(Everything of Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft.)
(I apologize because my work is not finished, but I will do so.)
What would have happened if things had been different? Quistis was drifting away again having that small depression moment. She wasn't feeling sad or melancholic like the other times, but this time she had that question. How could she had changed things anyways… She was sitting down besides the bay while the sunset made the pretty, golden loins shimmer a bit. She slowly and gently moved away one of those golden bangs, but soon it was again on her facial features. She sighed and glanced to the horizon covering with her profile what was being left of the sunset.
After quite a few moments of small debating inside her mind, she managed to realize that it was getting late. She slightly smiled in that faintly way of hers that her cool and icy expressions would allow. Tiresome she closed her cold blue-grayish eyes and leaned back on the concrete pole of the platform. What if thing had been different? Different how? Nothing can change… Why different? In so many questions the high ranked instructor started to daze away and in a matter of seconds, when the sun had left the horizon, she was in a light sleep.
* * *
"Instructor…" A silent and short knock on the classroom door made Quistis wake up still a little tired. She blinked noticing how she was sitting down at her chair and her puzzled gaze shifted to a quite confused one. The glasses she wore gave a slight gleam as she turned to the door to stare at it in silence. The last thing she remembered was being at the bay of Balamb, but no one knew she had gone there. She stood up dusting lightly her cadet/instructor uniform and shook her head a little to take her other thoughts away, "…yes? Come in…"
Perhaps being at the bay was just another crazed little dream of her obsessions being devastated. In any case, the person who had knocked on the door was Squall Leonhart, once her student but also her platonic love. She was puzzled since he was a SeeD now and he had no need of her assistance anymore. In fact she did never think he would ever need assistance and she raised an eyebrow slowly studying Squall. He seemed to be doing the same since apparently she had not being very discreet about her small puzzlement gap, "I came because I must go to the Fire Cavern… in order to take the test. You remember, Instructor?"
Now she was not just puzzled, but perplexed since he was not just calling her "Instructor" but actually in the need to take the last requirement for the test. She glanced about the classroom and rapidly her gaze fell back into her now student's umber, blue-shaded eyes, "Yes, yes I do…" She actually had no idea, was this repeating a story? She blinked for a moment silent, which made Squall somewhat nervous even though this was not shown as always, "Perhaps in a another ti-"
"No!" Quistis said to halt him from anything else taking gently those transparent glasses off and setting the pair on the desk. She understood now… This is a dream or Déjà vu? Well whatever it was she had to go by it and so that made her the instructor once again. "I am able today, I am just a little distracted. Well it does not matter," she nodded slowly. Quistis made her way to the door in slow reverberant steps that echoed through the vast empty classroom glancing over her shoulder to her student with a more assuring glance as she opened the door, "meet me at the front gate, and Squall..?" She still had a question… Hadn't they called her to pick up a student at the infirmary that morning? Maybe it wasn't Déjà vu.
"Hrm?" Squall lifted his gaze to his instructor and as always just gave her that iron expression unable to get rid of it. Quistis never seemed to mind since she had known him for a long time and this was his natural persona. She managed to give a faint fading smile, "Did you encountered Seifer before class started this morning?" And she had no idea how she knew to ask that question or for what. She had no idea what answer to look for so she looked away from the eyes of her student feeling like he was missing something, something characteristic…
A scar? I don't know, but something… "No…" Squall answered in a brief manner making his way to the door as well and stand there to wait until she walked out. "…Alright… I was just -" She walked out since she knew perfectly that the lone wolf would not care the reason she was asking the question. She made her way through the deck in a quite pressured manner then slowing down a bit as she came to the elevator. A little nervous she was since she felt that this was different and strange, she felt in a different land but this was no dream because things hurt. She had proven that fact by hitting lightly, in accident, her hand against the elevator railing thanks to her rapid movements of her trembling self.
As the elevator made its way down she was thinking of her student, Squall, yet she had in her mind these other persons who she had never seen before. At least she thought she had never seen them, but could it be that she had? As the ping of the elevator stopping was heard she immediately shook her head and walked out of the elevator nodding in courtesy to one of the supervisors that was about to aboard the elevator. Squall perhaps taking his time to get to the front gate while Quistis had made her way through the curved hallway to enter the one that would lead to the dormitories. "Is this really happening? Did he really came and even asked me if I had time?" She whispered to herself as this little spacing was taking her time.
As walked up the steps, a group of three Trepies waved at her in that hyperactive manner yet she just gave a slight nod of greeting. Not bothering to pay attention, she walked past the several students and at last making it to her room, which was of course more spacious and bigger since she was an instructor and had several privileges. Anyhow, she was not going to waste time and so she changed into that outfit of hers she used to battle. Perhaps it had a kind of value to her, but that is actually unknown. She glanced to the small dark brown desk in which she had placed her Chain whip and slowly walked to it. She allowed one pale hand to take the weapon and for a moment she looked at it, What about the Save the Queen? Slightly she brought it to her loose belt to attach it there meanwhile the battle was not to start, and so she headed for where she was to be, the front gate.
* * *
Squall was already in the front gate leaning on his shoulder against the fence, in a lazy manner he was glancing out the Garden area unaware of his instructor's arrival. Quistis came to the destiny silently and she was a little surprised to see that her antisocial student was already there. I remember that.. I was here, but- Her thinking would have to wait even though it bothered her not to be able to make out what all this was. She was wondering why she kept telling herself why everything was wrong or different from the way they should have been. Quistis soon forgot about it in order to concentrate for the next task.
"Squall, glad you made it this soon. I am the one who is late…" She said with that tender and faint smile of hers. Squall blinked and turned slowly to face his instructor since he had not exactly known she had been there while he had been in deep meditation, he just nodded. Nevertheless, when he straightened himself from leaning against the fence he spoke, "I plan to graduate…" Quistis nodded as well and started to move towards the plains in a gentle pace so Squall wouldn't fall far behind, "Good, SeeDs are to be early always. If you prefer to get a higher rank that is."
Squall did not nod this time since it didn't really matter, after all Quistis was a bit ahead and she would have not been able to see him nod or not. He was the person who was not to waste anything yet he did listen to what she had to teach. The plains had been windy for a season now and that made their way to the Fire Cavern more interesting since Bite Bugs would probably come around. The wind tossed Squall's chestnut brown hair wildly, but hardly noticeable because of the shortness of it. In contrast to Squall, Quistis did raised her hand to retrieve the golden noirs away from her face only to notice a Glacial Eye heading towards them. She stopped and took her grip of the Chain whip handle gesturing Squall to advance to a battle position.
As the abstract monster came closer at great speed, she pulled out the Chain whip raising it high in the air and then whipping down hard towards the enemy. The Glacial Eye curved itself in a defensive position, but that also meant that it might counter with petrify. Her eyes widened in some shock as the Glacial Eye erected itself and was about to cast what she had feared. From the side the slashing and thunderous sound of the Gunblade crashing to the Glacial Eye's cartilage was heard. The creature slowly fell to the ground and started to fade.
Quistis had felt tremor and fear but not for herself, yet she didn't know this exactly. Squall looked down to where the creature had lied dead and then his cold gaze came to his instructor. She just nodded and looked away rapidly in a nervous manner in reality for no reason at all. Quistis made her way past Squall towards the entrance of the Fire Cavern concentrating hard on being the so much famous instructor and she stopped before the two faculty members. Squall was looking away in that drifting manner of his when she turned to him, for a moment she said nothing, but then she had to interrupt whatever thinking he was doing, "Squall, listen. You do remember the Gunblade rules, right?"
Squall gave a secure nod and she nodded slightly as well in acceptance, "Now, junctioning magic and Guardian Forces…" she gave that so long explanation that even she had to admit it was boring, but it was her job and she tried her best to make it brief, "…you understand?" And Squall nodded once again as always uninterested or so it appeared to be, "…yes…" Her grip on the Chain Whip tightened as Squall glanced away again perhaps waiting for the procedure and protocol. Since Squall hadn't forgotten his Guardian Forces, Shiva and Quetzalcolt, then everything was going to be alright. Didn't he had forgotten about it? She frowned slightly at this voice of herself that kept coming back soon letting it go.
