finger, "You shouldn't be 'training' this year – your exam isn't until next year, remember that?"

His birthday fell on the exact day of exams... and though this wasn't an unusual circumstance, it was the first it had happened to the unique case of a stellar student like Ryan – most sixteen-year-olds would voice a request to stay in Garden longer as a student: needed the extra time to catch up on studies, keep their social life thriving... delaying the inevitable but desired enlistment of their SeeD status and the dangerous job that came with it.

"I've got things to do, but to make sure you don't run straight back to that cursed training center again, I'm having your instructor take you directly to your dorm room."

Ryan froze on the spot. His mouth inched open slowly, seconds after Doctor Kadowaki turned from him to tend to another "reckless" student. Before words could form and a plea be heard escaping his lips, the sliding doors to the infirmary hissed open and loud, thunderous footsteps echoed on the tiled floor. Ryan's gaze shot to his right, trying to avoid that of the new arrival. He winced, praying that the only scolding he was getting today would be the good doctor's... his instructor tended to be somewhat of a loose cannon, despite his sincerity and rambunctiousness to the students under him... though sometimes, the two traits went hand in hand. With a bellow that made Dr. Kadowaki jump, the instructor started in on his student.

"THE HELL?" The instructor, wearing blue cargo shorts and a personalized black-blue-red jacket over black undershirt, stood with a clenched gloved fist at his side, "What was in your mind to go running off to the Training Center without supervision, or at least a peer to watch your back! You could have had it much worse!"

Dr. Kadowaki breathed, and turned to calm the raging instructor, "Calm, Instructor Dincht, your student has already heard an earful from me... I think he's gotten the point."

"But..." Zell turned to the doctor, maintaining a stressed, but much more controlled manner, "...he had been told not to go alone several times in my class..." Zell shot a glare at Ryan momentarily, who gulped nervously at the blonde man, "Thanks for the help, but as he's found his way here...again... I don't think he's gotten the point yet..."

"Well then, Instructor, I hope you can convince him sooner, rather than later. For both of your sakes..." Though the weight of the comment fell heavily on the instructor, Kadowaki's attention had gone to Ryan as well. It was Zell who moved first, who seemed to snap to attention as if addressing a headmaster.

"Thank you, Doctor." Zell's voice echoed, thinking on those last words of the doctor's before waving Ryan from his bed.

The two left Kadowaki alone with her next patient, taking a moment's reflection. Instructor Dincht had the least amount of students in Garden to care for... and as discouraged as they are not to have favorites, Zell thought of Ryan as such... She thought about it a moment longer, before shaking her head with a chuckle. "It's his way of keeping him in his memory, I suppose."


"What was that, back there?"

Zell stopped and put a gloved hand to his forehead as the two stopped outside the dormitories in a small courtyard. Ryan looked up at his instructor, confused, "What did she mean, 'For both of your sakes'?"

There was only a few passerby teenagers, none of which were Instructor Dincht's students. He leaned against a metal railing that was keeping form of one of the many outdoor hallways located on Garden grounds. He looked at Ryan intently, keeping his voice low, in case someone were listening in, "How much do you know about the instructors in Garden?"

Ryan shrugged, brushing the bangs from out of his eyes. "There are currently five active instructors here at Garden – myself, Instructors Tilmitt and Heartilly, as well as Instructor Kramer and Instructor Aki." Both Zell and Ryan shivered at Aki's name as the fighter continued, "Each year, at exam time, the instructors are graded according to the success and maturity of their SeeD candidates, as well as the amount of acceptable applicants.

"If an instructor's teachings are... sub-par... they're replaced with more well-suited instructors that are stricter, tougher, and harder." Zell closed his eyes as Ryan digested the information.

Zell's enthusiasm in the past earned him a stigma of being a wild, fearsome man, but his dedication to his friends earned him a place in life later, after the rise and fall of the Sorceress. He ended up in the position he thought least likely for him – teaching other students to settle down and take this training seriously... helping students that were just like him. Following Zell's brand, as an instructor he would get all the 'problem' students, not as punishment, but because he could handle them. His issues with Ryan on the other hand...

"You've got the second largest student fan-base in the school, second only to Instructor Tilmitt... You have droves of students willing to go on Cafe-Runs, you have that little clique of students, those T-Board riders? They worship the ground you walk on. Or in their case, hover..." Ryan smiled, as his attempt to reason was causing Zell no end to embarrassment, "Plus, Headmaster Trepe favors you... so... I don't see what's the big deal."

His instructor's head shook, "Quistis had to pull some strings just to get me the job... and I owe it to you and the rest of the class for sticking with me... but the decision to sack me isn't the Headmaster's alone... but that's for me to worry about."

"But-"

"I want none of it," Zell stood, his voice rising, "Ryan, it's incidents like the one you got in today that's swaying those people who have that decision over me. And it's not just me they have control over... the staff gets together to vote on each candidate on whether or not they passed or failed their SeeD exams... you can finish it, but that doesn't mean you get to pass..." It didn't take long for Zell to think of Seifer Almasy, from his own class. After a pause, he knelt down to stare at Ryan eye to eye, whom was attempting to avert his eyes ever so slightly, "How can my say over your right to be a SeeD mean anything if you never listen to me?"

Ryan's head was in his shoulders up until the last bit, when his posture suddenly perked up, "My right to be a SeeD? You think I'm SeeD material?"

Zell smiled and planted his fist and hand together, "Without a doubt."

Ryan experienced a moment of awe and inspiring confidence – his instructor hadn't shown any sign of him going places – he assigned him more work, lectured, and tried to force him out of trouble... but never complimented him – not like this. Ryan's smile widened and his eyes lit up, "Does that mean I'm taking the exam in two weeks?"

The instructor tilted his head as if he never considered the thought, and put a hand to his chin, "After a stunt like today..."

The worst words he could have said to start off the sentence – Ryan's composure sank in depression, but Zell feigned the sternness only a moment longer, "...I would argue that you could take a field exam before the big test."

Ryan was left speechless, but fully attentive, completely astonished at what he had just heard – it was like a dream... "I'm gonna catch hell from Quistis about this... but of the few strings I have left to pull... be ready to leave for your field exam soon." Zell gave his student an energetic thumbs up. Ryan nodded, receiving a pat on the back as his instructor moved the the main building in Garden, to get to his classroom. Ryan stood frozen on the spot for several seconds, before letting out a loud shout of excitement. All his bookwork and his training was finally going to be put to the test... a real test.