AN: Hey everybody! Here¡¦s the second chapter (yes, this one is gonna be a REAL long chapter ^^¡¦¡¦) to. Enjoy and don¡¦t forget to r/r! Oh yeah, don¡¦t forget to check out my favorite stories and authors section when you have the time! I promise you that all of the stories and authors I put there are really worth checking out! However, some of the stories tend to be a bit long¡K^_^
P.S. See? I told you I¡¦ll keep the author¡¦s notes short! I know some peoples¡¦ authors¡¦ notes are shorter, but this is really short to me already. Yeah. I¡¦m weird. ^^¡¦¡¦
**********
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft. However, all original ideas are mine to claim¡KI think.
**********
Warning: Nothing huge really. Just a bit¡Xokay, a little more than a bit of profanity. But hey, what¡¦s a good story without cussing in it, right?
__________
Mission: Possible, Partner: Impossible
¡§There are two times when I feel stress¡Xday and night.¡¨
Everybody has a job here at Balamb Garden. Zell¡¦s job is to go to the cafeteria everyday to be told that there are no more hotdogs left, and Selphie¡¦s is to act innocent and happy-go-lucky every single day. Well, hers really isn¡¦t a job¡Xshe was actually born like that.
Irvine¡¦s profession is flirting, which in fact I think he does very well, due to the amount of times girls have came up to me and asked for his dorm room number. I don¡¦t tell them, of course¡Xbecause I don¡¦t know his dorm number either and I hope I never find out.
However, I do tell them to inform Irvine that if he wants to keep his relationship going with Selphie, he¡¦d better find something else he¡¦s good at besides chatting with girls and sharp-shooting. Nobody can depend on only two ways to survive in this world. But I don¡¦t think anyone¡¦s ever heard me say that before, because they¡¦re usually gone by the time I say I don¡¦t know his dorm number. Probably went to hack into the office files or something to look for it. Oh well. Not my problem.
Squall¡Kneed I say more? The cold, heartless hero that defeated Ultemecia and saved the planet. Well, the part where he defeated Ultemecia is true, but the cold and heartless hero is no more. Squall has become more sociable now and even smiles frequently at Zell¡¦s jokes¡Keven if he doesn¡¦t laugh out loud.
He and Rinoa also seem pretty happy together, and rumor has it that they¡¦re already engaged and planning to marry soon. Wow. It¡¦s only been a few months after the fight with Ultemecia and they¡¦re already planning ahead of them. I¡¦ve got to say I¡¦m impressed at how fast they¡¦re taking things. Of course, now that Squall¡¦s the commander of Garden, he¡¦ll most likely be occupied regularly with work so maybe that¡¦s why he wants to get married early and¡Kuh¡Kshare some love¡Kand time! with Rinoa.
Me? Am I very important? My real job here at Balamb is to be an overall instructor and teach my students the basics and complexities of military techniques. Fighting, GF Junctioning, Magic, Weapons¡Xyou name it, and I know it. Yet, even if I am the youngest instructor here at Garden and know just about every single subject that¡¦s being taught, there are two things I cannot teach or give advice to my students about: love and anything else that has to deal with it.
__________
¡§Instructor #14, Quistis Trepe, please report to the headmaster¡¦s office immediately. Repeat. Instructor #14, Quistis Trepe, please report to the headmaster¡¦s office immediately.¡¨
I gripped the sides of my plastic coffee cup and slammed it down onto the table¡Xhard. The few students that were up at this hour turned around and threw me weird looks, and seeing my furious countenance, they turned around and got back to doing whatever they were doing in the first place.
Why do I feel and seem so irritated, you might ask. Well, considering the day that I¡¦ve just had yesterday, you¡¦d probably feel grouchy, too. I woke up with a screaming headache yesterday morning, but being the sucker that I am, I ignored the ¡§small¡¨ and majorly painful throb in my head, took a few aspirins, and went to teach class anyways. I had loaded my students with quite an amount of homework the night before and had planned a long lesson today, so I¡¦m truly regretting it now because by the time lunch started, I had gongs ringing in my head.
