Next Gen FF8

Next Gen FF8

Chapter One

"New Faces"

Author's note: FF8 is property of Squaresoft. I do not own the characters except all those invented by me. English is not my first language so there might be some misuse of verbs, etc…Please tell me if you any errors at all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A black haired young man made his way trough a dense forest; the sun was starting to rise but it was still dark enough and it was hard to see. The young man wore black leather pants, a gray shirt, a dark blue jacket, a pair of black boots and a strange looking watch on his left hand. Suddenly he stopped when he heard a strange sound coming from some bushes behind him; slowly he turned around as a small grinned shaped his lips. The bite bug appeared from the bushes and attacked the boy with its stinger. The boy easily dodged the attack and as he did he pushed a small button on his left watch and where the watch once was now stood a weapon. The weapon was wrapped around his left wrist like a bracelet, but attached to the bracelet was a sharp object that had the shape of a bird with razor wings and a razor beak.

The young man pointed the weapon at the blue bug and shot it at it. The sharp razor beak flew towards the insect and then returned to its owner in less than three seconds. The bite bug's body fell to the ground without its head. The boy smiled satisfactorily as his weapon turned back into a inoffensive watch; he didn't noticed as another bite bug flew silently towards him and prepared its stinger to attack.

RYON LOOKOUT!!! A voice yelled from behind the bite bug that was about to attack the boy called Ryon. A girl who also had black hair appeared from behind the bushes. She wore a pair of black jeans with a blue belt, a sleeveless dark blue shirt, a light blue overall that reached her waist, a pair of black boots and another belt that went across her chest and held a weapon… a gunblade. The girl quickly pulled out her gunblade and slashed at the bite bug killing it. The girl looked at the dead bite bug as she placed her gunblade back on its place.

"ASHIKA!!! What the hell do you think your doing?" Ryon yelled at the newcomer. Ashika turned her head slightly annoyed.

"Well from the looks of it I though I was helping you."

"I didn't need your help, Ashika; I can take care of myself" said Ryon as he started to walk away.

"Your Welcome; what are big sisters for."

Ryon stopped his march, turned around and walked straight for Ashika pointing his left finger at her.

"Your not my big sister Ashika"

"Well, I am older than you "Ashika reply as she turned her head."

Yeah; by less than a minute."

"Hey, older is older" Ashika said with a small grin on her face; as if they have had this very same conversation many times before.

"Whatever" Ryon threw his arms up in the air as he said it. Ashika was thinking of a reply when they both heard a bell ringing a soft melody far away in the distance.

"The Garden" both reply at the same time; "We are sooo late".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quistis Trepe was making her usual rounds around Balamb Garden; as headmaster of Garden it wasn't only her responsibility, but also something she enjoyed to do. She walked out of the quad and headed toward the elevators, apparently deep in though; but her toughs were quickly disrupted by a couple of voices.

"This is all your fault Ashika; Professor Dincht is probably gonna give us a week of detention; its the third time we've been late this week." Ryon said as he ran trough Garden's main hall.

"No Ryon, it's the third time you've been late this week." Ashika replied as she ran behind him. Obviously annoyed, the remark only made Ryon run faster, so he didn't notice Headmaster Trepe waiting at the top of the stairs and he almost bumped into her; but Ryon had quick reflexes and managed to stop just in the nick of time.

"Headmaster…" Ryon felt as the embarrassment grew up inside of him as both himself and Ashika saluted Quistis.

"We're sorry Headmaster Trepe…" Ashika said. "We overslept".

"Outside Garden?" Quistis asked; knowing that she had caught them red-handed.

"Whoops" was the first though that enter Ashika's head. But Ashika was ingenuous, unlike her twin brother who acted more on instinct; she knew that the best way to get out of this was to tell the truth.

"We're really sorry Headmaster Trepe; Ryon and I were just training a little before class and we just sort of lost track of time."

Quistis uncrossed her arms and relaxed her body. "You know your not supposed to leave the Garden without teacher supervision especially not to train."

"But Headmaster" Ryon interrupted "We're SeeD's now; doesn't that apply to a few privileges." As Ryon made his point he looked at Quistis with his hazel eyes; and Quistis lost her way of though for a moment.

"Those eyes; its like he's still around." Quistis quickly came back to her reality.

"No your not; at least not until the ceremony this evening." Quistis took a deep breath; "Listen; just head to your classes and I'll see you this evening; I'll let your professor pick out your punishment for being late; your dismissed." Ashika and Ryon both saluted Quistis once again and enter the elevator.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zell Dincht looked over his class; he knew that this was their last time together and two of his students were missing.

"Has anybody seen Ryon or Ashika?" Zell asked as he looked at his rollbook.

"No sir." Answered a blond hared seventeen year old that was leaning against the wall in the back of the room.

"Thank You, Mr. Draken; now please take your seat."

"Well…" Zell said his mind made up. "I think I'll just will start without them then."

He had just finished the sentence when Ryon and Ashika enter the classroom.

"Sorry Mr. Dincht; it won't happen again." Said Ryon with an apologetic look on his face.

"Of course it won't Mr. Leonhart; this is your last day after all." The entire class erupted in laughter and Ryon got visibly mad; but he wasn't about to get himself in trouble, especially not on his last day. Ashika ignored the professor's comment and left Ryon to defend himself as she sat down near the front. Ryon just shook the comment off as he walked to his seat in the back.

"As you all know; all students that passed yesterday's SeeD field exam; this is your last class here at Garden. I want to congratulate all who passed the exam and remind you that even if you are SeeDs you can always count on me; all SeeD's dismissed."

