~Present – Chapter one~
Cloudy grey eyes followed the articulate movements of her brother as he went
through a complex battle dance. Kaddar skipped forward and thrust out with his
father's blade and danced off to the side, supposedly out of an opponents range.
Fureya frowned slightly, her brow wrinkling in thought as she shook her head with
disgust. In her opinion Kaddar is too flashy with his swordplay; it hardly seemed
practical. She climbed to her feet and scrubbed her sweaty palms dry on her
tunic.
"Kaddar!" She called. "Fight ya." Kaddar looked down his nose at his younger sister
and shrugged.
Fureya smiled grimly and drew her blade, eyes steel grey with resolve.
As per usual, the battle is a quick one with Fureya coming out the victor. As she
expected, people congratulated Kaddar on being so noble and letting his little
sister beat him.
Fureya's temper broke and she stormed into the house, slamming the door behind
her.
She is so sick of being 'Kaddar's little sister' and told 'you're just a girl, leave the
swordplay to the men!'.
Living in Deling City with her father and brother is hardly Fureya's piece of cake.
She was always forgotten, and trod all over. Her only joy is when she poses as a
boy and snuck into the Galbadian Army training ranks. She pulls of such a feat by
pining her lengthy raven locks up under a hat and binding her small breasts flat
with a special corset.
Fureya stands at five foot and seven inches with a sinewy muscled frame that
disguised her feminine curves. Her long raven hair that reached her shoulder blades
was her pride; she's seen many photos of her mother with long raven locks. So by
having the same hair, she feels closer to her dead mother. She has her fathers
stormy grey eyes framed by long dark lashes.
Sighing softly, Fureya stared down at a tatty and worn old 'Balamb Garden'
pamphlet. More than anything, Fureya wished to go there and train to be a SeeD.
She'd petitioned her father over and over to no avail, he refused to let her go. So
now, she is going to run away and go without his permission. Even if meant that
sacrifices would be necessary.
Digging her prized dagger out of her underwear drawer, she slowly started to hack
off her long raven locks. The end result was a boyish looking Fureya with short
black hair. It was longer at the top and to her dismay she noted it sat almost
identical to the way her fathers did. (Something Kaddar could never achieve.)
Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Fureya stared at her reflection in a
mirror and threw her shoulders back and put her chin up.
"Balamb Garden, here I come." She muttered.
~*~
-Two years earlier-
Seifer stared down at his daughter in exasperation.
"Keladryie Almasy." He growled, crossing his arms across his chest. "I sent you to
school under the pretence that you would learn, not maul the male population." He
narrowed his sombre emerald gaze as his fifteen-year-old daughter shrugged.
"I don't want to learn about Ancient Rome. I don't want to learn about
Shakespeare!" Keladryie's voice was rising with each word as she worked herself
into a familiar temper. "I want to learn the tactics of mounting an attack against
an enemy. I want to learn how to be unbeatable with one weapon while being
adept at many others! I want to the arts of defence! I want to go to Balamb
Garden!"
Seifer rubbed his forehead and sighed. As of late, this argument is way too familiar
and it was starting to grate his frazzled nerves. Keladryie would muck up at school
and then come home and blast him about wanting to be at Balamb Garden.
"Fine! Go!" Seifer groaned, relenting. Mikola snickered softly at this sight; she'd
seen this coming. Seifer shot her a dark stare and Mikola grinned wickedly at him.
"Thank you Daddy!" Keladryie called as Seifer stalked down the hall to the back
door.
~ Present ~
Fureya shrugged her bag onto her shoulder and exited the headmistresses' office.
It had been years since she had seen her 'Auntie' Quistis and she was thankful for
such, Quistis hadn't recognized her niece. She hummed a little ditty and wandered
off to the tailors to get her required uniform whilst she tried not to gape at the
sights of the Garden.
Grunting at the seamstress as her measurements were taken, she changed into a
uniform and shoved a bundle more into her bag. She was almost thankful that she
didn't have to wear the girl's uniform; Fureya was not at all fond of skirts.
Dumping her small pile of uniforms and her travel bag in her designated dorm, she
started to explore the Garden.
Wandering, it wasn't long before Fureya got a feel for the Garden layout. Proud of
herself she silently congratulated herself, letting her mind wander for a few
minutes. Not really paying attention to where she was headed, she smacked into a
taller girl with dark red hair.
"Sorry." Fureya grunted as she tried to duck away from the stranger.
"Your new, aren't ya boy?" The girl called curiously, noting she'd never seen him
around before. Fureya grunted and shrugged in agreement. "What's your name at
least?" She prodded, raising an eyebrow at Fureya.
"Furei Hanover." Fureya lied, trying to work her body into a manlier pose. "Who are
you?"
"Keladryie Almasy." The redheaded girl stated primly causing Fureya's eyebrows to
shoot up. This was the daughter of Seifer Almasy, her father's rival. Squall had
told Kaddar and Fureya many tales from his past involving Seifer, and none of
them said any good about him.
