Final Fantasy VIII

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Eleven

"Hah! Found you!"

Squall sighed inwardly. He had barely opened the door to his dorm room when Selphie jumped up from the table where she had been sitting and ran over to him. The girl was dressed in her brand new SeeD uniform, with its black fabric and golden trim. Selphie pulled a quick pose, showing off her new uniform. It looked strangely good on her.

"Well, well!" the girl asked eagerly. She did a little turn. "What do you think! My SeeD uniform!"

She looked at Squall expectantly. He looked back but said nothing. Selphie placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "You should get changed, too," she told him. "We have that party to go to."

The inauguration party… Squall sighed again. It was more of a ball than a party. There would be food and drink (for those who were old enough), and another speech from the headmaster, reminding everyone of the standards they were expected to uphold as members of SeeD. After that there would be a formal dance. It was a much looked forward to event by all of Garden.

Squall, however, was not interested in parties or speeches. He had hoped to slip away following the class speech and return to his dorm unnoticed, but it seemed that Selphie had somehow guessed his plan and had beaten him here. One look at her face told him she was not prepared to let him get away. Squall sighed and made a point to find out just who had told her where his room was.

Squall walked past Selphie and entered his room. The student dormitories were shared accommodation, with two students paired into a single dorm room. Currently the other bedroom in the dorm was unoccupied, which was how Squall preferred it. Other students meant more distractions, and Squall did not like to have his privacy invaded. He shut the door behind him, sealing himself off inside his room.

His SeeD uniform had been laid out neatly on his bed. Squall undid his belt and laid his gunblade down next to its case. Another image of the lion, same as the keychain on the gunblade, was embedded onto the front of the case. Squall took a moment to look at the lion's image. He laid his hand upon it, as though he could draw all the traits the lion possessed through touch alone. It was a foolish thought, he knew, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was possible.

Putting those thoughts aside, Squall turned his attention to changing uniforms. The SeeD uniform was stiff and uncomfortable, but it would wear in after a few uses. Most SeeD only wore their uniforms while they were in Garden. Missions often required subterfuge and secrecy, particularly those of a delicate or political nature, so it was essential that none but the client knew that Garden had ever been involved. In fact it was part of their Garden Code that SeeD never reveal who they really were, in order to protect both themselves and their clients.

Once he was changed, Squall stepped back outside. Selphie, as expected, was still waiting for him. When he came out of the room the girl turned and looked him over, nodding her head in approval.

"Heeey! Lookin' good!" she said. "Alright! Let's hit that PAAH-TAY!"


About two hours later, in the dance hall off the West Block of Garden, the inauguration party was in full swing. The dance hall was the most prestigious building in the whole of Garden. It was made out of smooth stone and had been inlaid with a marble floor. A large glass roof covered the dance hall, allowing all those inside a full glimpse of the night sky. A stage had been erected at the far end of the hall, where the students from the Garden's music class were playing a variety of popular formal dance pieces. A number of couples had gathered on the dance floor and were dancing to the music.

It was rumoured that it was Headmaster Cid who had designed the dance hall, although Squall could not picture it himself. The dance hall was elegant and refined and had a romantic feel to it. It would be the perfect place to try to court a young lady, for example. It just did not fit in with the image of the headmaster.

For most of the party Squall had remained at the sidelines, leaning against one of the tall marble pillars. Selphie had abandoned him the second they had arrived, awed by the sheer size and majesty of the dance hall. Squall could have used that chance to escape, but since he was already there and had nothing else to do anyway, he chose to stay for a while.

A waitress walked by. She stopped by Squall and curtseyed before handing him a glass of freshly opened champagne. Although he was not legally old enough to drink yet, the headmaster made allowances on special occasions such as these. In Cid's mind, by becoming members of SeeD they had proven themselves to be responsible adults and he made sure that they were treated as such. In Garden, becoming a member of SeeD was like coming of age, although it was a crude comparison.

The waitress bowed and left. Squall raised his glass to his lips. The drink was cool, and he could feel the bubbles bursting inside his mouth. He held the liquid there for a moment, taking in its taste and texture, before swallowing it in a single gulp.

Squall leaned back against the pillar and sighed. Now that he was a member of SeeD, he would be sent out on missions all across the world. It was his duty to fulfil those missions, even at the cost of his own life. That was what SeeD was all about.

Or was it? Squall frowned, recalling what the headmaster had said earlier before he had been interrupted. That there was another aspect of SeeD besides being hired combat specialists. If that was true, then what was it? And did it really matter all that much? Squall swirled his glass, watching as the liquid sloshed about inside of it.