So, finally, I decided to take one period off and let another teacher do the work. I rested plenty, but when I got back up from my bed, my stomach hurled. Most likely because of what I ate for lunch¡Xdiet coke, a honey-bun that¡¦s probably been in the vending machine for a year and one of the hotdogs that Zell oh-so-loves. Not a good combination, I now know.
Because of my physically weak stature yesterday, I asked the headmaster, Cid, if I could take the rest of the day off. He kindly agreed (thank Hyne), but instead of spending my time resting, I made a dumb decision to grade all of my students¡¦ assignments in one night so I didn¡¦t get enough sleep, which is why I look like a panda now.
Throwing away my coffee cup and then wiping up the some that I spilled when I slammed the cup down, I tried to flatten down my crappy hair (which I did in the usual style hurriedly this morning and then remembered that I forgot to put some makeup on after I¡¦m halfway across Garden). Some students stared at me trudging out of the cafeteria and started whispering behind their hands. The Trepies who can often be found in the back corner of the café gave me apologetic looks and I tried to smile back at them and stand up straight. They doubtlessly think that I¡¦m not my normal, composed self today¡Xwhich in this case, I¡¦m not.
By the time I reached Cid¡¦s office, I was aching to yell and scream at someone.
¡§Instructor...Trepe?¡¨ the headmaster glanced up from his desk with a puzzled expression on his face. I noticed that Matron was also standing next to him, looking quite concerned.
¡§Are you feeling alright, Quistis?¡¨ She asked me. Ah, the ever lovable and motherly Matron.
But am I feeling alright? I don¡¦t think so. I know I look like crap right now, but hey, no need to throw it in my face.
¡§Yes, I¡¦m fine, Matron. Thanks for your concern.¡¨ I managed a weak smile at Matron and turned to headmaster Cid. ¡§You asked to see me, sir?¡¨
Cid cleared his throat. ¡§Ahem¡Kyes. First things first. Instruc¡Xwell, Quistis. You see, Edea and I here,¡¨ he made a gesture over at Matron and she nodded, ¡§we need you to complete a mission for us.¡¨
I frowned. ¡§A mission, sir?¡¨ A mission!? I haven¡¦t been on any missions ever since we fought Ultemecia and now he suddenly just pulls out an assignment for me to do out of thin air? Heck, I haven¡¦t even been to the training center regularly at all because I¡¦ve been loaded with paper work! Who knows if I¡¦m still in shape for fighting?! Already, I can feel things are about to get worse.
¡§Yes. A very important and slightly dangerous mission I¡¦m obligating you to at that.¡¨ He pushed up his glasses with his index finger and then laced his hands together. ¡§This morning I was informed by an agent of a very good friend of mine¡XMr. Brentwood, about the kidnapping of his granddaughter, Alexandra Brentwood. You see, yesterday, during her 18th birthday celebration, she claimed to have a throbbing headache and asked to be excused to her room, but also stating that the guests should continue to party without her.
