Disclaimer: Oh boy oh boy oh boy. You're telling me that if I write this
story about their characters, I actually own part of Squaresoft? Cool! I -
uh - what? The other way around? They own part of my story? Oh. But I liked
my version so much better...
Alternate Fantasy
By Draic
Chapter Eleven: Heated
"I know who Rinoa is," she said, and closed her eyes. I stared at the face in my lap. How!? How do you know Rinoa? But she was already breathing deeply, fast asleep. I stared at the unmoving walls behind the glass and sank into a sort of trance, questions spinning round and round in my mind. How can Quistis know about Rinoa, if I don't? Well, I don't know her personally, I just know her through... Squall. The other Squall. Damn. What is this thing that keeps happening? Why me? What have I done? And why do I keep having these dreams? Who is this person? What did they mean? Remember something... something in my past? Where? When? How can I know something I don't even understand? And what was with that flame thing? I rubbed my arm nervously. Damn freaky. I wish Sis wouldn't keep trying to kill me... The elevator suddenly jerked. The lights flickered back on and Quistis' eyelids snapped open. She squinted up at me. "What time is it?" she asked. I looked at my watch and groaned. "Almost sunrise. Do you think we can get an exemption from class today?" She brought one hand over her forehead and closed her eyes again. "I wouldn't count on it. Besides, do you want to tell Instructor Segal why we're so tired?" "Because we were asleep together in an elevator?" I shook my head. "Nope, you're right. I can't see it working." Ding! We both looked up as the door opened to reveal the astonished junior cadet who had summoned the elevator. "Good morning," Quistis said from my lap. I added my own greeting and we both broke up in a fit of giggles.
Quistis and I parted at the dorms, after I told her of our plan to meet with Irvine. She agreed. "I definitely want to be there...Try for lunchtime?" she asked. "Yeah." She nodded and walked off to the girls' dorms. I returned to my own dorm to grab a change of clothes, then hit the showers, trying to stay awake... Ding! "No," I moaned, half asleep. "No more elevators..." "...tention ... SeeD ...ates. Attention ... eeD candidates." Someone was calling, but the water was muffling the words. I abruptly realised it was the intercom, not the elevator, and fumbled for the taps. "...annual Field Test for SeeD will be held tomorrow morning. The written exam will be held this afternoon. Students who have not yet undertaken basic GF training should prepare themselves. Report immediately to your homeroom for further information." I panicked. What? Tomorrow!? They can't spring the SeeD exam on us like that... can they? I considered for five seconds... and then threw on my clothes and bolted.
I burst into homeroom with my hair still dripping down my back, greeted with a roomful of students, all staring. Homeroom was only ever this full once a year - when the 'important' exams were upon us. "Well, Squall, it's nice to see you actually consider your future at Garden to be important!" scolded the woman at the front of the room. "Sorry, Instructor Trepe," I began, "I was caught in the shower..." Hang on, did I just call her...? "Instructor what!? Squall, if you can't even remember your own instructor's name, how can you possibly hope to pass the exams?" A round of snickers crossed the room as I stood and gaped in confusion as the black-haired Instructor glared back at me and the real Quistis Trepe ... no; Quistis Miranh ... hurried up the aisle and grabbed me by the arm. "Instructor Foset, please excuse Squall. He has had some problems with amnesia lately," she informed the older woman. The instructor looked shocked and whispered something to herself. I thought I heard, "...GF affected... already?" Wordlessly, she waved us to our seats and sat down herself. Quistis dragged me back down the aisle and had to force me to sit down before I managed to gather back my senses. She leaned over and whispered, "You know, you're really starting to worry me, Squall. Maybe I should try to get used to it." She frowned like she did when something was puzzling her and seemed about to say something else, but all the study panels flickered on and Instructor Foset was standing again. Quistis hurried back to her own seat before the speech started. "As you have heard, the written exam is to be held this afternoon, due to the urgent nature of the field exam. You will hear more about the field exam after the written test, but please note that many of the fully-fledged SeeDs have already been dispatched, which should leave much less opportunity for cadets to become distracted." A dark-haired boy I didn't recognise jumped up and said, "If the field exam is so urgent, why are we wasting time with the written exam?" A few students murmured agreement. "Sit down, Hewlut!" the Instructor commanded. The boy reluctantly did so and Instructor Foset continued. "It is because this mission is so urgent that we have sent SeeD already. Despite your willingness to rush into battle, Hewlut, we will stick by Garden's law and send only those cadets who we are sure will come back alive from such an encounter!" Hewlut still looked a little sulky, but many of the other students looked shaken by the Instructor's words. I wondered what could possibly be so important as to have thrown the whole of Garden into chaos within one morning. "Now if you consult the timetables shown on your study panels, you will notice that..." I looked blearily at the screen in front of me and tried to stay awake. Much pinching was involved.