"Yo!"

The annoyingly familiar voice cut through his thoughts and brought Squall back to reality. He looked up and spotted Zell running towards him from across the dance hall. The fighter weaved his way through the throng of dancing couples and stopped in front of Squall. Like Selphie, his face was still glowing with pride.

"S'up, Squall?" he asked. He grinned and placed a hand on his hip. "Heh-heh, I guess we're both SeeDs now, huh?" Zell then rubbed his hand against his trousers, checked it, and then held it out to Squall. "Put it there, man."

Squall gave Zell's outstretched hand a long, blank stare. The swordsman then took a sip of his drink and looked away, silent.

Zell lowered his hand. "Huh, even as a SeeD, you're still the same," he said, shaking his head. He then looked up and grinned at Squall broadly, brushing it off. "Well, that's typical of you." The fighter raised a hand. "See ya!"

Zell turned and ran off towards the food tables, hoping that there were some hotdogs left. Squall looked away and raised his glass. He had just taken a sip of his drink when another familiar voice called out from the dance floor.

"Oh… Hey, Zell. Wanna join the Garden Festival committee and…"

"Sorry, I… ah… Just remembered something! Gotta go! See ya!"

"Hmmmm… Squall! Hi!"

Squall looked up again. Selphie was jogging towards him. For the past half hour she had been making her way around the hall, speaking to all the SeeD members she could find, attempting to persuade them to join the Garden Festival committee. The headmaster's whispered words to her earlier had inspired her, and she wanted to do her best to ensure the Garden Festival was a success. So far she had not had much luck, but Squall could not fault her determination.

"Wanna join the Garden Festival committee?" the girl asked as she walked up. "You can help out whenever you have the time." She pulled her sweetest face. "Please?"

Squall sighed. Not for the first time, he wondered how a girl such as her had ever made it into a military academy, much less become a member of SeeD. He sipped his drink and turned his head from her. Determined or not, he had no interest in the Garden Festival, or being on the committee.

The silence stretched out between them. Then Selphie turned and pointed at a young SeeD who was trying to attract the attention of the waitress. "S'cuse me!" she called. "You, right there!" With that she ran off and Squall was alone once again.

Squall took a deep breath and sighed. A clock on the nearby wall told him it was almost 11pm. The inauguration party was due to come to a close at midnight, after a final good luck speech from the headmaster. Tomorrow Squall would begin his duties as a member of SeeD. If he was lucky, he could even be assigned his first mission.

He turned his eyes away from the dance hall and looked up at the night sky. The stars were barely visible, their twinkling light obscured by the manufactured light of the Garden. There would be no moon tonight, which meant that the stars had free reign over the sky.

As though responding to his thoughts, a shooting star passed across the sky. It was there for only a fraction of a second, before it was gone from view. If his eyes had been anywhere else at that moment, he would have missed it.

Squall was not the only one who had seen the shooting star. In the middle of the dance floor, a young woman with long black hair also stood gazing up at the sky. She was young, no old than Squall, and wore a creamy-white silk dress. Unlike the other people on the dance floor she was alone, which was probably what had drawn Squall's attention to her. The woman continued to watch the sky even after the star had gone, as though she was waiting for it to return.

As though sensing his eyes on her, the woman turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes, large and dark, caught his gaze. She looked right back at him, holding his gaze in hers. She smiled and raised her index finger.

Confused, Squall tilted his head. Seeing that she had not been understood, the woman walked over to him. She curtseyed.

"You're the best looking guy here," she said. Smiling, she placed her hands on her hips. "Dance with me?"

Squall looked at her but said nothing. As he did with Zell and Selphie, he took a sip of his drink and turned his head away from her. The woman, however, did not leave. She seemed oblivious to the fact she was being ignored, or rather she chose not to acknowledge it. The music piece that had been playing for the past five minutes came to a close, and the music students paused to prepare the next piece.

"Let me guess…" said the young woman suddenly, recapturing Squall's attention. "You'll only dance with someone you like. Okay, then…"

Squall looked up, expecting the woman to walk away. Instead she came closer. She leaned over, her dark hair falling around her face, and gazed up at him. She looked right into his eyes as she began to twirl her finger round and round, and spoke in a soothing, melodic tone.

"You're-going-to-like-me…" she chanted. "You're-going-to-like-me…" She then paused. "Did it work?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.