Around 11 pm, when the partying finally ceased, a few remaining guests stayed over to help clean up. They proclaimed that in the few times they passed Alexandra¡¦s room, no noise or movement was detected, so they assumed that she was asleep. However, when Mr. Brentwood went to check up on Alexandra around 11:45 pm, he found the door to her room locked. He knocked on her door several times, hoping for a stir or response, but hearing none, he retrieved the house key that he kept in his room and unlocked her door. To his dismay, he discovered that the veranda door, which Alexandra always kept locked during the night, was wide open, and Alexandra was nowhere to be seen. Mr. Brentwood immediately contacted the police, and prior to their arrival, several of the remaining guests had also taken the available time to search the surrounding area for Alexandra. Till this morning, they still have not found a trace of her, so Mr. Brentwood decided to ask for Garden¡¦s help in this situation. This is currently where we are at the case for now.¡¨
I finally blinked once as I stood in front of Cid and Matron like a statue, trying to take this information in all at one time. What the hell does this case have to do with SeeD? I thought. And why the heck did Cid choose me to go on the mission? As if I don¡¦t have enough stress already¡K ¡§If I may ask, sir, shouldn¡¦t these types of cases be left to the police? SeeD was built to train elite soldiers so they have the ability to go on only the most precarious missions, not, if I dare say, diminutive operations such as these.¡¨ Wow. Isn¡¦t someone feeling brave today? Cid¡¦s probably gonna yell my head off for opposing him on this mission¡K
¡§Actually,¡¨ I mentally slapped myself back to reality at his voice. ¡§I have been considering that for some time now. Is this mission good enough for SeeDs such as yourself or not?¡¨ I blushed slightly at this comment. Why does he have to make it look like I think that I¡¦m too good for this mission? I¡¦m just trying to fight my way out of more stress, that¡¦s all.
¡§¡Kand I know that you have a lot on your hands right now, Quistis, but Mr. Brentwood is promising Garden quite a large sum of money that we could possibly put into use if we retrieve his granddaughter back safely. Not to say that I¡¦m only assigning SeeDs to this job for the money, but I also want our elite soldiers to know that the even the most tedious missions can be the most dangerous task.¡¨
Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You still haven¡¦t told me why I have to go on this mission yet. You may be the headmaster, but you won¡¦t be able to escape from my questions! ¡§I understand, sir. Do you wish me to complete this mission alone or is there another assigned SeeD?¡¨
¡§Ah, yes.¡¨ Cid smiled nervously and slowly gestured towards a dark corner in his office. ¡§Now that you mention it, your partner on this mission will be¡K¡¨ A figure, previously concealed by the dark shadows, stepped out from the dim area and two words immediately ran through my head.
Oh, shit.
__________
¡§You do know that Halloween¡¦s in October, not September?¡¨
¡§Yes, I know.¡¨
¡§So why are you so eager to dress up in your costume so early? You know your panda costume looks great on you¡Kalthough I¡¦ve never actually seen a pink and slightly orange panda before.¡¨
¡§Shut up. I don¡¦t want to hear another word from you until we get off this elevator.¡¨
¡§Geez¡KMrs. Scrooge.¡¨
¡§I heard that.¡¨
¡§My, my! What big ears you have.¡¨
¡§Yes. And you might also want to know that I have a big mouth, too. So you¡¦d better keep your mouth shut unless you want me to report to the headmaster and get you kicked out of Garden again.¡¨
The elevator ¡§dinged¡¨ and stopped on the first floor¡Kfinally. I stepped out between the transparent doors and straightened my clothes, very much aware of another looming figure beside me.
¡§Heh. Garden hasn¡¦t changed a bit¡Xstill as dull as always.¡¨
¡§I¡¦m going to pretend you didn¡¦t say that, cadet. Gather up your things¡Kif you have any¡K¡¨ He carried only his Hyperion and one other bag, ¡§and I¡¦ll show you to your dorm, Mr. Almasy.¡¨ I practically forced myself to spit out the last two words. Hyne, I hate his damn guts.
¡§That¡¦s more like it, Instructor. Lead the way.¡¨ I gritted my teeth and led him towards the male dormitory sector. No females were allowed in the male dormitories at any time of the day, unless permitted, and vice versa. It was a pretty stupid rule actually, because no one bothers to follow it.
I walked quickly down the hall, relieved and glad that barely any students were up yet. A few of the students who saw me saluted, but as their eyes traveled back to Seifer¡Kwell¡Ksome of them weren¡¦t just too friendly. I had to stop a few times on the way to scold several of the cadets while Seifer smirked at them, hating myself all the way for sticking up for Seifer simply because Cid probably would¡¦ve wanted me to anyways. I took a deep breath as my mind traveled back to the meeting with Cid¡K
I was literally frozen with shock.
Oh shit.
