Well, here I am, with a new fic. I know that I should really be working on Destiny, but I am having a bad case of writers block for that story, so please do bear with me. Haha. Anyway, this is my first time writing anything for Final Fantasy, and I hope it meets your expectations.
For those who aren't my regular readers, as stated in my profile, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is much appreciated, but flames will not be tolerated. After all, its useless if you flame, but don't tell me where I went wrong, isn't it? The whole point of this fanfiction community is to help each other out in our writing. NOT make people feel bad. Thanks.
For my regular readers, thank you for supporting me thus far. I will work hard to produce writing which won't let you guys down! Haha. And if my writing style seems different this time around…Well…I don't really know why. Maybe it's the setting of this story.
Well, on with the story!
Chapter 1- Meeting
Tender memories.
Her smile, her gestures, even the sound of her voice.
They had all given him such strength.
Those tender memories.
Walking hand in hand, holding her close to him.
Those times were so very precious, and he had held them dear and near to his heart.
Those memories, oh so sweet.
But now, that was all they were.
Memories.
They had become a thing of the past, like the hotdog Zell had wolfed down for breakfast.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, biting his lip.
Maybe she was right. He had no idea what the word romance meant. For him to compare such tender memories with a hotdog Zell had eaten.
But that was just the way he was. He didn't know how to sweet-talk a girl, how to romance his girlfriend and say things she wanted to hear.
Ex-girlfriend now.
But was it his fault? Was he in the wrong because he had not been born with a honey-coated tongue, the way all the girls said Irvine had been?
He did not know how to whisper special sweet-nothings in a girl's ear. All he knew, was to protect her, to cherish her, to love her.
But it seemed that even that, he had done wrong.
For that matter, he might not even have known how to love her.
Their breakup had been a mutual decision. They both agreed that what they thought was eternal had faded away with the passage of time.
The feeling of her soft hair on his velvet gloves, holding her close as she cried, expressing her fears. Having to say goodbye just when he had admitted to himself that he loved her, and then the ecstasy of saving her from that prison.
All those had become memories.
Back then, he had thought those memories to be testament to how deep his love for her was.
As Irvine had described it, deeper than the deepest ocean, higher then the highest mountain. Everyone had thought of them as the couple. Their love had even been compared to the expanse of the infinite universe.
They both tried so hard to avoid that feeling. But deep inside, they both knew they were drifting apart.
But because everyone expected them to be the perfect couple, not even quarrelling, they had kept their doubts to themselves.
Until it reached the point where they could no longer deny it. It was then that they had confronted each other.
'We can't keep living this lie.' That had been what she said.
He knew she was right. He could feel the distance between them growing. But he could not, did not want to admit it.
She had been the one who made him smile, the one who made him care.
How could he ever stop loving her?
And even though he had agreed to the breakup, he still felt a deep sense of bitterness.
He could almost taste it in his mouth.
That sense of loss and the sorrow which came with it.
He had experienced it as a child, and told himself, 'never again'.
It looked like he had been wrong.
It seemed as if he was destined to be hurt and alone.
'Let's remain friends.' Those had been her final words, as she smiled warmly and held out a hand.
He had remained silent, but had shaken her hand.
He raised a hand and massaged his throbbing temples. He knew he shouldn't keep holding on to the past this way. He knew, because the intensity of the feeling he got when he looked into her eyes had slowly faded.
But deep inside of him, was a person unwilling to let go of the past. A person unwilling to admit that his first love had been a passing thing.
Someone help me…A wry smile. No matter how he told himself that he wouldn't depend on another, he always seemed to be asking for help at the end of the day.
I don't know where to go from here.
Once more, I've hit a crossroad.
And I have no idea where to look.
There was a knock on the door, and he looked up slowly, tiredly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing to carry another burden under which he was collapsing.
The burden which came with his position of leadership.
When he opened his eyes, his expression had changed. His eyes were focused, and his charisma as a leader shone.
"Enter."
The door opened by a crack, and his secretary slipped in, as if proving to him how wonderfully slim she was.
"Sir. Head instructor Trepe is here to see you about the SeeD exams."
He blinked in surprise, then shook his head. Had he been imagining things, or had his secretary just looked at him coyly, puckering her lips seductively?