"Almasy as in Seifer Almasy?" She blurted, unguarded disgust flashing across her
features for a moment. Kella noticed the look instantly a flash of irritation running
through her. Nothing annoyed her more than some moron preaching to her about
her father's evils, and for similar reason she hated Squall's children even though
she'd never met them. She blamed him and them in turn for her fathers disgrace.
"Yeah. What's it to you?" She snapped irritably. "Let me guess, you believe Seifer
to be some unholy devil and idolize Leonhart?" Keladryie narrowed her blazing
emerald eyes at the silent pensive youth before her.
"You could say that. I just know that Seifer Almasy is scum, I'd hoped his
daughter was different, but after meeting you I realize how sadly mistaken I am!"
Growled Fureya as she clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Seifer's daughter smirked at her and shrugged as if she didn't care. "Whatever."
She snorted and turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving behind an irritated
Fureya.
Fureya was interrupted from her murderous thoughts as the door into her shared
dorm opened to admit her supposed roommate. The tall youth that just entered
look down at the scrap of male Fureya portrayed.
"Fresh meat." He grinned. "Pity your not female, always looking for new women."
Fureya stared up at him in disbelief as he let out a gentle chuckle. "The name's
Willard Trepe." He made a face as he mentioned his name before continuing. "Most
people call me Shark, for reasons' you may or may not find out later. What's your
name?" Fureya grinned up at Will, and held out her hand and shook his hand,
noting the warmth of his hand.
"Furei Hanover." She said in a low gruff voice. Will grinned again and punched her
in the shoulder. "I'll introduce to the other guys and show you to the women of
this place." A thought struck Fureya as Will proceeded to drag her out of the
dorm. Willard Trepe… That meant he was Quistis son, which meant she'd met him
before. He'd hit on her as twelve year old and she'd proceeded to punch him in the
nose. Cringing at the memory, she hoped they got along better this time.
Keladryie tramped into her dorm and slammed the door, making her roommate,
Vivienne startle and jump.
"Jeez, Kella. Have some thought for the rest of us." She teased lightly before
noting the stormy expression on her face. "What's up?" Keladryie turned and faced
Vivienne, with her hands planted firmly on her hips. "I met some moronic little
twerp of a boy who dared to tell me that my father was scum and that I was just
like him!" Keladryie was only mildly surprised she was sharing this with her
roommate, but she just had to the urge to complain to someone about the
annoying brat she'd met. "I swear I'm going to beat him into oblivion if he ever
pulls such stupidity again." Keladryie grumbled in a promising tone as Vivienne
shook her head slowly, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter.
Cloudy grey eyes followed the articulate movements of her brother as he went
through a complex battle dance. Kaddar skipped forward and thrust out with his
father's blade and danced off to the side, supposedly out of an opponents range.
Fureya frowned slightly, her brow wrinkling in thought as she shook her head with
disgust. In her opinion Kaddar is too flashy with his swordplay; it hardly seemed
practical. She climbed to her feet and scrubbed her sweaty palms dry on her
tunic.
"Kaddar!" She called. "Fight ya." Kaddar looked down his nose at his younger sister
and shrugged.
Fureya smiled grimly and drew her blade, eyes steel grey with resolve.
As per usual, the battle is a quick one with Fureya coming out the victor. As she
expected, people congratulated Kaddar on being so noble and letting his little
sister beat him.
Fureya's temper broke and she stormed into the house, slamming the door behind
her.
She is so sick of being 'Kaddar's little sister' and told 'you're just a girl, leave the
swordplay to the men!'.
Living in Deling City with her father and brother is hardly Fureya's piece of cake.
She was always forgotten, and trod all over. Her only joy is when she poses as a
boy and snuck into the Galbadian Army training ranks. She pulls of such a feat by
pining her lengthy raven locks up under a hat and binding her small breasts flat
with a special corset.
Fureya stands at five foot and seven inches with a sinewy muscled frame that
disguised her feminine curves. Her long raven hair that reached her shoulder blades
was her pride; she's seen many photos of her mother with long raven locks. So by
having the same hair, she feels closer to her dead mother. She has her fathers
stormy grey eyes framed by long dark lashes.
Sighing softly, Fureya stared down at a tatty and worn old 'Balamb Garden'
pamphlet. More than anything, Fureya wished to go there and train to be a SeeD.
She'd petitioned her father over and over to no avail, he refused to let her go. So
now, she is going to run away and go without his permission. Even if meant that
sacrifices would be necessary.
Digging her prized dagger out of her underwear drawer, she slowly started to hack
off her long raven locks. The end result was a boyish looking Fureya with short
black hair. It was longer at the top and to her dismay she noted it sat almost
identical to the way her fathers did. (Something Kaddar could never achieve.)
Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Fureya stared at her reflection in a
mirror and threw her shoulders back and put her chin up.
"Balamb Garden, here I come." She muttered.
~*~
-Two years earlier-
Seifer stared down at his daughter in exasperation.
"Keladryie Almasy." He growled, crossing his arms across his chest. "I sent you to
school under the pretence that you would learn, not maul the male population." He
narrowed his sombre emerald gaze as his fifteen-year-old daughter shrugged.