She nodded authoritative and turned to face the faculty members who greeted her with nothing else than just silence and an expressionless gaze. "I am Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe," she said now positioning herself to salute the personnel as Squall followed with the same salutation she continued the presentation, "this is my student, Squall Leonhart, and I will be his support." As the two faculty members gave a barely noticeable nod, both the student and the instructor, dropped their saluting positions. Simultaneously, as the staff opened way to allow them to enter they whispered something, "how long will it take you to finish the task?" Their could voice did not even quiver or trembled, as if they where machines.
Quistis shot a glance at Squall who was giving a daring and challenging glance towards one of the members. Quistis was about to respond when her student interrupted not really intending to do so, or maybe not even caring, "Twenty minutes…" The staff nodded and jotted it down or appeared to do that as Quistis was studying Squall unsure of the time he had chosen. Squall stepped forward and inside the cave before Quistis and she realized that there was no time to loose so she followed catching up, but still staying somewhat behind.
"You know. Some of my students often choke here during this part of the test," Quistis inquired smiling lightly as they kept making their way through the fire dungeon. Squall said nothing as if he had ignored her question; he just kept walking towards the end getting closer and closer every time. "I suppose this task is one of the most challenging ones, especially without any help…" She said almost audibly and halted to a stop since Squall had done the same and just look at her as if she had said something that wasn't supposed to be said, or as if something was missing in that phrase… "Whatever…" He finally said after a long pause and started to head towards the monument-like place made of several bones of different things.
She allowed Squall to go ahead a few steps more before she started walking again at the same pace smiling a bit faintly hearing Squall say the phrase that most gave of him. She shook her head lightly but no chuckle came out because they were finally in the desired area. Quistis caught up to Squall and halted him as he was about to enter the sacred Fire God's space, "I was right, Seifer and you have indeed the same potential, are you sure and ready?" With this Squall just raised his hand and waved it dismissingly at the instructor behind him apparently not fearing a thing in the world.
The Instructor though knew that what was coming was ill tempered and severe with visitors so she started to prepare herself slowly taking a battle position again. The ground below their feet gave a slight tremble, but then it became a low earthquake making them loose their balance a bit. Squall took a step back and aside from Quistis's position as he tightened his hold on the Gunblade which he gripped as it where a sword most of the time in contrast to Seifer's stance. From the ground the Fire King, Ifrit, rose sending a few droplets of warm lava and volcanic rock shreds to spread on the small area. With a fierce roar, the beast shook his head menacingly letting that lion mane of his sway in every move, "Who dares to enter my dominion?!" Ifrit asked, but it was too late to give an explanation since he was not going to let this visitors escape.
Quistis gave a step back, looked at the beast for a moment secure of herself when she raised her whip, and then strike Ifrit with it. At this time Squall was concentrating on summoning Shiva, as the prickles of shimmering dust where starting to appear, Ifrit just gave a little cringe at being struck and then he grinned in that lion way of his, "Not bad for a human…" The Fire God roared in the air and leaped upwards. He landed in front of Quistis after a few seconds and struck her with that huge fist of his definitely making her fall to the ground in a resisting manner.
Finally, Diamond Dust was cast and Shiva appeared replacing Squall for a short gap. The Ice Queen broke free from her ice prison by giving a slight nudge and then her eyes connected a furtive glace towards Ifrit's own. Ifrit took a step back indeed abruptly as his expression became a surprised one when Shiva raised her hands to end up shooting the diamond dust making everything around Ifrit to freeze. When the ice broke into pieces that hit Ifrit, she disappeared bringing Squall back in his normal stance while Ifrit shook his head and grunted moving away some ice crumbles from his muzzle.
"They got Shiva…" Ifrit said to himself in a quite loud and hoarse voice. Squall gave an uninterested glace at Quistis who was just gaining composure and regaining the air Ifrit had made her lost. The student then glanced at Ifrit lazily and he raised him Gunblade as he ran towards the distracted Guardian Force. Quistis took notice of this and shook her head lightly still a little dazed, she managed to take her position again and strike Ifrit at the same time Squall had slashed him. Ifrit roared frustrated and glared down at Squall with those gleaming yellow orbs, he snorted and whacked the student away with the back of his right lion hand.