We spent the rest of the morning in private study until lunchtime. Well, some people were studying. Technically, the only set condition was that we had to be quiet, not that we had to be studying. Personally, I felt if you were trying to learn things last minute, you hadn't worked hard enough. Quistis disagreed, however, and was engrossed in her study panel. I spent the whole time randomly flicking through the battle guide screens and pretending to be concentrating. I kept thinking about Rinoa, and Edea, and Ellone, and dreams... I tuned back into life a bit later on, broken out of my stupor by Dr... Lunchlady Kadowaki. I was in the cafeteria. "Are you going to order something, honey?" "Oh, uh... I'll just have some fish and..." An odd feeling in the back of my head made me stop. "No, on second thoughts, I'll have some lasagne, thanks." I searched through the tables for anyone I knew. Not even Seifer or Selphie...and I didn't really see either of them as the kind to be off studying madly like Quistis. Looking back across the tables, I found my gaze caught on a guy sitting alone at a table, head down, and cap over his face. Something about him seemed familiar. I made my way over to his table and put down my plate. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He looked up, surprised, but shook his head. And then planted his face firmly back down over his plate. I sat down across from him. What was it about him? Had I seen him before in class? He hadn't shown any signs of recognition. I noticed him looking at me from under his cap and I realised I had been staring at him since I sat down. I picked up my fork and started on the lasagne. Hyne, this is good food. I have to remember to thank Squall for the tip. Hah. Most useful thing he's done for me since all this started. I wish I understood what was going on. Dreams, realities, and then back in my own normal world, Garden is in a panic. Great time to be a SeeD cadet. Maybe this is just my own perspective? Wonder if this guy is hiding the same sort of... I looked up again, and gave a start. The guy was gone! I turned and scanned the cafeteria. Nowhere to be seen. Damn, he was quiet... and fast. I heard a plate clink on the table behind me and turned to see Quistis taking the guy's place. She was rubbing her eyes tiredly. "So, what did you get out of him?" she asked. Confused, I said, "Huh? Out of who?" "Out of Irvine. Didn't you talk to him about... well, about the orphanage?" "Oh. No, I was gonna wait for the rest of us before we talked to him." Odd how I had included Selphie and Seifer as 'us'. "Besides," I continued, "I don't even know what he looks like." She looked startled and nearly choked on her chicken for laughing. "What?" I asked. "Squall, he was just sitting here." "What do you mean?" Realization suddenly dawned on me. "You mean... that was Irvine?" I turned again, as if expecting him to appear just because I knew who he was. "Oh, Squall..." Quistis said. I could hear the laughter in her voice. "Never mind. I wanted to be there myself when we did talk to him. We should probably find the others, too. After we eat - I'm starving." My stomach rumbled in agreement. I gave up on looking for Irvine and turned back to my plate. The lasagne looked particularly good today. I grabbed a forkful and raised it to my mouth, noticing as I did so that there was a light red mark along my arm, like I'd been sunburned. That's odd. I don't...
