Disclaimer: I don´t own Final Fantasy VIII, but if I owned Squall... (naughty thoughts)
Unexpected Destiny
Chapter 7: Hot
By CelestialRage
The brunet turned to look at the still heavily panting girl beside him. Her high ponytail, somewhat disarranged, clinged in front of her face, covering her features with the raven veil her hair formed. Feeling his stare, she glanced up at him and offered a small, tired smile.
"Thanks for helping us, Squall."
He dismissed her thanks with a gesture of his free arm. "We have to get your friend to the infirmary. C´mon." without another word or waiting for a possible reply, the brunet started his way towards the west block of Garden, carrying the still unconscious Selphie over his right shoulder while Rosie walked slightly behind him.
Still shaken by the previous events, the raven-haired had a little difficulty with keeping with Squall´s fast, long stride. However, once they entered Garden´s main hall, Rosie finally managed to relax, releasing a breath she wasn´t even conscious she was holding.
Had other been the circumstances of that walk, she would have been incredibly happy to be able to wander through the facility with the stoic brunet at her side, but right now all she could think of was Selphie´s health.
She would never forgive herself if something happened to her friend.
After what seemed an eternity for her, they finally arrived to the infirmary, where a plump, smiling woman around her 40´s greeted them from the back of her desk. Rosie immediately recognized the white-cladded woman as Balamb´s resident physician: doctor Kadowaki. As soon as the gentle, aged eyes detected Selphie´s limp form, she bolted from her chair towards Squall and asked him to put the petite girl on one of the beds.
He complied and then backed up a few steps, leaving the doctor enough room to move and check on Selphie. At his side, Rosie stood nervously bitting her lower lip as she watched the older woman taking the brunette´s vital signs. When she was over, Kadowaki turned towards the cadets and smiled.
"Your friend will be okay. She´ll be waking up any minute now. Don´t worry, she doesn´t even have a concussion."
Rosie´s sigh of relief was audible. The news lifting a huge weight off her heart. "Thank you, doctor." suddenly remembering that day´s important event, she worriedly asked "Excuse me, but.. would she be able to attend today´s Field exam?"
Kadowaki looked at the concerned girl, her soft voice acquiring a motherly tone "Sure, dear. Don´t worry, the blow she received was hard but not serious. She´ll be fine."
Rosie smiled back at the woman and nodded "Thank you again, doctor."
"We should get to the Front Gate. Instructor Trepe is surely waiting for us." Squall said, glancing at the young woman standing at his side.
She looked back at him and nodded "Yeah, you´re right" she then directed her words to Kadowaki "Doctor, when Selphie wakes, please tell her Rosie will come back soon."
"Don´t worry, dear. I will. Now go, you don´t want to keep Quistis waiting, I´m telling you, it´s not a good idea." She chuckled, Rosie smiled and Squall... well, he kept his usual "Squallish" expression.
Both cadets left the infirmary and hurried down the main hall towards the main gate. They had barely made it to the outer garden when a crimson-robed Faculty member intercepted them. His attention focused immediately on the brunet.
"Student #41269, Squall?
"Yeah." He replied dryly. If there was something in all Garden that the brunet hated, that were Faculty Members, always sticking their noses in everything. They were severely strict and applied rules with iron fist, even those that were plainly stupid.
The crimson-robed man´s tone darkened "Mhh! You´re that problem child" At this, Squall turned his head to the side and folded his arms. He didn´t like that label, but always fighting with Seifer could only lead you so far. "Don´t you have to be in the Fire Cavern test?" asked the Garden employee angrily.
"Yeah, I-"
The Faculty cut him off "So what are you still doing here? You´re making instructor Trepe wait!"
Squall sighed exasperated and resumed his way.
No use trying to talk to them, they never listen to anyone. So stupid...
Not oblivious to his quiet anger, Rosie followed the brunet while directing a small frown at the Faculty member. He looked at the girl and called her out. "Hey, you!" Both cadets stopped and turned. The red-robed man approached the raven-haired and asked "Are you Rossane Bennett?"
She nodded, eyes wide in surprise "Yes.. how do you...?"
He presented her a metallic keycard. "Headmaster Cid told me to find you and deliver this to you. It´s your dorm key." As she took it, he looked again at the young man behind Rosie and said "If you want my advice, you should get away from that problem child, unless you want to be labeled like that too."
Rosie frowned "I don´t need your advice. Thank Headmaster Cid for the keycard." Her case stated, the raven-haired turned away from the man and resumed her walk with Squall.
The Faculty member watched them leave side by side and shook his head before turning around and entering the building.
Dark eyes wandered through the thin metallic card she held, taking in every little detail as a smile spread through her face. Garden´s emblem was printed on the upper right corner while her name was displayed in silver ink at the center of the card. On the other side, she could see a few electric pieces concealed by a thin, semi-transparent grey cover.
Well, at least I have a place to sleep tonight.
The teens arrived at the Front Gate and as they had expected, Quistis was already there waiting. The blonde turned around when she heard the approaching footsteps and was surprised to see Squall and Rosie together again. Normally the young man was alone or with her, but only because the instructor forced herself on his spare time with any kind of excuses, some of them lame, but he didn´t protested.
Squall always followed orders.
The instructor forced a smile and greeted her students. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, sorry for keeping you waiting." Rosie smiled as she apologized.
Quistis shook her head. "Nevermind. Let´s go, it´s not far, but we may encounter some monsters on our way."
ooo ooo
Selphie woke and held her head.
She had the most incredible headache!
Looking around with slowly refocusing eyes, the brunette found herself lying on a bed, most likely in the Garden´s infirmary. She didn´t think any dorm would smell so much as disinfectant and cleaning products. A couple of seconds later, a white-cladded form entered her room and soft voice filled her senses.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I´ve been run over by a 2-ton snow lion." Selphie muttered, then suddenly remembering her raven-haired friend, she asked worriedly "Where... where is Rosie?"
The older woman smiled and approached the prone girl. Inspecting the brunette´s emerald eyes with a small flashlight, she replied "Don´t worry, she´s fine. In fact, she was with another cadet when they brought you."
Selphie´s head tilted to the side in curiosity "Another cadet?"
Her check-up finished, the doctor put away her lantern and nodded "Yeah, you probably don´t know him, because you´re new here, but his name is Squall Leonhart."
Selphie frowned. The name rang a bell, but she couldn´t place where she had heard it... A minute passed and the brunette´s memory finally replayed something useful: Rosie had told her Squall had guided her to the cafeteria.
Yeah, that´s when she heard the students talking about the grats in the Training Center.
So, the guy I saw her watching at this morning in the hall is Squall. But how did he find us? The brunette asked this last thought to the doctor.
Kadowaki shook her head. "I don´t know, but guess you have to thank him later. Mind to tell me what happened?"
Selphie straightened herself on the bed and started telling the doctor all she could remember.
ooo ooo
Squall rolled to his left side as the Glacial Eye hurled its sharp tail towards him. Rosie focused her energy as she had during the previous incident with the grats and called forth another Fire spell. The monster floated higher trying to avoid the blow, but its tail was enveloped by the flames, leaving it useless. The Glacial Eye shrieked in pain and directed its next attack to its offender. The ice-blue body bent slightly backwards, making chill air to blow towards Rosie. She looked amazed as small icy particles formed around her. The monster didn´t have the chance to finish casting the Blizzard spell, for Revolver sliced through it´s head, the sharp blade cutting it in half.
Rosie sighed relieved, looked at Squall and nodded smiling.
He nodded a little in return.
Quistis watched their mutual understanding and felt a chill in her heart. Oblivious to the instructor´s feelings, the cadets resumed their walking. They were half-way from the Fire Cavern and had already killed a couple of Glacial Eyes (from which both of them drew more Blizzards) and some Bite-Bugs, which served to reinforce their magical stores further with some Scan spells and more Fires.
For more practical reasons, the three of them decided to avoid the forest near the Fire Cavern, since the chances of encountering a wild T-Rexaur were high and such a fight would surely drain their energies, leaving them too tired for the real challenge.
When they finally arrived to their goal, the instructor took the lead and walked straight to the entrance, guarded by two Faculty members. The blonde stood at attention in front of the men, her regal frame further emphasized by the smooth motion. The cadets followed her example, though Rosie felt incredibly clumsy at it, especially after witnessing Quistis´s natural grace.
One of the Faculty advanced and spoke in a clear, low voice
"Who is the one taking this test?"
Squall advanced a step, Rosie following his example. The Faculty member turned to look at Quistis "This can´t be. Only one of them should enter at the time."
Already expecting the crimson-robed men reaction, the blonde extended the man a folded piece of paper. "Orders from Headmaster Cid. As long as there´s little time before the Field Test, they will take this exam together. I´m their support, instructor 14, Quistis Trepe."
The man took the note and after reading it twice, stepped aside. "Very well, choose your time limit, challenge yet reasonable. Keep in mind, the two of you would participate, which is quite an exception."
Rosie turned to Squall and suggested "How about 15 minutes?"
The brunet considered her words. Maybe they could make it in less time, but there were other monsters aside from Ifrit inside the cavern, and they still had to return to this point after defeating the Fire Guardian. However, taking more time than necessary would probably show indecision and fear, which certainly look bad in their final report.
Finally, Squall nodded "15 minutes sounds fine."
"Very well, good luck". The other Faculty member prepared his chronometer and stepped aside.
The three teens stepped into the cavern. Balamb´s warm, tropical air was replaced by a dry, hot atmosphere. It reminded Rosie of her city´s subway, only 10 times more suffocating. She wheezed slightly and looked at Squall out the corner of her eyes. How could he still wear the heavy-looking jacket in the hellish conditions was beyond her.
The trio walked through the cavern, the sound of their footsteps on solid rock echoing through the walls. Quistis voice suddenly raised above the noise, filling the narrow space "Remember I´m here just to back you up. Everything else is up to you." The cadets nodded, Rosie whispering a faint "yes" in reply.
Squall had already unsheated his weapon and kept his senses focused on his surroundings. The raven-haired walked slightly behind him, concentrating her energy in order to be ready in case a monster decided to attack them. Task that became more and more difficult to accomplish as the extreme heat her body had to endure diverged her focus, overly annoying Rosie. Quistis kept a hand on her whip while her bright, blue eyes settled on the duo in front of her.
The blonde suddenly wondered why Rosie hadn´t bring a weapon with her, but supposed the raven-haired felt more comfortable using only magic. Although the notion was quite a valid one, it would surely cause her to rest some points. If an enemy used a Silence spell on the raven-haired, she would definitely be doomed due to her lack of a secondary defense (or attack) form.
Noticing the tense frame of the leading brunet, the instructor smirked, deciding to lighten the mood a little.
"You know, the boys often choke this test when I come with them." Quistis said casually before a wide smile spread on her beautiful face "I guess my charm makes them nervous."
Squall stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head slightly to regard his instructor. Rosie, her back still facing Quistis, rolled her eyes at the cheap insinuation the blonde had made. She´d never liked that part. A woman like the instructor shouldn´t lower herself to that level.
Quistis chuckled "I´m just kidding, trying to keep you relaxed, that´s all."
Yeah, right. And I´m Mother Theresa. thought Rosie, deciding to keep her words. Instead, the raven-haired just resumed her way.
Squall nodded silently at Quistis and continued his journey as well.
After walking 5 more minutes, Ifrit´s lair was finally visible: a rock island floating in the middle of a hot lava lake, conected to the main area of the cavern by a large, narrow, stone corridor. They were about to cross the bridge, when a sudden roar was heard. The low-pitched sound echoed through the cavern, so neither the instructor nor the cadets were able to pin-point its source´s precise direction.
Looking around, Rosie´s eyes detected a faint movement on her right. Turning quickly, her dark eyes widened when she discovered a sphere emerging from the lava lake.
"Bomb!" she called out.
The others retreated slightly to a wider part of the cavern, so they could fight freely. The creature followed them, floating in mid-air. It´s body was formed by large flames that sent a reddish hue over the cavern´s walls, lighting up the passage with its crimson light. The Bomb made a couple of weird noices and Rosie could see more of this creatures emerging from the lava, while other huge three-winged bat-like creatures descended from the cavern´s ceiling.
"There are some Buels too." Quistis stated, uncoiling the whip at her side.
They were surrounded.