"I don't want to learn about Ancient Rome. I don't want to learn about
Shakespeare!" Keladryie's voice was rising with each word as she worked herself
into a familiar temper. "I want to learn the tactics of mounting an attack against
an enemy. I want to learn how to be unbeatable with one weapon while being
adept at many others! I want to the arts of defence! I want to go to Balamb
Garden!"
Seifer rubbed his forehead and sighed. As of late, this argument is way too familiar
and it was starting to grate his frazzled nerves. Keladryie would muck up at school
and then come home and blast him about wanting to be at Balamb Garden.
"Fine! Go!" Seifer groaned, relenting. Mikola snickered softly at this sight; she'd
seen this coming. Seifer shot her a dark stare and Mikola grinned wickedly at him.
"Thank you Daddy!" Keladryie called as Seifer stalked down the hall to the back
door.
~ Present ~
Fureya shrugged her bag onto her shoulder and exited the headmistresses' office.
It had been years since she had seen her 'Auntie' Quistis and she was thankful for
such, Quistis hadn't recognized her niece. She hummed a little ditty and wandered
off to the tailors to get her required uniform whilst she tried not to gape at the
sights of the Garden.
Grunting at the seamstress as her measurements were taken, she changed into a
uniform and shoved a bundle more into her bag. She was almost thankful that she
didn't have to wear the girl's uniform; Fureya was not at all fond of skirts.
Dumping her small pile of uniforms and her travel bag in her designated dorm, she
started to explore the Garden.
Wandering, it wasn't long before Fureya got a feel for the Garden layout. Proud of
herself she silently congratulated herself, letting her mind wander for a few
minutes. Not really paying attention to where she was headed, she smacked into a
taller girl with dark red hair.
"Sorry." Fureya grunted as she tried to duck away from the stranger.
"Your new, aren't ya boy?" The girl called curiously, noting she'd never seen him
around before. Fureya grunted and shrugged in agreement. "What's your name at
least?" She prodded, raising an eyebrow at Fureya.
"Furei Hanover." Fureya lied, trying to work her body into a manlier pose. "Who are
you?"
"Keladryie Almasy." The redheaded girl stated primly causing Fureya's eyebrows to
shoot up. This was the daughter of Seifer Almasy, her father's rival. Squall had
told Kaddar and Fureya many tales from his past involving Seifer, and none of
them said any good about him.
"Almasy as in Seifer Almasy?" She blurted, unguarded disgust flashing across her
features for a moment. Kella noticed the look instantly a flash of irritation running
through her. Nothing annoyed her more than some moron preaching to her about
her father's evils, and for similar reason she hated Squall's children even though
she'd never met them. She blamed him and them in turn for her fathers disgrace.
"Yeah. What's it to you?" She snapped irritably. "Let me guess, you believe Seifer
to be some unholy devil and idolize Leonhart?" Keladryie narrowed her blazing
emerald eyes at the silent pensive youth before her.
"You could say that. I just know that Seifer Almasy is scum, I'd hoped his
daughter was different, but after meeting you I realize how sadly mistaken I am!"
Growled Fureya as she clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Seifer's daughter smirked at her and shrugged as if she didn't care. "Whatever."
She snorted and turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving behind an irritated
Fureya.
Fureya was interrupted from her murderous thoughts as the door into her shared
dorm opened to admit her supposed roommate. The tall youth that just entered
look down at the scrap of male Fureya portrayed.
"Fresh meat." He grinned. "Pity your not female, always looking for new women."
Fureya stared up at him in disbelief as he let out a gentle chuckle. "The name's
Willard Trepe." He made a face as he mentioned his name before continuing. "Most
people call me Shark, for reasons' you may or may not find out later. What's your
name?" Fureya grinned up at Will, and held out her hand and shook his hand,
noting the warmth of his hand.
"Furei Hanover." She said in a low gruff voice. Will grinned again and punched her
in the shoulder. "I'll introduce to the other guys and show you to the women of
this place." A thought struck Fureya as Will proceeded to drag her out of the
dorm. Willard Trepe… That meant he was Quistis son, which meant she'd met him
before. He'd hit on her as twelve year old and she'd proceeded to punch him in the
nose. Cringing at the memory, she hoped they got along better this time.
Keladryie tramped into her dorm and slammed the door, making her roommate,
Vivienne startle and jump.
"Jeez, Kella. Have some thought for the rest of us." She teased lightly before
noting the stormy expression on her face. "What's up?" Keladryie turned and faced
Vivienne, with her hands planted firmly on her hips. "I met some moronic little
twerp of a boy who dared to tell me that my father was scum and that I was just
like him!" Keladryie was only mildly surprised she was sharing this with her
roommate, but she just had to the urge to complain to someone about the
annoying brat she'd met. "I swear I'm going to beat him into oblivion if he ever
pulls such stupidity again." Keladryie grumbled in a promising tone as Vivienne
shook her head slowly, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter.