Disclaimer - Ah, how I wish it were mine.
Notes - This takes place when Quistis and Seifer are 15 years old. I've always wondered about the
events that happened before the actual game, and why they act the way they do. This is what I'd
like to believe happened.
She coiled the whip snugly around her hands as the Grat gave a dying screech. Tucking a
sleek piece of blonde hair behind her ear, she clucked her tongue in disapproval. When she had first
began her combat training, Grats were formidable enough to keep her on her toes. Now, however,
staying awake was a greater struggle than defeating them.
The major flaw with the Training Center is that there is next to no variety. Grats for beginners,
T-Rexaurs for experts. Quistis Trepe was neither. Always up for a challenge, but never stupid.
She frowned, deciding to scour the monster's remains to see if it had been carrying any items.
Brushing a leafy tentacle away impatiently, a blue stone caught her eye. At first glance it seemed
unimpressive, a pretty pebble at best; but Quistis picked it up just in case. From an early age she
had been taught that things were not always what they seem, a plain appearance can be deceiving.
She searched the rest of the body quickly, no potions or magic powder present. Distractedly,
she stood and closed her fingers around the blue stone. It was relatively cold to the touch, a
welcome sensation due to the warm temperature of the Training Center. Shaking her head, Quistis
placed the stone in her pocket, straightened her belt, and brushed the remaining traces of dirt from
her knees. She decided to ask Instructor Aki about the stone after class the next day.
Barely suppressing a yawn, Quistis made her way to the dormitories. It was after hours, and
several members of the Garden faculty glowered at her from far beneath their robes. Quistis kept her
head raised proudly, giving a smile and nod to each faculty member in turn. They seethed, not being
able to do anything about it, since she was technically not breaking any rules.
"Hello, Quistis," Xu, her roommate, called when she walked in. "I see you're still alive, training
went well I assume," she said with a dry smile. Quistis smirked, linking her fingers together and
stretching her arms out in front of her.
"Boredom will kill me before those Grats do," she rolled her eyes as Xu snickered.
"One of the only aspects of Garden I can criticize. Your fighting skill is really improving,
though, I think you'll be able to take on a T-Rexaur soon enough."
"Really, I'm not interested in going near a T-Rexaur any time soon. Do you remember what
happened to Fujin last year?" she shivered at the memory. "I rather like having two eyes."
"Poor girl..." Xu agreed. "She's had trouble talking ever since."
"I probably would too," Quistis sighed. "Hey, you up for a game of Triple Triad before bed? I'm
trying to get into the card club."
"I'm always up for a game."
***
"Where in Hyne's name did you find this.?" Instructor Aki whispered, adjusting her
glasses so they perched high on her nose. Her index finger was trembling as it traveled across the
small expanse of blue stone. "These aren't supposed to exist anymore. They're a sign of blue
sorcery."
Quistis stood in front of her instructor's desk, wearing a confused expression.
"Blue sorcery? I've never heard of it, Instructor." Aki pushed her chair out, standing up and
holding the stone up to better light. She showed no signs of having heard Quistis, instead she
mused quietly to herself. The pale classroom light flickered over the stone, refracting a blue gleam
onto the wall.
".Quistis. You haven't achieved a Limit skill as of yet, correct?" Aki questioned, a
mysterious edge to her voice. Quistis looked down shamefully; everyone else in her class had
learned a limit break except for her. She frowned down at her well worn boots and shook her head
meekly.
"I want you to do something for me then. Take off your gloves, please."
Brows furrowed, Quistis obeyed. She removed both of her long gloves, folding them neatly
on top of Aki's desk. The instructor placed the stone in her left palm, and Quistis shivered from the
chill that suddenly coursed down her spine.
"Close your eyes and pass your right hand slowly over your left. Concentrate on absorbing the power of the stone. It is much like our system of drawing magic."
Quistis did as she was told, heart pounding. A strong wind blew from nowhere, ruffling some papers on Aki's desk, and tugging thick locks from Quistis' prim ponytail. In the back of her mind, she swore she could hear the sound of waves crashing violently to the shore.
Her eyes shot open unexpectedly, thin rays of light shooting from them. Aki ducked just in time, the rays singing the top of her graying hair. Two small holes formed in the wall behind her, thin black smoke wafting up.
"...Laser Eye..." Quistis announced in a whisper, not knowing where the words were coming from. In the back of her mind, the crashing of the waves became less violent, and soon stilled completely. Aki winced as she ran a hand across her singed hair, not knowing how she'd explain it to her husband. Nevertheless, she fixed her student with a proud grin.
"Headmaster Cid always told me to expect great things out of you, but I never really believed him until this moment," she gushed, rummaging around in her desk and producing a thick book. "There hasn't been a Blue Sorceress heard of since...although it is probably best not to mention that you are one. People haven't taken kindly to any kind of sorceress since the war," she sighed, dropping the book into the girl's hands. Quistis struggled slightly under it's weight.
"I don't understand, Instructor. How can I be a sorceress...I'm just a normal girl." Aki had a faraway expression in her eyes.
"Excitate vos e somno," she murmured. "Somnus non eat." Quistis' eyes widened, quite visibly thinking that her teacher had gone insane. Aki smiled distantly, giving her student's shoulder a slight squeeze.
"My dear, you are much more than just a normal girl. That book will tell you everything you need to know. You best be off now," she said firmly, picking up Quistis' discarded gloves and setting them neatly atop the book. "Remember, don't tell anyone about this. It's too much of a risk."
With that said, Quistis was practically shoved out of the classroom. She frowned as she adjusted the weight of the book in her arms, and for the first time looked down. The book was bound in heavy black leather, the words 'Succession of Witches' emblazoned in silver writing.
Aki leaned heavily against the closed door, her excited heartbeat slowing to a normal pace. Legend wrote that only a destined one could discover a sorcery stone...it was impossible for a normal person to simply stumble upon it. It was obvious that Quistis had no idea what she really was...
A child of fate.
***
Quistis was lost in thought as she turned the corner leading to the elevator. As such, she wasn't aware of the approaching figure until it crashed into her, sending them both sprawling to the floor. The heavy book fell onto the figure's foot painfully.
"Hyne Quistis, why do you always have to read such huge damn books?" Seifer groaned, shoving the volume off his foot. "You're such a nerd."
"Always a pleasure to run into you, Seifer," Quistis rolled her eyes, climbing gracefully to her feet. As she hefted up her book she asked "What are you such in a hurry for, anyway?"
"Well since you're so nosy, I happen to be late for detention with Aki. May I go before she makes it a week of detentions?" he smirked.
"You needn't ask for my permission," she scoffed. "After all, I'm not your instructor."
Tossing her hair in a manner of irritation, Quistis stalked off. Seifer never gave her anything but trouble, that's the way it's always been and the way it always will be. Satisfied that he had won the argument, Seifer made a face at her receding back before showing up for detention.
To his dismay, Instructor Aki gave him a week's worth of detentions after all.
Notes - This takes place when Quistis and Seifer are 15 years old. I've always wondered about the
events that happened before the actual game, and why they act the way they do. This is what I'd
like to believe happened.
She coiled the whip snugly around her hands as the Grat gave a dying screech. Tucking a
sleek piece of blonde hair behind her ear, she clucked her tongue in disapproval. When she had first
began her combat training, Grats were formidable enough to keep her on her toes. Now, however,
staying awake was a greater struggle than defeating them.
The major flaw with the Training Center is that there is next to no variety. Grats for beginners,
T-Rexaurs for experts. Quistis Trepe was neither. Always up for a challenge, but never stupid.
She frowned, deciding to scour the monster's remains to see if it had been carrying any items.
Brushing a leafy tentacle away impatiently, a blue stone caught her eye. At first glance it seemed
unimpressive, a pretty pebble at best; but Quistis picked it up just in case. From an early age she
had been taught that things were not always what they seem, a plain appearance can be deceiving.
She searched the rest of the body quickly, no potions or magic powder present. Distractedly,
she stood and closed her fingers around the blue stone. It was relatively cold to the touch, a
welcome sensation due to the warm temperature of the Training Center. Shaking her head, Quistis
placed the stone in her pocket, straightened her belt, and brushed the remaining traces of dirt from
her knees. She decided to ask Instructor Aki about the stone after class the next day.
Barely suppressing a yawn, Quistis made her way to the dormitories. It was after hours, and
several members of the Garden faculty glowered at her from far beneath their robes. Quistis kept her
head raised proudly, giving a smile and nod to each faculty member in turn. They seethed, not being
able to do anything about it, since she was technically not breaking any rules.
"Hello, Quistis," Xu, her roommate, called when she walked in. "I see you're still alive, training
went well I assume," she said with a dry smile. Quistis smirked, linking her fingers together and
stretching her arms out in front of her.
"Boredom will kill me before those Grats do," she rolled her eyes as Xu snickered.
"One of the only aspects of Garden I can criticize. Your fighting skill is really improving,
though, I think you'll be able to take on a T-Rexaur soon enough."
"Really, I'm not interested in going near a T-Rexaur any time soon. Do you remember what
happened to Fujin last year?" she shivered at the memory. "I rather like having two eyes."
"Poor girl..." Xu agreed. "She's had trouble talking ever since."
"I probably would too," Quistis sighed. "Hey, you up for a game of Triple Triad before bed? I'm
trying to get into the card club."
"I'm always up for a game."
***
"Where in Hyne's name did you find this.?" Instructor Aki whispered, adjusting her
glasses so they perched high on her nose. Her index finger was trembling as it traveled across the
small expanse of blue stone. "These aren't supposed to exist anymore. They're a sign of blue
sorcery."
Quistis stood in front of her instructor's desk, wearing a confused expression.
"Blue sorcery? I've never heard of it, Instructor." Aki pushed her chair out, standing up and
holding the stone up to better light. She showed no signs of having heard Quistis, instead she
mused quietly to herself. The pale classroom light flickered over the stone, refracting a blue gleam
onto the wall.
".Quistis. You haven't achieved a Limit skill as of yet, correct?" Aki questioned, a
mysterious edge to her voice. Quistis looked down shamefully; everyone else in her class had
learned a limit break except for her. She frowned down at her well worn boots and shook her head
meekly.
"I want you to do something for me then. Take off your gloves, please."
Brows furrowed, Quistis obeyed. She removed both of her long gloves, folding them neatly
on top of Aki's desk. The instructor placed the stone in her left palm, and Quistis shivered from the
chill that suddenly coursed down her spine.
"Close your eyes and pass your right hand slowly over your left. Concentrate on absorbing the power of the stone. It is much like our system of drawing magic."
Quistis did as she was told, heart pounding. A strong wind blew from nowhere, ruffling some papers on Aki's desk, and tugging thick locks from Quistis' prim ponytail. In the back of her mind, she swore she could hear the sound of waves crashing violently to the shore.
Her eyes shot open unexpectedly, thin rays of light shooting from them. Aki ducked just in time, the rays singing the top of her graying hair. Two small holes formed in the wall behind her, thin black smoke wafting up.
"...Laser Eye..." Quistis announced in a whisper, not knowing where the words were coming from. In the back of her mind, the crashing of the waves became less violent, and soon stilled completely. Aki winced as she ran a hand across her singed hair, not knowing how she'd explain it to her husband. Nevertheless, she fixed her student with a proud grin.
"Headmaster Cid always told me to expect great things out of you, but I never really believed him until this moment," she gushed, rummaging around in her desk and producing a thick book. "There hasn't been a Blue Sorceress heard of since...although it is probably best not to mention that you are one. People haven't taken kindly to any kind of sorceress since the war," she sighed, dropping the book into the girl's hands. Quistis struggled slightly under it's weight.
"I don't understand, Instructor. How can I be a sorceress...I'm just a normal girl." Aki had a faraway expression in her eyes.
"Excitate vos e somno," she murmured. "Somnus non eat." Quistis' eyes widened, quite visibly thinking that her teacher had gone insane. Aki smiled distantly, giving her student's shoulder a slight squeeze.
"My dear, you are much more than just a normal girl. That book will tell you everything you need to know. You best be off now," she said firmly, picking up Quistis' discarded gloves and setting them neatly atop the book. "Remember, don't tell anyone about this. It's too much of a risk."
With that said, Quistis was practically shoved out of the classroom. She frowned as she adjusted the weight of the book in her arms, and for the first time looked down. The book was bound in heavy black leather, the words 'Succession of Witches' emblazoned in silver writing.
Aki leaned heavily against the closed door, her excited heartbeat slowing to a normal pace. Legend wrote that only a destined one could discover a sorcery stone...it was impossible for a normal person to simply stumble upon it. It was obvious that Quistis had no idea what she really was...
A child of fate.
***
Quistis was lost in thought as she turned the corner leading to the elevator. As such, she wasn't aware of the approaching figure until it crashed into her, sending them both sprawling to the floor. The heavy book fell onto the figure's foot painfully.
"Hyne Quistis, why do you always have to read such huge damn books?" Seifer groaned, shoving the volume off his foot. "You're such a nerd."
"Always a pleasure to run into you, Seifer," Quistis rolled her eyes, climbing gracefully to her feet. As she hefted up her book she asked "What are you such in a hurry for, anyway?"
"Well since you're so nosy, I happen to be late for detention with Aki. May I go before she makes it a week of detentions?" he smirked.
"You needn't ask for my permission," she scoffed. "After all, I'm not your instructor."
Tossing her hair in a manner of irritation, Quistis stalked off. Seifer never gave her anything but trouble, that's the way it's always been and the way it always will be. Satisfied that he had won the argument, Seifer made a face at her receding back before showing up for detention.
To his dismay, Instructor Aki gave him a week's worth of detentions after all.