Rosie focused her magic on the first Bomb ready to release an ice spell. This time, instead of the heated sensation coursing through her body, the raven-haired´s insides were refreshed and she could feel the energy centring on the tips of her fingers, painlessly freezing the sensitive skin. She extended her hand towards the monster.
"Blizzard!"
The Bomb´s fire was extinguished by the chill spell, and its life with it. The ball-like monster collapsed to the floor, resembling more a dry rock than something that had once been alive.
Deciding not to give the humans chance to eliminate another one of their kind, the other Bombs lunged towards the cadets. One of them casting a Fire spell, which Rosie barely avoided by ducking. Squall released a Blizzard, hitting another Bomb.
Just 2 more left and 9 minutes to go...
Quistis´s whip had eliminated the Buels, not giving them the chance to attack her students with their magic. Those monsters were quite strong magically, but their physical strenght and defense were almost null. Thus, the instructor decided to let the cadets deal with the most powerful monsters this part of Balamb had to offer.
Still ducking, the raven-haired released another of her ice spells, hitting a Bomb on its right side. The monster emited a painful shriek and collapsed. Squall had done the same to the last Bomb, killing it instantly. He turned towards Rosie who was just climbing to her feet, when suddenly the Bomb she had attacked floated behind the young man. To her dismay, the monster started sucking up air.
It´s about to explode!! SQUALL!!
As fast as she could, the raven-haired grabbed the other cadet´s hand and used all her strenght to pull him away from the monster while releasing another Blizzard. The magic enveloped the monster just as it exploded, icy shards blowing up everywhere.
Having collapsed due to Squall´s weight and Rosie´s momentum, the two of them laid on the cavern´s floor, him on top. Though not even a minute passed, time seemed to freeze for the raven-haired and her heart skipped a beat as she found herself unable to move a single muscle. He was so close, she could feel his breath on her skin. A deep blush spread through her cheeks and for the first time since setting foot on the cave, Rosie blessed the overwhelming heat that helped to hide her flushed face.
When Squall realized his position over her, he immediately bolted to his feet, turning around so neither woman could see the frightened expression his eyes surely held. Rosie stood up and sighed both in relief and a little dissapointment that the little encounter had ended.
"Well done, both of you." Quistis said as she approached through the Bomb´s frozen remains. "Let´s go, you´ve got only 8 minutes left."
Finally arriving at Ifrit´s lair, Rosie was astonished by the immense heat that revolved around the place. A huge hole stood in the middle of the rocky island, forming a pool of lava.
Quistis approached Squall nodded "Guess I was right." He turned slightly to face her and the blonde continued "You and Seifer are in a class of your own. Both have amazing strenght and potencial."
Squall didn´t like the compliment. Being compared to Seifer was one of the things he hated the most.
His attention was drawn suddenly when the lava in the pool started to boil as if it were water. The temperature in the already hot chamber increased and Rosie could feel, though she didn´t know how, the huge magical energy emitted by the fire elemental GF.
Quistis retreated a couple of steps, taking her back-up position "Okay, this is it. Are you ready?"
Maybe in 5 or 6 years... Instead of speaking her mind, Rosie just answered "Yeah". She couldn´t have handled more than a one-syllable word at that moment.
She was terrified.
Squall kept his cool demeanor and unsheathed Revolver. Quistis watched him, nodding approvingly "You seem confident enough." The instructor´s eyes then shifted to the raven-haired, detecting a faint trembling.
Rosie is another story... maybe she´s not ready to be a SeeD. I guess I´ll have to wait and see what she´s capable of.
Squall adopted a ready stance in front of the lava pool and waited. Ifrit didn´t disappoint him. Blasts of red and yellow energy were released from the center of the island, announcing the Guardian´s presence.
Suddenly, a huge form emerged from the flames, its roar shaking the chamber´s walls. When it set foot on the island, the ground trembled. Rosie looked amazed at the majesty of the legendary creature in front of her. It´s eyes were yellow, fierce and glowed with inner fire. The GF was twice as taller as Squall, and well musculed. It´s massive paws displayed huge black, razor-sharp claws. A fiery red mane and two long, black horns adorned its cat-like head. The creature looked at the mortals in front of him and roared again.
The mighty Lord of the Flames, Ifrit, was ready for the challenge.