Ryon was the first to stand up and leave the classroom, followed by a couple of other students and his sister Ashika.

"Tonight; tonight I'll now." Ashika though as she walked to the elevator where her brother was waiting.

"Hey Leonheart!"

Both Ryon and Ashika turned their heads to see who was calling. Ryon's smile quickly turned into a frown as a name popped into his head.

"Draken"

"Hey there Kalek" Ashika responded with a smile on her face as she put her hand on her hip.

Kalek was wearing his SeeD outfit; a dark red shirt, black leather pants and a grey jacket. The jacket had a red design on its right arm that looked like fire; he also wore a strange earring on his left ear, that Asika though it looked like a weird shape A. Kalek walked up to Ashika, took her hand and kissed it softly.

"Hello Ash; how are you doing this fine morning."

"Ash…" that's what he always called her; ever since they were twelve and just starting at Garden. Ashika looked up to meet Kalek's blue eyes with her hazel ones; but suddenly left cloud nine as someone pushed her.

"Get the hell away from my sister Draken." Half yelled Ryon as he came in between Kalek and Ashika.

"Hey man, what's your problem" said Kalek as he regained his balance.

"Yeah Ryon what's your problem." Ryon stood beside Ashika.

"He's my problem"

"Well; you'll just have to get used to this problem Leonheart, because I'm not going anywhere; I don't even know how you manage to become a SeeD."

"What did you said?!" yelled Ryon.

"Both of you stop it! you're acting like children; c'mon you don't want to get expelled just before the ceremony do you?" said Ashika as she stood between the two teenagers.

"Sorry Ash, its just that…never mind. Look…" said Kalek as he turned to look at Ashika."…I have to get ready for the ceremony tonight, see you there?"

"Absolutely." replied Ashika. "Bye" Ashika waved as Kelek got on the elevator.

"What was that all about Ryon?

"I…I don't know; he just gets on my nerves I guess."

"One of this days Ryon your gonna have to tell me a better reason than that; c'mon we got to get ready for tonight."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ashika smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror; she was wearing a sleeveless pink-redish dress at knee length. The dress was a perfect fit from her shoulders to her waist and below her waist it was a little loose.

"Perfect" she though as she put the finishing touches to her hair. She had parted it by the middle and held it in place with a silver flower hairpin. She took one last look at herself before she heard a knock on the door.

"Ashika; I'll wait for you downstairs, okay?"

"Okay"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Garden's ballroom was full of people when Ashika showed up. They were playing the most popular music, a techno pop sound that Ashika didn't really enjoy. After a quick look of her surroundings she spotted her brother dancing with her friend Kayla and Headmaster Trepe talking with Professor Dincht. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey Ash, looking good tonight." Ashika turned around to see Kalek starring at her.

"Kalek; why aren't you dancing?"

"I'm not a big fan of this new type music; I prefer classics."

"Yeah, me too"

"…but since this is all they're playing, would you like to dance?" Kalek asked as he offered his hand to Ashika.

"It'll be my pleasure" answered Ashika as she took Kaleks hand and walked with him to the dance floor.

After a few minutes of the fast techno music, the music suddenly stopped and so did everybody who was dancing.

"HEY, what's going on?"

"Why they stopped the music?"

A voice-echoed trough the teenage angst filled room.

"And now for a change of pace, here's a classic especially for all those couples out there."

A soft melody started to play at Balamb Garden's ballroom.

"Hey, I know this song!" said Ashika in surprise to Kalek. "I remember my mom singing it to me before going to sleep."

"Do you have many memories of your mother Ash?" asked Kalek as they started to slow dance.

"Not really; I remember this song and a handful of some other stuff and that's about it."

"You never sang my songs

on this stage, on my own."

"Me too, I have very few memories of my mother and I never met my father, the only thing I have left is this earring she left me."

"You never said my words

wishing they would be heard"

"Yeah I was meaning to ask you what that earring meant?"

"I saw you smiling at me

was it real or just my fantasy"

"I really don't know" said Kalek as he touch his weird shape earring. " I only remember my mother saying; your father would have wanted you to wear it."

"your always be there in the corner

of this tiny little bar"

"Were alike in many ways, Kalek. Haven't you noticed?" said Ashika as she rested her head on Kalek's chest.

"my last night here for you

same old songs, just once more"

"Yes; we're alike in many ways." Said Kalek as he took her chin and raised her head to look at her face.

"my last night here with you

maybe yes, maybe no."

Kalek pushed Ashika closer to him as he embraced her with both arms.

"I kindly lighted your way

how you shyly placed your eyes on me."

Asika put her arms around Kalek's neck and looked at him.

"did you ever know

that I had mine on you"

They kissed for the first time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quistis enter her office; she was tired beyond tired. The ceremony had finished at 2:15 in the morning and she was the last one to leave. She now had 16 new SeeDs under her command. She was about to go to sleep when she heard a knock on the door.

"Now who could possibly be at this hour?"

"Yes?" she asked as she opened the door. "Ashika?; is something wrong?, are you alright? Quistis asked; her annoyance quickly replaced by concern.

"Yes Headmaster I'm alright."

"Then why are you here; its 2:30 in the morning." Quistis said as she sat down at her desk.

Ashika sat down in the chair in front of Quistis desk.

"I'm here to talk about my father."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author note: This is a story I've been thinking about for the past months, hope you like it because its only the beginning. The "Ash" thing is purely coincidental.

-Ryon is pronounced like Orion, but without the O.

-Ashika is pronounced á-she-ká (spanish pronunciation).

-Kalek also spanish pronunciation; ká-lék.