Squall stared back at her, his face blank. Forget Selphie… this woman was even more bizarre. Did she think she was some kind of sorceress, waving her finger about like that? Magic took a lot more effort than that… effort and training. This woman probably had neither. Was she even a member of Garden?

The woman continued to gaze at him, her eyes hopeful. She clearly was not going to leave without a direct answer. Squall broke her gaze and shook his head. "…I can't dance," he replied, hoping she would take the hint and leave.

"You'll be fine. Come on."

Before he could stop her, the woman reached out and took his hand. She held it in a firm grip as she tugged him towards her.

"I'm looking for someone," she explained, giving him another tug. "I can't be on the dance floor alone."

Squall barely had time to set down his glass before the woman dragged him away from the pillar and onto the dance floor. As if on cue the music started up again, playing a cheerful, classical rhythm.

As the music restarted the dancing couples also began to move. The dark-haired girl weaved her way past them, heading for an open space near the middle of the dance floor. She moved with confidence, dragging the hapless Squall behind her.

When she reached the open spot she suddenly stopped, causing Squall to almost walk into her. She turned around and placed him into position, placing one hand on her hip and taking the other in her own hand.

She looked up at her unwilling dance partner. Squall was staring at his hands; it really did seem that he had no idea what to do. The young woman smiled and placed her free hand gently upon his shoulder. Squall looked up and met her gaze. She nodded gently and then, moving slowly at first, they began to dance.

She moved right first, and then left… Squall tried to copy her movements, but it was awkward and his feet kept shuffling across the floor. He tore his eyes away from his feet to look at her, but as he did so the woman then moved back and he staggered forward, breaking their contact. The woman took his hands and put them back into place. She began to dance again, as though nothing had happened.

This time Squall kept his eyes on his feet and did his best to mimic her moves. This woman—whoever she was—was a very good dancer. Her movements were fluid and elegant, well trained, and she danced with an air of confidence Squall could have mistaken for nobility. Beside her he must appear awkward and clumsy… which was just how he felt right then. Squall tried to put those thoughts out of his mind and focused solely on his movements, trying not to step on the young woman's feet.

He was so focused on not stepping on her that he missed the next move. The young lady threw herself outward, extending her arm. Caught off guard by the sudden move Squall was thrown out too, and when the lady drew herself back she pulled Squall with her. They collided, none too gracefully. They broke contact and this time there was a flash of annoyance on the young woman's face.

Unable to bear the charade any longer Squall turned to leave, shaking his head. Realising that he was about to leave her, the woman ran after him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back, her expression apologetic.

Squall did not know, now would he ever know, why he allowed her to pull him back that day. He could have shaken himself free and walked away, yet he chose not to. Maybe it was the woman's face, innocent and pleading, wanting him to stay. Or maybe it was because he was so confused and clueless at that point that he had no alternative but to stay.

Whatever the reason, Squall did remain. He held her hand lightly in his as she turned on the dance floor and then returned to his arms, resuming the side steps they had been doing before.

Squall was just beginning to get the hang of it when another couple came dancing too close. They crashed into each other and both couples stopped. Squall stared at the couple in confusion, unsure of what he should do.

Rather than apologise, the dark-haired woman rudely stuck her tongue out at the couple. Surprised by this sudden action, the man and woman quickly turned away and returned to their dancing. The woman turned back to Squall. His eyes were on the dancing couple, watching their moves.

Realising that she was staring at him, Squall looked back and met her gaze. She smiled, reassuring, her eyes soft.

The music reached its peak and when the chorus started the woman began to dance once more, holding Squall's hand in hers. Squall, to her surprise, danced with her in perfect time. His moves were exact, as perfect as her own. The woman smiled… so he could dance, after all!

Together they danced through the chorus, their moves in perfect time with each other and the rhythm of the music. At the right moment they released each other's hands and stepped around each other. The woman raised her arms and held them over her head as she stepped around Squall, moved behind him, and then moved back to stand alongside him.

When she dropped her arms Squall reached out and took her hand, drawing her close. All of the confusion and clumsiness from before—feigned through his reluctance to dance with her—was all gone now. He held her hand firmly in his and he danced with utmost confidence as they parted and then came back together. They parted once more, the woman smiling with delight.

As they came together for the third time they suddenly stopped, just as the chorus came to a close. While the couples around them continued to dance, Squall and the dark-haired woman did not move. They stood together, in the middle of the dance floor, their hands lightly touching.