Squall crashed into one of the rocks, but of course, he was already standing never unaware of the pain he would feel or should be feeling. Quistis rapidly glanced at Squall worriedly but yet unable to express this for the moment since he already started to cast Diamond Dust in order to call Shiva once again. Quistis turned to the raged Fire God and before this one could try to strike with the fist again she whipped him again severely causing a small injury with the Chain Whip. Ifrit took hold of his arm as he grunted and looked at Quistis as he took a step back once again were the lava puddle was. The beast lowered himself a bit and rapidly threw some lava casting Fire, but this was directed to Squall since he knew that this would damage Shiva.
Squall hinted a slight cringe feeling a bit of pain but everything else being absorbed by Shiva. Quistis again struck to distract the beast, but she knew that the Fire God was extremely clever so she stopped at the moment Squall raised his hand in the air and again became replaced by the ice that busted from the ground below. The same sequence happened again and as soon as the ice pieces fell from Ifrit's fur and became dust, the Fire God renounced and knelt down in one knee. His breathing was somewhat intense now and his fierce yellow orbs turned to Squall, "Very well, I will join you…" The now summon disappeared onto thin air and in a red light directed himself to Squall as a matter of seconds junctioning. Squall did not blink or did anything, he just nodded absently towards Quistis and started to head off.
As they walked back through the path they had come from Quistis still had the morning thought bothering her. She didn't even noticed that the faculty members where not at the entrance anymore, but she didn't, wouldn't, forget to congratulate her student. She knew the answer she might receive but it was a teacher thing to do, wasn't it? "You did a good job, Squall, you will do excellent in the unwritten test of today…" She promoted glancing towards the Garden's front gate. Squall looked away in that spacing manner and gave a slight freezing nod at her statement, he did gave an answer though, "…I have to…"
It could be said she was grateful that at least he said something, but what he said sounded as if he would take the test without his consent! She did not nod this time, she just started to walk away while mentioning Squall a few details, "Be sure that you rest a moment and show yourself in the lobby in an hour ready for the field exam." Squall again would not nod or bother to say anything since it wouldn't matter… it was an order after all. He made his way towards his dormitory as Quistis made her way to her classroom in order to check if the report sheets had come in yet.
(I apologize because my work is not finished, but I will do so.)
What would have happened if things had been different? Quistis was drifting away again having that small depression moment. She wasn't feeling sad or melancholic like the other times, but this time she had that question. How could she had changed things anyways… She was sitting down besides the bay while the sunset made the pretty, golden loins shimmer a bit. She slowly and gently moved away one of those golden bangs, but soon it was again on her facial features. She sighed and glanced to the horizon covering with her profile what was being left of the sunset.
After quite a few moments of small debating inside her mind, she managed to realize that it was getting late. She slightly smiled in that faintly way of hers that her cool and icy expressions would allow. Tiresome she closed her cold blue-grayish eyes and leaned back on the concrete pole of the platform. What if thing had been different? Different how? Nothing can change… Why different? In so many questions the high ranked instructor started to daze away and in a matter of seconds, when the sun had left the horizon, she was in a light sleep.
* * *
"Instructor…" A silent and short knock on the classroom door made Quistis wake up still a little tired. She blinked noticing how she was sitting down at her chair and her puzzled gaze shifted to a quite confused one. The glasses she wore gave a slight gleam as she turned to the door to stare at it in silence. The last thing she remembered was being at the bay of Balamb, but no one knew she had gone there. She stood up dusting lightly her cadet/instructor uniform and shook her head a little to take her other thoughts away, "…yes? Come in…"
Perhaps being at the bay was just another crazed little dream of her obsessions being devastated. In any case, the person who had knocked on the door was Squall Leonhart, once her student but also her platonic love. She was puzzled since he was a SeeD now and he had no need of her assistance anymore. In fact she did never think he would ever need assistance and she raised an eyebrow slowly studying Squall. He seemed to be doing the same since apparently she had not being very discreet about her small puzzlement gap, "I came because I must go to the Fire Cavern… in order to take the test. You remember, Instructor?"
Now she was not just puzzled, but perplexed since he was not just calling her "Instructor" but actually in the need to take the last requirement for the test. She glanced about the classroom and rapidly her gaze fell back into her now student's umber, blue-shaded eyes, "Yes, yes I do…" She actually had no idea, was this repeating a story? She blinked for a moment silent, which made Squall somewhat nervous even though this was not shown as always, "Perhaps in a another ti-"
"No!" Quistis said to halt him from anything else taking gently those transparent glasses off and setting the pair on the desk. She understood now… This is a dream or Déjà vu? Well whatever it was she had to go by it and so that made her the instructor once again. "I am able today, I am just a little distracted. Well it does not matter," she nodded slowly. Quistis made her way to the door in slow reverberant steps that echoed through the vast empty classroom glancing over her shoulder to her student with a more assuring glance as she opened the door, "meet me at the front gate, and Squall..?" She still had a question… Hadn't they called her to pick up a student at the infirmary that morning? Maybe it wasn't Déjà vu.
"Hrm?" Squall lifted his gaze to his instructor and as always just gave her that iron expression unable to get rid of it. Quistis never seemed to mind since she had known him for a long time and this was his natural persona. She managed to give a faint fading smile, "Did you encountered Seifer before class started this morning?" And she had no idea how she knew to ask that question or for what. She had no idea what answer to look for so she looked away from the eyes of her student feeling like he was missing something, something characteristic…
A scar? I don't know, but something… "No…" Squall answered in a brief manner making his way to the door as well and stand there to wait until she walked out. "…Alright… I was just -" She walked out since she knew perfectly that the lone wolf would not care the reason she was asking the question. She made her way through the deck in a quite pressured manner then slowing down a bit as she came to the elevator. A little nervous she was since she felt that this was different and strange, she felt in a different land but this was no dream because things hurt. She had proven that fact by hitting lightly, in accident, her hand against the elevator railing thanks to her rapid movements of her trembling self.
As the elevator made its way down she was thinking of her student, Squall, yet she had in her mind these other persons who she had never seen before. At least she thought she had never seen them, but could it be that she had? As the ping of the elevator stopping was heard she immediately shook her head and walked out of the elevator nodding in courtesy to one of the supervisors that was about to aboard the elevator. Squall perhaps taking his time to get to the front gate while Quistis had made her way through the curved hallway to enter the one that would lead to the dormitories. "Is this really happening? Did he really came and even asked me if I had time?" She whispered to herself as this little spacing was taking her time.
As walked up the steps, a group of three Trepies waved at her in that hyperactive manner yet she just gave a slight nod of greeting. Not bothering to pay attention, she walked past the several students and at last making it to her room, which was of course more spacious and bigger since she was an instructor and had several privileges. Anyhow, she was not going to waste time and so she changed into that outfit of hers she used to battle. Perhaps it had a kind of value to her, but that is actually unknown. She glanced to the small dark brown desk in which she had placed her Chain whip and slowly walked to it. She allowed one pale hand to take the weapon and for a moment she looked at it, What about the Save the Queen? Slightly she brought it to her loose belt to attach it there meanwhile the battle was not to start, and so she headed for where she was to be, the front gate.
* * *
Squall was already in the front gate leaning on his shoulder against the fence, in a lazy manner he was glancing out the Garden area unaware of his instructor's arrival. Quistis came to the destiny silently and she was a little surprised to see that her antisocial student was already there. I remember that.. I was here, but- Her thinking would have to wait even though it bothered her not to be able to make out what all this was. She was wondering why she kept telling herself why everything was wrong or different from the way they should have been. Quistis soon forgot about it in order to concentrate for the next task.
"Squall, glad you made it this soon. I am the one who is late…" She said with that tender and faint smile of hers. Squall blinked and turned slowly to face his instructor since he had not exactly known she had been there while he had been in deep meditation, he just nodded. Nevertheless, when he straightened himself from leaning against the fence he spoke, "I plan to graduate…" Quistis nodded as well and started to move towards the plains in a gentle pace so Squall wouldn't fall far behind, "Good, SeeDs are to be early always. If you prefer to get a higher rank that is."
Squall did not nod this time since it didn't really matter, after all Quistis was a bit ahead and she would have not been able to see him nod or not. He was the person who was not to waste anything yet he did listen to what she had to teach. The plains had been windy for a season now and that made their way to the Fire Cavern more interesting since Bite Bugs would probably come around. The wind tossed Squall's chestnut brown hair wildly, but hardly noticeable because of the shortness of it. In contrast to Squall, Quistis did raised her hand to retrieve the golden noirs away from her face only to notice a Glacial Eye heading towards them. She stopped and took her grip of the Chain whip handle gesturing Squall to advance to a battle position.
As the abstract monster came closer at great speed, she pulled out the Chain whip raising it high in the air and then whipping down hard towards the enemy. The Glacial Eye curved itself in a defensive position, but that also meant that it might counter with petrify. Her eyes widened in some shock as the Glacial Eye erected itself and was about to cast what she had feared. From the side the slashing and thunderous sound of the Gunblade crashing to the Glacial Eye's cartilage was heard. The creature slowly fell to the ground and started to fade.
Quistis had felt tremor and fear but not for herself, yet she didn't know this exactly. Squall looked down to where the creature had lied dead and then his cold gaze came to his instructor. She just nodded and looked away rapidly in a nervous manner in reality for no reason at all. Quistis made her way past Squall towards the entrance of the Fire Cavern concentrating hard on being the so much famous instructor and she stopped before the two faculty members. Squall was looking away in that drifting manner of his when she turned to him, for a moment she said nothing, but then she had to interrupt whatever thinking he was doing, "Squall, listen. You do remember the Gunblade rules, right?"
Squall gave a secure nod and she nodded slightly as well in acceptance, "Now, junctioning magic and Guardian Forces…" she gave that so long explanation that even she had to admit it was boring, but it was her job and she tried her best to make it brief, "…you understand?" And Squall nodded once again as always uninterested or so it appeared to be, "…yes…" Her grip on the Chain Whip tightened as Squall glanced away again perhaps waiting for the procedure and protocol. Since Squall hadn't forgotten his Guardian Forces, Shiva and Quetzalcolt, then everything was going to be alright. Didn't he had forgotten about it? She frowned slightly at this voice of herself that kept coming back soon letting it go.
She nodded authoritative and turned to face the faculty members who greeted her with nothing else than just silence and an expressionless gaze. "I am Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe," she said now positioning herself to salute the personnel as Squall followed with the same salutation she continued the presentation, "this is my student, Squall Leonhart, and I will be his support." As the two faculty members gave a barely noticeable nod, both the student and the instructor, dropped their saluting positions. Simultaneously, as the staff opened way to allow them to enter they whispered something, "how long will it take you to finish the task?" Their could voice did not even quiver or trembled, as if they where machines.
Quistis shot a glance at Squall who was giving a daring and challenging glance towards one of the members. Quistis was about to respond when her student interrupted not really intending to do so, or maybe not even caring, "Twenty minutes…" The staff nodded and jotted it down or appeared to do that as Quistis was studying Squall unsure of the time he had chosen. Squall stepped forward and inside the cave before Quistis and she realized that there was no time to loose so she followed catching up, but still staying somewhat behind.
"You know. Some of my students often choke here during this part of the test," Quistis inquired smiling lightly as they kept making their way through the fire dungeon. Squall said nothing as if he had ignored her question; he just kept walking towards the end getting closer and closer every time. "I suppose this task is one of the most challenging ones, especially without any help…" She said almost audibly and halted to a stop since Squall had done the same and just look at her as if she had said something that wasn't supposed to be said, or as if something was missing in that phrase… "Whatever…" He finally said after a long pause and started to head towards the monument-like place made of several bones of different things.
She allowed Squall to go ahead a few steps more before she started walking again at the same pace smiling a bit faintly hearing Squall say the phrase that most gave of him. She shook her head lightly but no chuckle came out because they were finally in the desired area. Quistis caught up to Squall and halted him as he was about to enter the sacred Fire God's space, "I was right, Seifer and you have indeed the same potential, are you sure and ready?" With this Squall just raised his hand and waved it dismissingly at the instructor behind him apparently not fearing a thing in the world.
