A Prayer on the Wind to the Moon Goddess
The party was over. At least it was over enough for Quistis to leave. The smiles and laughter that had never touched her eyes drained from the rest of her face. It was not that she wasn't relieved. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her rediscovered friends and family. It was comforting on some level to know that their smiles had been real. It had even been comforting to see Rinoa finally in Squall's arms. It was obviously where she was meant to be.
In her room, Quistis made sure that everything was where it ought to be. Her bag was packed with all that she cared to take with her. The letter containing her farewells was sitting prominently on her desk where it would be easily discovered as soon as the room was opened up. She also knew the letter containing her resignation waited on Cid's desk where he would most likely find it tomorrow morning. Everything was ready. She was leaving it all behind.
She was leaving it all behind before it had a chance to leave her behind again. She had been left at the orphanage, without even her surname, just her given. She had been left at Garden by the foster parents that had been horrified when an encounter with a bite bug had activated Quistis' limit break. While at Garden she pushed to be ahead so that she couldn't be left behind again. For all her efforts, it had happened again and those she taught were now her equals and superiors. She'd been left behind one too many times.
It was easy work, slipping through the halls unnoticed. It was just as simple to enter the override code on the garage door lock. A part of her thought about feeling guilty, but the rest of her figured she deserved a little parting gift for the years she'd given to Garden. She'd take something small, unassuming, that would fit her needs. She decided on one of the motorcycles with a side car. It wasn't one of the powered up bikes that would be missed on missions. It would, however, get her around faster than walking, and the side car would be useful to carry her belongings. Without a word or even a look back, Quistis threw her things in the sidecar, hopped on the motorcycle, and sped away towards Balamb station.
In the moonlight she could see her way clearly. It felt like the first time the world had been in focus for a very long time. The air also felt lighter, smelled fresher than she remembered. So, she thought, this is what freedom feels like?
Just like that, she'd sent a silent prayer with the wind, that she could keep going forever and see the world like she never had before. The moon looked down on her, brightly but sadly. Freedom and destiny were crueler mistresses than most mortals could ever guess. The lunar goddess marveled however, at how resilient those subjects so often proved.
Author's Note: The very first FF8 story idea I had started like this. More recently a completely different plotline came to me that started like this. I'm still working on Chasing Perfection now, so I don't plan on pursuing this any time soon, but someday, maybe I'll add one of the plots that claims this opening. For now it's just one more look at one of my favorite characters doing things just a little bit different than usual. Leave me a review and tell me what you thought!