Hell no¡Kno way no way no way no way no way times infinity plus two!
¡§Sei¡KSeifer!?¡¨ I squeaked. I face blanched and I took a small step back. I had expected Seifer to smirk at me, but his face remained expressionless.
¡§Now, Quistis,¡¨ Cid began, ¡§wait for me to explain¡K¡¨ He quickly stood up from his desk and held up his finger as if to shush me¡Kfor a while anyways.
My whole body quivered and shook as I tried to keep in my anger. Matron¡¦s face looked pale. ¡§I¡¦m listening, sir.¡¨
¡§Your matron and I have a very good reason as to partner you up with Seifer on this mission, much less accept him back into Garden.¡¨
Yeah. You¡¦d better have a good reason, Cid.
¡§Currently, as you know,¡¨ Cid walked around his desk slowly and tucked his hands behind his back, ¡§Squall is now the commander of Garden and has a multiplied amount of business to deal with. Irvine and Zell are off on another mission, and Selphie is needed to run the October Garden Festival, being the head of the committee. Rinoa is not yet a SeeD and I do not quite think that she would be able to fight by herself in a situation that requires a single-handed combat. Moreover, she is a sorceress now, and until she can expertly control her new-founded abilities, sending her on a mission will be out of the question.
You, on the other hand, are an instructor who excels in every possible subject and knows how to use elite mercenary skills either fighting in group or in individual combat. That is why your Matron and I have chosen you to go on this mission for us.¡¨
I scoffed. Hyne, just how many times have flowery talk been used to convince me into doing something? ¡§And Seifer, sir?¡¨ I didn¡¦t notice that Seifer had been standing there for quite some time now without a single movement or noise. Pretty impressive, Mr. Almasy, your patience has definitely improved.
¡§Now, Quistis,¡¨ Cid continued, ¡§the reason why we¡¦re deciding to grant another chance to Seifer at Garden is because we believe that when he was fighting against Garden, at the time, he was being controlled by Ultemecia. After considering this for a while, Edea and I decided that Seifer shouldn¡¦t be discriminated against due to a change that he himself hadn¡¦t noticed while fighting you, Squall, and the others.¡¨ Matron nodded as Cid spoke. ¡§Besides, we must admit that Seifer has profound abilities as a soldier and we can use a person like him at Garden.¡¨
I locked in my lips, trying to keep in my laughter. ¡§I don¡¦t mean to be rude, sir, but you¡¦ve got to be kidding. I mean¡KI¡Khe¡K¡¨The soft laughter that escaped from my lips sounded skeptical and nervous. Would someone please tell me this is all just a crazy joke?
Cid interrupted me. ¡§This is hardly a laughing matter, Ms. Trepe. Your matron and I are serious about Seifer¡¦s readmission.¡¨
¡§But¡K¡¨
¡§I think what we¡¦re really trying to say, Quistis dear,¡¨ Matron stepped up next to Cid ¡§Is that we had hoped you would be able to take Seifer in as one of your students again, and help him pass the SeeD exam. However, instead of giving him the normal exam that is given to all SeeD candidates, the completion of this mission will be his test. Therefore, by sending him on this mission with you, he will be able to prove both to you and Garden that he is worthy of being given another chance here in the academy, and I¡¦m very confident that he will be.¡¨ She smiled nodded reassuringly at Seifer, and he nodded back, still expressionless.
I sighed. A huge sigh. I was getting pre-tty impatient with Cid and Matron. And my current stress level as well as my need to yell at someone was definitely not helping out. Time to drop the formalities. ¡§You know what, I¡¦m going to break it to you guys this way. I completely understand the situation right now, but it¡¦s just that right now I¡¦m really stressed and I think I might need a break or two.¡¨ I put my hand onto my forehead to emphasize my point. Look at me, the drama queen! ¡§I would really love to re-teach the student who tried to destroy Garden, but I just don¡¦t think I can at this point.¡¨ Whoo¡Koh boy. I could see the fire burn in Seifer¡¦s eyes when I said that last sentence.
¡§Instructor Trepe,¡¨ Cid started more harshly this time. ¡§another reason why Matron and I assigned this mission to you was because we do not know you as the type of person to refuse or back down on an assignment. Also, I am not very pleased about the way your feelings were directed against Seifer just now. Seifer is at this moment another student in Garden and I expect him to be treated with just as much respect as other students. In return, Seifer shall also provide others with just as much respect. I have already gone through this with him. Is this understood?¡¨
Yeah, go ahead and lecture me. Why don¡¦t you just make me feel like a little kid again, Cid? I frowned and gritted my teeth. Hey¡Kon second thought, I guess I should really remain on the safe side. Don¡¦t wanna lose my instructor¡¦s license again, you know. After all, while I¡¦m teaching---re-teaching Seifer, I might as well make his life a living hell in repayment for all the trouble that he caused Garden. That ought to be fun until I lose interest. I laughed evilly in my head.
¡§Understood, sir.¡¨
Fasten your seatbelt, Almasy. It¡¦s payback time.
I stopped outside the gray, gloomy door of dorm room 789, and tossed the key card to Seifer. (AN: Just so you guys know, the key card¡¦s supposed to look like the ones that you get for your rooms in hotels. Aren¡¦t those types of locks just awesome?...Ok. Bye. ^_^) Pretty good dorm room number you gave him here, Cid. I thought. This¡¦ll teach him how to count properly. I almost giggled at the thought.
¡§What¡¦re you smiling about, panda?¡¨ Seifer smirked at me while he slid the card through the lock. Green lights flashed as the dorm room swept open to reveal a plainly decorated bed next to a mahogany desk that held only a laptop and a lamp. A tiny, empty shelf was positioned against a wall under the window with an alarm clock on top, and the floor was carpeted a rich creamy color.
¡§You care to repeat that again, Almasy?¡¨ I glared at him, hot blood running through my veins. May Hyne damn you, Seifer! It¡¦s not gonna be easy to make me angry by that one little comment, right? Yeah¡Kright. Whatever.
¡§I asked you what you were smiling about. Looked like I was wrong on believing that you had big ears.¡¨ He threw his bag down on the bed and then carefully laid his Hyperion on the table.
All right, Trepe¡Kcount to ten and don¡¦t answer him¡Khe¡¦s only picking a fight¡Kas usual. ¡§Yeah, whatever. If there¡¦s one thing you cared about in this whole world, I¡¦d say it¡¦s your Hyperion, isn¡¦t it?¡¨ I tried to keep the spite out of my voice.
¡§Really, ya think?¡¨ His turned his back to me as he stared out the window, surveying the view.
I started. ¡§Well, yeah, considering the way you¡X¡§
¡§I¡¦m being sarcastic, Trepe.¡¨ He turned around and started walking towards me. ¡§Of course it¡¦s my most prized possession, if anything, I¡¦d say that¡X¡§
I interrupted. ¡§Huh.¡¨ I scoffed. ¡§It¡¦s about your only possession, smart one.¡¨ He stopped in front of me and stared down into my face. I stared back. You know I¡¦ve never noticed how green his eyes were? And how sickly they made me feel just now?
He smirked. ¡§Thanks for your ever-so-kind compliment, Instructor. I¡¦m just can¡¦t say how happy I am to have been complimented by you.¡¨
We had another eye-contest as profane words ran against my head, trying to pound its way out.
I was the first to break the raging silence. ¡§My Hyne, you¡¦re ugly, Seifer. Go get a makeover or something. If I stare at you any longer I¡¦m afraid I might puke.¡¨ I turned and slowly walked back down the hall, hearing a sharp intake of breath from Seifer. ¡§Wouldn¡¦t want to mess up your pretty little room, you know! Besides, I¡¦ve got better things to do. Meet me at the front gate tomorrow morning at 0750 and don¡¦t be late!¡¨ I smiled a secret smile and turned a corner, hearing Seifer yell.