The Instructor though knew that what was coming was ill tempered and severe with visitors so she started to prepare herself slowly taking a battle position again. The ground below their feet gave a slight tremble, but then it became a low earthquake making them loose their balance a bit. Squall took a step back and aside from Quistis's position as he tightened his hold on the Gunblade which he gripped as it where a sword most of the time in contrast to Seifer's stance. From the ground the Fire King, Ifrit, rose sending a few droplets of warm lava and volcanic rock shreds to spread on the small area. With a fierce roar, the beast shook his head menacingly letting that lion mane of his sway in every move, "Who dares to enter my dominion?!" Ifrit asked, but it was too late to give an explanation since he was not going to let this visitors escape.
Quistis gave a step back, looked at the beast for a moment secure of herself when she raised her whip, and then strike Ifrit with it. At this time Squall was concentrating on summoning Shiva, as the prickles of shimmering dust where starting to appear, Ifrit just gave a little cringe at being struck and then he grinned in that lion way of his, "Not bad for a human…" The Fire God roared in the air and leaped upwards. He landed in front of Quistis after a few seconds and struck her with that huge fist of his definitely making her fall to the ground in a resisting manner.
Finally, Diamond Dust was cast and Shiva appeared replacing Squall for a short gap. The Ice Queen broke free from her ice prison by giving a slight nudge and then her eyes connected a furtive glace towards Ifrit's own. Ifrit took a step back indeed abruptly as his expression became a surprised one when Shiva raised her hands to end up shooting the diamond dust making everything around Ifrit to freeze. When the ice broke into pieces that hit Ifrit, she disappeared bringing Squall back in his normal stance while Ifrit shook his head and grunted moving away some ice crumbles from his muzzle.
"They got Shiva…" Ifrit said to himself in a quite loud and hoarse voice. Squall gave an uninterested glace at Quistis who was just gaining composure and regaining the air Ifrit had made her lost. The student then glanced at Ifrit lazily and he raised him Gunblade as he ran towards the distracted Guardian Force. Quistis took notice of this and shook her head lightly still a little dazed, she managed to take her position again and strike Ifrit at the same time Squall had slashed him. Ifrit roared frustrated and glared down at Squall with those gleaming yellow orbs, he snorted and whacked the student away with the back of his right lion hand.
Squall crashed into one of the rocks, but of course, he was already standing never unaware of the pain he would feel or should be feeling. Quistis rapidly glanced at Squall worriedly but yet unable to express this for the moment since he already started to cast Diamond Dust in order to call Shiva once again. Quistis turned to the raged Fire God and before this one could try to strike with the fist again she whipped him again severely causing a small injury with the Chain Whip. Ifrit took hold of his arm as he grunted and looked at Quistis as he took a step back once again were the lava puddle was. The beast lowered himself a bit and rapidly threw some lava casting Fire, but this was directed to Squall since he knew that this would damage Shiva.
Squall hinted a slight cringe feeling a bit of pain but everything else being absorbed by Shiva. Quistis again struck to distract the beast, but she knew that the Fire God was extremely clever so she stopped at the moment Squall raised his hand in the air and again became replaced by the ice that busted from the ground below. The same sequence happened again and as soon as the ice pieces fell from Ifrit's fur and became dust, the Fire God renounced and knelt down in one knee. His breathing was somewhat intense now and his fierce yellow orbs turned to Squall, "Very well, I will join you…" The now summon disappeared onto thin air and in a red light directed himself to Squall as a matter of seconds junctioning. Squall did not blink or did anything, he just nodded absently towards Quistis and started to head off.
As they walked back through the path they had come from Quistis still had the morning thought bothering her. She didn't even noticed that the faculty members where not at the entrance anymore, but she didn't, wouldn't, forget to congratulate her student. She knew the answer she might receive but it was a teacher thing to do, wasn't it? "You did a good job, Squall, you will do excellent in the unwritten test of today…" She promoted glancing towards the Garden's front gate. Squall looked away in that spacing manner and gave a slight freezing nod at her statement, he did gave an answer though, "…I have to…"
It could be said she was grateful that at least he said something, but what he said sounded as if he would take the test without his consent! She did not nod this time, she just started to walk away while mentioning Squall a few details, "Be sure that you rest a moment and show yourself in the lobby in an hour ready for the field exam." Squall again would not nod or bother to say anything since it wouldn't matter… it was an order after all. He made his way towards his dormitory as Quistis made her way to her classroom in order to check if the report sheets had come in yet.