Author Introduction:
Hello there! So, this story….is basically a re-write of Final Fantasy VIII. As a young girl gamer, I played FF8 after my sister finished it and while I loved it forwards and backwards, I was never particularly fond of how quickly the game moved into the ending, nor was I a huge fan of the rushed nature of Squall and Rinoa's relationship. It was going at a normal pace, and then Disc 3 hit and it shot into hyperdrive and I was confused and not liking it. I'm older now, so I've gotten over that...but when I was younger, I still came up with an OC to replace her in my mind.
Over the years, what started as a slightly petty attempt at me replacing the female protagonist of the game and reworking the story to match my tastes, turned in a MASSIVE RE-WRITE OF FINAL FANTASY 8'S ENTIRE UNIVERSE that incorporated elements of other games in the series. The end result (or the mid result, really, as I stopped and started writing this over many years) was what I called a 're-scripted' story involving new characters, backstories for the Guardian Forces, and just...a whole world of things I can't put into this preface.
This is not a Squinoa story. They will not get together. If you're not a fan of that, then click away now. This story explores a deeper, modified version of FF8 universe (that ironically does not have a name? Like FF10 had Spira, FF7 had Gaia, but FF8's world has NO NAME) and an OC that has changed and evolved over the course of many years. If you like creative liberty and the idea of Guardian Forces having life and personality, this is definitely the story for you!
Read at 3/4 or 1/2 width with slightly increased line spacing for optimal viewing! I also recommend listening to 'Balamb Garden' from the FF8 Soundtrack to get even more immersed ;)
Prologue: The Instructor and Her Students
"Training with Seifer? This is not going to end well, and you know it. Squall-Squall!"
Boot heels clicked against smooth, white marble tile as the young instructor quickly followed her student moving ahead of her with long strides. Her comment elicited no response from him, and he barely acknowledged her existence.
"You and Seifer have had a very…" Words had to be chosen carefully, and she allowed herself a moment's pause to find them, "...heated relationship over the years. You're not stupid, Squall, you know Seifer will go in there with the intent to really hurt you."
The ground level of Balamb Garden consisted of a circular path that wrapped around a central elevator, and branching off this path where different corridors that led to one of the school's many facilities. It was down one of these branching paths, the one that lead to the school's Training Center, that Squall made a sharp right turn and continued on his way without so much as a single word to his instructor.
An exasperated sigh escaped her as she came to a halt, seeing no point in continuing to follow her stubborn student, "Just don't kill each other!" She called after him, "And try not to end up in the infirmary."
Squall disappeared into the Training Center, and it was all she could do to not let out a loud and unprofessional groan of frustration. Lifting a gloved hand to her face, she pinched the space between her brows and sighed gently instead. Moments like these were what reminded Quistis Trepe of a very true, but difficult to swallow fact: her students were grown people who could do as they please. So long as they weren't breaking any school bylaws, her power over them and their actions was limited outside of the classroom. If one of her students wanted to spar out a ten year old rivalry with another of her students, she had no place in it, nor did she have power to stop it.
After giving one last, slightly desperate look down the corridor, Quistis admitted defeat and prayed to Hyne her confrontational students wouldn't end the afternoon incapacitated in the infirmary. Turning on her heel, she made her way back down the curving path and took a right once she hit the center most area, up the stairs and into the waiting elevator.
"Instructor Trepe! Hold the elevator!"
Before her mind even caught up to the request, Quistis extended her arm so it would block the doors from sliding shut before the student calling out to her reached the top of the steps.
"Thank you." She let out an exhausted sort of sigh, slouching against the elevator wall as the doors shut.
A small smile crept over the blonde instructor's features and she pressed '2' on the number pad. Within seconds, the elevator was making it's ascent to the Garden's second level, a smaller circular path lined with classrooms and offices.
"You look downright exhausted, Ana. I thought you were better trained than this-out of breath after a quick jog."
Quistis's brand of sarcasm was accepted by few. Analei Crescent was one of those students. Sucking her teeth lightly, it was all she could to keep her eyes from rolling backwards out of her head.
"No comment." She said simply, fingers running through onyx colored locks of wavy hair, "I wanted to talk to you before class."
"Well, you found me. And now I can't escape you."
Feigning offense, Analei placed her hand on her chest, jaw dropping and a dramatic gasp leaving her, "I'm hurt, Instructor."
The first chuckle, the first genuine laugh of the day escaped Quistis's lips; her head tilted back a bit and her eyes closed, "What did you want to talk about, Ana?" She questioned as she regained her composure.
"The Pre-Exam...the Pre-Exam I have not yet taken because the Fire Cavern has been closed off for the past weekend."
"Ana!" Quistis snapped, dragging out the latter 'a' in her name. To which Analei found herself averting her gaze entirely, "You should have been pre-emptive about it. The Pre-Exam has been up and running for months and it only closed down this past weekend. Why didn't you attempt to do it sooner? It's nothing to do with your father is it?"
As far as personnel within the Garden went, Quistis was without a doubt one of the nosiest and most personable. Always trying to learn more about her students and get closer to them—this likely had to do with her age. At eighteen years old, Quistis was the youngest faculty member, and because the students she worked with were seventeen and eighteen, there was a part of her that still felt the desire to be social with them on a non-professional way. Like they were on the same level as here. She knew this wasn't true, but old habits die hard. This habit of her's manifested itself in the form of Quistis prying a bit further into Analei's relationship with her Galbadia Garden Instructor father than the student would have liked.
"It's nothing like that."
Quistis sighed lightly, "So then, it was your paintings holding you up?"
"Am I not allowed to have hobbies outside of mercilessly beating my fellow students within an inch of their life?"
Quistis shook her head, "I don't understand." The elevator came to the stop and the doors slid oepn. Teacher and student walked side by side down the hall to the classroom, "What brought you to Balamb if your priorities are elsewhere? You could have lived in an artsy town like Dollet where the Card painter lives."
The student laughed, "There's no money in art these days." There was a hint of bitterness and sadness in her tone, "And my priorities are not elsewhere. My mother was a Galbadian soldier, and my father is an instructor at Galbadia Garden. Military life is in my blood."
The classroom door opened automatically when they approached, and the lights flickered on row by row until the whole room was lit. Instructor Trepe sat down at her desk and pressed the power button on her desktop computer. As the device whirred to life, Analei crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around, gaze resting on the rows of student desks opposite Instructor Trepe. They were all connected, forcing students to sit on what was essentially a long metal bench, and each desk had it's own computer, accessible by students with their individual log ins. Many hours were spent studying in this room over the course of many years.
"Analei." Quistis spoke in a firm tone used by instructors all over the school. That firm sort of tone that automatically made a student listen, regardless of the instructor's age or status. Analei was no exception to this ingrain reaction. The student looked back promptly.
"Yes?
"Do you want to be a SeeD? Is that really what you want to do with your life?"
Analei scoffed a little and scratched her head, tipping her hat back and incidentally off her head. It was a straw hat, white in color with a long piece of black satin wrapped around it. It was rare to see the woman without it, but it was less than combat worthy, and so she was careful to remove it whenever needed.
"Woah, umm…" She turned and bent down to collect her fallen hat, "I do! Yes, I do." She said as she settled back down into her seat and replaced her hat, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."
Quistis nodded in agreement, then laced her fingers together in front of her, "Yes but, pressure from an outside force or figure could-"
Analei let out a sigh, "With all due respect, Instructor, If there was a concern with my life choices, then we could have spoken about it earlier. It's a little late now. I'm meant to be a SeeD. I'm meant to fight, be the mercenary this school taught me to be, and use my abilities and my skills to help the world. I wouldn't trade that up for anything."
Quistis couldn't help but smile. It was a slightly bitter one, as her heart yearned to know what really caused a spirit such as Analei to take on the life of a soldier. It wasn't a lifestyle suited for all - such was not to say she was a weak link in the chain of cadets. Her personality simply contradicted a bit with what Quistis believed a SeeD Cadet to be like.
Analei was a quiet student. Not in an anti-social way, but in a laid back and casual manner. Not many things bothered her and while she was always in her head spinning ideas for this and that, she was always completely able to come back to the real world when needed. She didn't make a point of talking a lot, but when she did, it was always with knowledge and passion. And sometimes a little sarcasm, as evidenced through this whole exchange. She had an honesty and sincerity about her that Quistis greatly admired. And a trait...a something about her that she feared would be lost once she was truly swept up in the life of a SeeD
Of course, she would never speak a word of this. She had to uphold a certain image and have a firm hand as an instructor at Balamb Garden, a quality the Headmaster and many other instructors seemed to think she lacked. And maybe, just maybe, she was being presumptuous. And maybe, just maybe, she was completely and utterly wrong about her student.
It would certainly not be the first time.
"So long as you're sure." She sighed in defeat, for the second time today, "Alright...Pre-Exam."
With Analei peering over her shoulder, Quistis navigated the school's website until she reached the administrative area. After logging into her instructor's account, she checked on the status of the Fire Cavern for the Pre-Exam. In bright red letters, the status said 'Ready'
"Oh-it must''ve gone back up earlier today…" Analei scanned the page, "Or maybe the other day?"
"There is a warning though…"
Below the status, bright red letters continued on to read:
*Warning: Garden Personnel have reported an unidentified creature within the Fire Cavern. All students taking the exam to qualify for this week's set of SeeD Exams are to go in pairs and be accompanied by an Instructor. No solo testing will be permitted. If the unidentified beast is encountered, retreat and schedule for alternate evaluation within the Training Center.
"That's not even remotely terrifying." Analei murmured to herself, standing upright behind her instructor's chair.
Quistis clicked away from the page, "Well-Squall hasn't taken it either yet. After class, I'll take you guys out to complete it. Otherwise you'll be stuck waiting another week to take your formal SeeD exam."
"Sounds like a plan."
For anyone who was curious, Ana's name is pronounced an-a-lay. Like 'ant', not like 'anna' from Frozen.
But yeah, there we go! First chapter. If it was to wordy or anything, let me know - this was basically a big establishing shot to get a glimpse of who we'll be following for most of the story. And I guess I focused a lot on Analei because she's a new character - Hope you guys keep up with it! I'm excited to share all the wonderful, fun, modified concepts I came up with and developed over the years with you all.