Outside, a firework shot up into the sky. It exploded with a loud bang, startling Squall and breaking his eye contact with the young woman. He looked up at the sky just as more fireworks rose and exploded. In a matter of seconds the night sky had changed entirely, the calm black replaced by showers of radiant colour. Squall watched the fireworks as they lit up the night sky, and he smiled a little.

The woman, meanwhile, gazed up at him. Squall's attention was fixed entirely on the fireworks. He seemed to have forgotten that she was there, but she did not mind. She just watched him, silently, wondering what he was thinking.

The woman then looked over Squall's shoulder and she spotted the person she had been waiting for standing in the doorway. Seeing her move, Squall looked down at her. The woman gave him an apologetic look before she pulled away from him. She walked across the dance floor towards the doorway, leaving Squall behind.

All Squall could do was watch as she left and he wondered, for a moment, if maybe he had imagined her all along.


Not long after, Squall stood on the balcony just outside the dance hall. After the stifling heat and the crowded atmosphere inside, he was glad to finally have some time to himself. The balcony overlooked another pride and joy of Balamb Garden: its outside gardens. Numerous plants and shrubs, trees and manmade brooks wound their way around through the gardens, illuminated by the bright light coming from the dance hall. The only sound was that of the music still playing inside, the din muffled by the closed glass doors.

The fireworks had finished now, and the air was filled with the lingering scent of smoke. The scent drowned out the scent of the gardens, ruining the nature-like atmosphere of the gardens. Squall watched as the smoky clouds headed east towards the forests of Balamb, carried away by the nightly wind.

"You really are an excellent student. Even that dance was perfect."

Squall glanced over his shoulder. Through the corner of his eye he saw Instructor Trepe standing behind him. She was still in her SeeD uniform. Squall had not heard her walk up. He wondered why she was here. The headmaster would be giving his closing speech soon. Come to think of it, he realised, he had not seen the instructor all evening.

Squall turned back to the gardens. "Thank you," he said.

He expected the instructor to leave at that point, but Quistis did not move. She remained standing behind him, her arms folded across her chest, waiting for him to say something more. Squall felt her gaze on his back. Eventually he sighed.

"Yes?"

Quistis looked hurt. "So you'll dance with someone you don't even know, but you can't stand being around me?"

The woman… In all honesty, Squall had almost forgotten about her already. Once she left the dance floor she had disappeared entirely, as though she had never even existed. But Quistis had seen her too, apparently, so she must have been real. Knowing that Quistis was not going to leave without an answer, Squall turned his back on the gardens and faced her.

"…Whatever," he said. "You're an instructor, and I'm your student. It's kind of awkward when you don't say anything."

A smile spread on Quistis's face, and she laughed. "That's true. I was like that myself." She looked up at the sky, where the light of the stars were beginning to pierce through the drifting smoke clouds. "…Oh, I completely forgot. I wonder what's to become of me?" She shook her head and pushed her glasses back up.

"I've come to give you an order," she told him. The laughter was gone now, and her face was serious. "You and I are to go to the 'secret area'. It's where students secretly meet up and talk after curfew. It's inside the training centre."

Squall had heard of it before. "What do you want to do there?" he asked her. "Are we going there to tell everyone they're violating curfew? If that's the case, forget it. Leave that for the disciplinary committee."

Once again Quistis burst into laughter, holding her sides. Squall stared blankly at her. Had he said something funny?

When Quistis finally finished laughing, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled at Squall. "Go get changed and meet me in front of the training centre," she said. "This will be my last order."

Squall sighed and reluctantly nodded. It looked like it would be a while longer before he could get some time to himself.

He walked past Quistis, and he felt her eyes on him as he left the balcony and returned to the dance hall. The final piece was coming to a close, and he could see the headmaster and the other instructors assembling before the stage. The headmaster looked merry, beaming around with unending pride at all the SeeD gathered around him.

Squall weaved his way through the crowds and exited the dance hall. The corridor was empty, with everyone either in bed or in the dance hall. Just as he shut the doors behind him, he heard the headmaster's voice trying to capture everyone's attention. Squall paused for a moment and looked back. Instructor Trepe had re-entered the dance hall and was standing next to the headmaster. He couldn't make out her expression from this distance, but he could tell by her posture that she was on edge.

Get changed and meet at the training centre? What's this all about…?


A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS

And with this chapter, I wish you all a Happy New Year! The next chapter should conclude Part 01 of the story, so I hope you all have a very good year. I'll see you with the next update!