What if...?
~oOo~
Squall Leonhart sat on his bed. He stared at the uniform beside him, and then stood and changed into it. I can't get much more prepared for this than I already am. I've done all the prerequisites, and I passed the written exam - barely. I can't do any more to prepare. He left his dorm, and went to the directory.
"Squall, over here!" Instructor Trepe called her student to her, he walked over to her, and waited silently. "You'll be the squad leader for this exam Squall. The rest of Squad B will consist of Selphie Tilmitt and Nida Nakajima." Squall nodded. His two team mates walked over then, and they waited with Quistis as the Headmaster stood at the front of the entry hall.
***
What are they up to? Squall stood back, watching the Galbadian Soldiers passing through the courtyard. They were acting very suspiciously, but Squall shook his head.
"Squad Leader, shouldn't we go after them?" Nida asked. Squall shook his head again.
"No, we'll only get into trouble for leaving our post. We'll stay here until the withdraw order." Nida and Selphie exchanged glances, then looked up at the tower in the distance. Then they set to waiting for their orders.
***
"Damn! That was the last car, wasn't it?" Nida frowned. Squall raised his eyebrow a little, but didn't say anything, just nodded. "Ah well, at least we aren't the only ones walking. Isn't that Flann and Marid?" Squall frowned, the two bullies never bothered him, but they had been boasting recently about a boy in Balamb City that made an easy target. He started walking, determined to make Garden before sunset. Nida and Selphie scrambled to keep up with him
Zell Dincht looked up from the circuit board he was working on, as the cars from Garden passed through Balamb. He smiled a little sadly, and turned his head away to see a pair of Garden students bearing down on him. He sighed, and gathered himself to flee. As best he could. He grabbed at his walking stick swiftly, but the two bullies beat him to it. He frowned. They held the cane too high for him to reach. And with his damaged leg, he couldn't jump to reach it. As they taunted him, he saw three figures coming over, also in Garden's uniform. Oh great. They're either here to help them, or they're going to be too afraid to stand up to them. He blinked as the dark haired boy in the lead calmly took his cane from the pair, and handed it to him, without stopping. As he passed, he noted.
"I believe that harassing the citizens of Balamb leads to an immediate demotion for any SeeD, and an immediate fail for a student on his or her SeeD exam. I have witnesses." He didn't even pause. The girl with him, frowned slightly, but stopped and looked at Zell curiously.
"Are you all right?" The look on her face said that she thought that the other student should have asked that.
"I'm alright," Zell noted, he looked up seeing the two bullies racing after his rescuer, "They never hurt me physically, since that demotion rule exists, they just do what you saw." She nodded.
"Those two are always like that, Right Nida?" the other boy nodded slightly.
"You're lucky, at least you have that rule to protect you. In Garden we don't have that kind of protection from them." Zell frowned.
"Lucky huh? I wanted to get into Garden, but they didn't want someone who can't fight."
"Why? Why do you need the cane?" the girl asked, then slapped her hands over her mouth. "Omega! That was so rude! I'm so sorry." Zell just smiled.
"I'm lame, it's irreparable. Ma had it checked out when she adopted me, to see if I could be healed." Nida tiled his head.
"How did it happen? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Zell laughed.
"I'm not that fragile, you know! It was an accident when I was a kid. I went to the beach, on my own, and got attacked by a fastiticalon, I'm lucky to be alive really, if Matron had been any slower getting to me..." she nodded, understanding. She looked over at the dark haired boy waiting for her and her friend, and sighed.
"We'd better get back to Garden, since we're on our exam at the moment. If we're too late getting to Garden, it might reflect bad on our Instructor. But anyway, what's your name?"
"Zell, Zell Dincht." She grinned.
"Nice to meet you Zell, maybe we can catch up some time! This is Nida Nakajima, and I'm Selphie Timitt, and the antisocial guy that rescued you is Squall Leonhart." With that, Selphie rose, grinned at Zell, and grabbed Nida's arm, and dragged him off after Squall. If sh had looked back at that moment, she would have seen Zell staring after her dumbfounded. Selphie? Squall? Fuck. I just found about half my old family, but she didn't even twitch when I said my name was Zell, hell she didn't twitch when I mentioned adoption and Matron either! What is going on? Why didn't she remember. Does Squall remember? And where are Quisty and Irvy? Zell rose to his feet painfully, gripping his almost forgotten cane.
***
Selphie entered Garden with no small relief. She watched as Squall informed Instructor Trepe about Flann and Marid's behaviour in Balamb. She smiled a little, and agreed to tell the Headmaster about it. Selphie grinned as Nida settled on a nearby bench, and stretched his arms up.
"That was so dull. I could have done with a bit more action!" Nida glanced at her, and grinned.
"But if there had been more action, you would have complained that they were making the exam too hard. Selphie laughed cheerfully, as the announcement came for all SeeD candidates to go to the second floor.
If anyone wants to know the 'original' version of the fastiticalon incident (ie - when Seifer was at the orphanage) go to my Livejournal,
Back to index
back to teaser
on to chapter 2
Okay, this is the real first chapter of the Sequel. It starts with the Seed Exam, and skips through the 'highlights' of the rest of the day. As can be expected, life at Balamb Garden is very different without Seifer, and in the little ways as well as the big. This timeline has, for starters, a very different Zell. RAFO...