Of course…he should have known.
He sighed as he realized the reason behind her behaviour. The news of his breakup with her would have spread throughout the whole garden by now. And with his current position in the Garden, he was the most eligible bachelor around.
It was funny how quickly bad news spread, while good news never seemed to make itself heard. One was like a wildfire, taking everything in its path, while the other was always hiding in the shadows.
Great…now I have crazy girls casting stupid glances my way to add on to everything else.
As if I didn't have enough on my plate before.
He shook himself out of his thoughts. "Alright. Let her in, after which you may continue with your work."
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"Squall…I heard about the breakup. Are you feeling alright? If you want to be left alone, I can always come back at another time…"
Squall gave a half-smile at the woman who had been his instructor, as well as his childhood friend. "It's fine. I will not abandon the responsibility I hold to all in this Garden."
Quistis raised an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically, and he managed a wry smile as he signaled for her to take a seat.
"How are the preparations for the SeeD exams coming along?" Squall asked, leaning back into his chair and closing his eyes, preparing himself for the worst.
There was a laugh, and Squall looked up at Quistis questioningly. "You don't have to see everything in such a pessimistic light, you know. More often than not, things work out in the end."
"Whatever…"
Squall gave Quistis a sharp look when he heard her saying the exact same words he had, at the exact same time. Quistis looked him straight in the eye and laughed again. "Seriously, Squall. It has been what…two years since we defeated Ultimecia, and you have hardly changed"
"I saw no need."
"You know…that's probably why Rinoa felt so insecure in your relationship. You never seemed to put in the effort to change for her."
"…"
Quistis sighed, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"
Squall looked at Quistis, contemplating silently, before he shook his head. "No. You are right. But what's done, is done. I'm not going to blame anyone for that. It's over, and that's just the way it is."
Quistis looked at Ren in surprise. "Aren't you going to go look for her, and tell her you're sorry?"
Squall swiveled his chair around so that his back faced her. "No. There's no point. We were growing further apart anyway, and we were both tiring ourselves out holding on to that relationship. I'm tired, Quistis. I really am. And Rinoa is too. It's better this way."
Quistis stared at the back of Squall's chair for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Anyway, about the SeeD exam preparations…"
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"I leave that decision up to your judgement. If you think she's ready, then go ahead and register her for the SeeD exam."
Quistis let out an exasperated sigh. "Squall, she's 15! I have no idea whether she's ready or not. You're the leader, and important decisions like these rest on your shoulders."
"I would have my hands full if I had to interview everyone to determine if they were ready to take the exam. Besides, you're her instructor. Whether she's ready or not, you should know better than anyone."
Quistis raised her hands to the heavens, lips moving in a silent prayer which was mixed with many colourful words, most of which Squall had never heard of.
"For hynes' sake, Squall…I'm not asking you to interview every single SeeD candidate, nor am I asking you to call her over specially to interview her. All I'm asking is that you take a few hours off your busy schedule to drop by the training center during one of our training sessions, and see with your own eyes whether she's ready or not."
Squall looked at Quistis for a second, then nodded. "Fine. I'll drop by tomorrow."
At this, Quistis nodded and leaned back into her seat. "As for the SeeD field exam…Rinoa told me that you were planning to join the SeeDs and the candidates afield?"
Squall nodded resolutely at this, and held up a hand before Quistis could protest. "I don't care how simple this mission is…I just want to have a feel of the candidates' ability for myself."
Quistis looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before she nodded. "Whatever you say, Commander."
"Is there anything else?"
Quistis shook her head with a slight smile. "Just remember to drop by tomorrow. We'll be in the training center from 1400 hours to 1700 hours."
Squall nodded, and took a sheaf of papers from the 'in' corner of his table, beginning his administrative duties. Quistis smiled again, and walked towards the door.
"Quistis." Quistis paused, her hand on the doorknob, and turned to face Squall.
"Your language previously, when we were talking about the girl, was…interesting."
Quistis laughed lightly at this. "Thank you, Squall. You do have that effect on people at times." As she finished, she quickly slipped out of the room before her words had time to sink in.