¡§Feh! You don¡¦t have to worry ¡¥bout me, Trepe! Just worry ¡¥bout yourself!¡¨ Then the slamming of a certain door silenced the atmosphere.
__________
I lied on my bed, arms tucked beneath my head and legs crossed. My usual outfit was thrown across the top of my chair and the only light that shone was from the moon outside my window. Sighing, I coughed and turned my head towards the alarm clock on my shelf. 1250. Great. That means I still have around seven more hours to lie here and stare at the ceiling before that Hyne damn Seifer and I have to go to Deling to meet with Alexandra¡¦s grandfather.
What the heck do they own anyways to be able to hire in SeeDs for this mission? I mean, it¡¦s just a kidnapping, right? This kinda stuff happens almost all the time. Besides, the police usually handle these issues since it costs so mucho much to appoint for Garden service. Whatever. I¡¦ll just handle my business and then when I come back from the mission, I¡¦m asking Cid for a vacation and then I¡¦m outta here. This assignment oughta be easy to complete anyways¡Kbut now that that Seifer¡¦s around, it¡¦s gonna be more difficult than before. I should have just asked Cid if I could go alone. That would save me all the trouble of being with that Almasy. But then I wouldn¡¦t be able to make his life a living hell. Oh well, whatever.
Hyne¡KI remind myself more and more of Squall everyday. Whatever this, whatever that. It¡¦s almost like I¡¦m telling people, ¡§Hi everyone! I¡¦m Squall, Jr.!¡¨ Now that¡¦d be funny. I smiled a bit and rolled onto my side, my eyelids slowly closing. Maybe thinking a lot can actually make you fall asleep. Who knows?
And that frickin¡¦ Seifer better not mess up the mission tomorrow or I¡¦m gonna make sure I hurt him bad. He¡¦s always causing trouble wherever he goes. Oh well¡Khave to¡Kstop¡Kthinking now¡Kso¡Ktired¡K
**********
AN2: Whoa¡Kwow. Even though this chapter took me FOREVER and a day to type and revise, I¡¦m still proud of myself for being able to type this long without giving up. Dunno. Maybe this will make me stop procrastinating more and actually commit myself to something¡Keven if it isn¡¦t school-related.
Anyways, I¡¦d like to thank the following reviewers:
Kelani2539-Sry! But as you can see, if it took me THIS long to type one chapter, then who knows when we¡¦ll get to the seiftis bit?! Maybe next year or something. ^^ j/k. I¡¦ll try to work on as many chapters as I can while working on my school stuff also and hopefully I¡¦ll be able to reach the seiftis part soon! Thanks for your review though!
Vervain-Thanks for the encouragement! I¡¦ll be sure to *try* to commit myself into finishing this fanfic! Just wait for me! Thanks again! ^^
Verdanii-Update soon¡Kheh¡Kthat¡¦s funny. It¡¦s been, like, two months now before I updated the second chapter. ^^ Anyways, I¡¦ll be sure to update soon for you! Just gotta get that inspiration, you know! Thanks for your review!
*Huggles reviewers* Man¡KI didn¡¦t know writing a chapter fanfic could be THIS hard¡KOh yeah, again, to whoever¡¦s reading this, MAKE SURE that you check out my favorite stories section. I kinda summarized some of the REALLY GOOD fanfics in my little biography section so you could read those before you pick a story. Most of them are from FFVIII or Rurouni Kenshin or something like that. Just to tell you guys, though. DON¡¦T LET THE BEGINNING OF THE STORIES FOOL YOU. Make sure you head on to at least the third chapter before you start judging the fanfics. And also, don¡¦t judge the fanfic by its number of reviews. (Not that you guys don¡¦t know that already¡K^_^) Just trust me and read the fanfics, alright? Thank you all so mucho much! (I don¡¦t take Spanish¡Kso obviously my grammar¡¦s wrong here¡K) ^____^
-emina ^_^