OC names are chosen primarily for meaning.
Oh! And gratuitious use of Nida. I really really really think he was severely underused in the game. I really liked him.
~oOo~
Squall Leonhart sat on his bed. He stared at the uniform beside him, and then stood and changed into it. I can't get much more prepared for this than I already am. I've done all the prerequisites, and I passed the written exam - barely. I can't do any more to prepare. He left his dorm, and went to the directory.
"Squall, over here!" Instructor Trepe called her student to her, he walked over to her, and waited silently. "You'll be the squad leader for this exam Squall. The rest of Squad B will consist of Selphie Tilmitt and Nida Nakajima." Squall nodded. His two team mates walked over then, and they waited with Quistis as the Headmaster stood at the front of the entry hall.
***
What are they up to? Squall stood back, watching the Galbadian Soldiers passing through the courtyard. They were acting very suspiciously, but Squall shook his head.
"Squad Leader, shouldn't we go after them?" Nida asked. Squall shook his head again.
"No, we'll only get into trouble for leaving our post. We'll stay here until the withdraw order." Nida and Selphie exchanged glances, then looked up at the tower in the distance. Then they set to waiting for their orders.
***
"Damn! That was the last car, wasn't it?" Nida frowned. Squall raised his eyebrow a little, but didn't say anything, just nodded. "Ah well, at least we aren't the only ones walking. Isn't that Flann and Marid?" Squall frowned, the two bullies never bothered him, but they had been boasting recently about a boy in Balamb City that made an easy target. He started walking, determined to make Garden before sunset. Nida and Selphie scrambled to keep up with him
Zell Dincht looked up from the circuit board he was working on, as the cars from Garden passed through Balamb. He smiled a little sadly, and turned his head away to see a pair of Garden students bearing down on him. He sighed, and gathered himself to flee. As best he could. He grabbed at his walking stick swiftly, but the two bullies beat him to it. He frowned. They held the cane too high for him to reach. And with his damaged leg, he couldn't jump to reach it. As they taunted him, he saw three figures coming over, also in Garden's uniform. Oh great. They're either here to help them, or they're going to be too afraid to stand up to them. He blinked as the dark haired boy in the lead calmly took his cane from the pair, and handed it to him, without stopping. As he passed, he noted.
"I believe that harassing the citizens of Balamb leads to an immediate demotion for any SeeD, and an immediate fail for a student on his or her SeeD exam. I have witnesses." He didn't even pause. The girl with him, frowned slightly, but stopped and looked at Zell curiously.
"Are you all right?" The look on her face said that she thought that the other student should have asked that.
"I'm alright," Zell noted, he looked up seeing the two bullies racing after his rescuer, "They never hurt me physically, since that demotion rule exists, they just do what you saw." She nodded.
"Those two are always like that, Right Nida?" the other boy nodded slightly.
"You're lucky, at least you have that rule to protect you. In Garden we don't have that kind of protection from them." Zell frowned.
"Lucky huh? I wanted to get into Garden, but they didn't want someone who can't fight."
"Why? Why do you need the cane?" the girl asked, then slapped her hands over her mouth. "Omega! That was so rude! I'm so sorry." Zell just smiled.
"I'm lame, it's irreparable. Ma had it checked out when she adopted me, to see if I could be healed." Nida tiled his head.
"How did it happen? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Zell laughed.
"I'm not that fragile, you know! It was an accident when I was a kid. I went to the beach, on my own, and got attacked by a fastiticalon, I'm lucky to be alive really, if Matron had been any slower getting to me..." she nodded, understanding. She looked over at the dark haired boy waiting for her and her friend, and sighed.
"We'd better get back to Garden, since we're on our exam at the moment. If we're too late getting to Garden, it might reflect bad on our Instructor. But anyway, what's your name?"
"Zell, Zell Dincht." She grinned.
"Nice to meet you Zell, maybe we can catch up some time! This is Nida Nakajima, and I'm Selphie Timitt, and the antisocial guy that rescued you is Squall Leonhart." With that, Selphie rose, grinned at Zell, and grabbed Nida's arm, and dragged him off after Squall. If sh had looked back at that moment, she would have seen Zell staring after her dumbfounded. Selphie? Squall? Fuck. I just found about half my old family, but she didn't even twitch when I said my name was Zell, hell she didn't twitch when I mentioned adoption and Matron either! What is going on? Why didn't she remember. Does Squall remember? And where are Quisty and Irvy? Zell rose to his feet painfully, gripping his almost forgotten cane.
***
Selphie entered Garden with no small relief. She watched as Squall informed Instructor Trepe about Flann and Marid's behaviour in Balamb. She smiled a little, and agreed to tell the Headmaster about it. Selphie grinned as Nida settled on a nearby bench, and stretched his arms up.
"That was so dull. I could have done with a bit more action!" Nida glanced at her, and grinned.
"But if there had been more action, you would have complained that they were making the exam too hard. Selphie laughed cheerfully, as the announcement came for all SeeD candidates to go to the second floor.
If anyone wants to know the 'original' version of the fastiticalon incident (ie - when Seifer was at the orphanage) go to my Livejournal,
Back to index
back to teaser
on to chapter 2