Squall blinked in surprise, then shook his head and turned to his paperwork.
The hell…
What did I do this time…
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Squall leaned back in his chair and stretched, looking at the clock on the wall.
2300 hours…
Well, at least I'm done with the admin work…
Time to loosen up with a visit to the training centre…
It'll help to clear my head anyway…
He stood up and cleared his desk, then grabbed Lionheart from the corner where he had left it.
At least there won't be any of those crazy girls wondering around this time of the night.
Squall walked out of his office, locking the door behind him and taking the lift down to the first floor.
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As Squall walked into the training centre, he heard the rustle of a dying grat, and he looked around in surprise. To think that there was someone other than himself training this late.
When Squall saw no one near the entrance of the training centre, he shrugged and decided to walk further into the training centre to hunt out some T-Rexaurs. He took a few steps forward, then heard the roar of a T-Rexaur.
Squall's ears pricked, and he began walking towards the source of the sound, and then paused when he heard muttering. He saw a girl facing the T-Rexaur with a look caught between uncertainty and confidence.
"Blizzard!" The girl shouted, casting the ice spell at the T-Rexaur. Squall nodded in approval. At least she knew the monster's weakness.
Her next moved, however, stunned Squall. Before the blizzard spell even hit the T-Rexaur, she ran forward and slashed at the monster with what Squall noted to be a gunblade, and a revolver at that.
The result was a physical attack tipped with the effects of an ice spell, causing heavy damage to the T-Rexaur, and knocking it back, where it stood, blinking stupidly. It had quite obviously been stunned.
Squall noted all these with interest. The girl had shown capabilities equivalent to that of a normal ranking SeeD. The thing was, no SeeD was this proficient with the gunblade, other than Seifer and himself. At least, none that he knew of.
The girl seemed to have sensed him staring, and she turned to look at him in surprise. "Hey there! Were you targeting this monster? I'm sorry if you wer-COMMANDER?!"
A small smile of amusement graced Squall's hardened features, and he stepped forward, walking towards the girl. "It's no problem…Carry on with your training…It was quite a pleasure watching you fight…"
The girl blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Thank you…I guess?" She said, biting her lip as she grinned. She then turned back to the T-Rexaur and cast a second blizzard spell, this time focusing it on the T-Rexaur's throat.
When she felt that the T-Rexaur's throat had been sufficiently frozen, she ran towards the T-Rexaur and jumped, stabbing its throat determinedly. Blood began spurting from the wound, mixing with the quickly melting ice as it flowed to the ground.
The girl landed on the ground and grinned as the T-Rexaur gave a final roar, then fell to the ground, dead.
She wiped her hands, stained with red T-Rexaur blood and green Grat blood, on her jeans as she walked towards Squall.
She stopped when she was in front of him, and gave a respectful salute. "Commander."
"At ease."
She dropped her hand down and stood straight, her hands at her side, a slight detail which Squall noted with approval. She practiced discipline, at the very least.
"Your fighting style is certainly unique…What's your name and rank?"
"Umm…Skyla, sir. Skyla Mizuki. I'm a SeeD candidate, registered for the upcoming SeeD exams."
Squall raised his eyebrows and looked at the girl in front of him with interest. She showed such potential, and she was still a candidate?
"Mizuki, you say?"
Skyla nodded hesitantly. "Yes sir. I am half-Japanese."
Squall nodded curtly. Mizuki. Where had he heard that name before?
"There's this girl…Skyla Mizuki…She's only 15, but she shows potential only slightly less than the amount you showed. She trains with any weapon that has a blade, and that includes gunblades."
Squall's serious face was broken with a slight smile, barely noticeable. This girl was definitely ready for the exams.
At least one thing that day had gone well.
Whee! Haha so how did you find this chapter? Actually, I quite like it. And I enjoyed myself thoroughly writing this.
Squinoa fans, I'm sorry that I broke our favourite couple up. I love the Squall and Rinoa pairing too, but I felt that there were enough Squinoa fics out there, so I decided to try something new. Besides, I haven't seen many (If any at all) OC fics here in the Final Fantasy side, so I decided to try one!
My reference book for this chapter was the walkthrough book by Bradygames, and the game itself. Haha.