Remember... My fork clattered on the table. "It can't be..." I whispered, holding my arm towards me. Quistis looked up from her chicken. "What's wrong?" "I...I'm uh... just a little shaky..." I stammered, and lowered my eyes to my arm again. The entire length of my arm was red. I hadn't even been outside in the last half-week or so, let alone standing in the sun for hours on end. "What, pre-exam jitters? You?" I vaguely heard. There was no reasonable explanation for this. No explanation other than... I thrust my arm into my lap and stared at Quistis, wide-eyed. "Honestly, Squall, you couldn't fail this exam if you tried. If you don't pass, no one will. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your girlfriend." "Huh? What?" I asked, distracted by this new train of thought. "O-oh... No, it's not that, Quistis... I just..." I shook my head helplessly and held out my arm towards her. She leaned over and inspected it thoroughly, then looked up at me. "What?" "I've been burned! Don't you..." I trailed off as I stared at my arm. Maybe it was a tinge red... maybe... but nothing as serious as a burn. I sighed in relief and explained to Quistis. "I thought I'd been burned. Must have been a rash or something... See, I had this dream where my arm just burst into flame..." I shook my head and chuckled softly. "I suppose I'm just stressed and seeing things. You have no idea what I've been through these past few days." She looked at me, eyebrows raised. "From what I can remember, I've been there with you through just about everything you've done this week." I winced. None too smart, Squall. "You're right, Quisty," I said. "I'm sorry." She shrugged and took a bite. "So what is it then?" she asked eventually. "You're not still tired, are you?" I shook my head. "A little, but I'd say that's left over from the elevator thing." "Then do you mean the amnesia?" "I guess so," I answered. In a way, it was. In a big way, actually. Just not quite amnesia... "You know, I can't help but wonder how you got that in the first place. You didn't hit your head, did you?" I tried to think back. "I don't think so." Quistis had her hands clasped under her chin, looking at me like I was a puzzle to be put together. "It's strange that you'd just suddenly get amnesia for no reason, don't you think? And it's a pretty weird type of amnesia. You haven't forgotten anything important, even if you do have to take your time to remember." I suppose that's the thing with living in two worlds – it takes a while for the other guy's mind to catch up. Or for his to leave mine when I'm here. I have to try to remember what people did and didn't do in whichever reality I'm currently in. And sometimes there just isn't time to think... "You know, I think it might not really be amnesia at all," Quistis declared, gesturing with her fork. "I think you just put yourself under too much pressure. You're concentrating so hard on your studies, cramming so much into your head, that you're forgetting the everyday details, like people's names, places and times – the things that you normally take for granted." "Maybe..." I said. Yeah, right. It's not like I've been studying that hard, anyway. Quistis is the one spending so much time with the books. ...Why don't I just tell her about... well, Squall? Okay, so it sounds crazy, but at least she'll hear me out and think it through from every angle before she sends me to a psychiatrist. Go for it! "Quistis... the truth is... you see... uh..." Ding! I groaned. "Attention all SeeD candidates. Please move to room C2 for the commencement of the written examination." Quistis sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know, I'd almost forgotten we have The Exam today," she said sarcastically. "Look, we'd better go - I have to collect my things from the Library first. Can we talk after the exam?" I nodded gloomily. She smiled a little and playfully tugged my bandana over my eyes. "Good luck," she whispered, her breath tickling my ear. But by the time I'd pulled off the makeshift blindfold she'd already disappeared, tray and all. As I slowly stood, it occurred to me that I'd missed the opportunity to ask about Rinoa – again.
Twenty minutes later, myself and the thirty or so other SeeD candidates were seated in the examinations room, in neat rows, alphabetical order, keypads tapping furiously and the clock pounding each second out of our grasp. For any student who looked up, the door at the front of the room was a constant mockery, for between the door and us was another line of computer terminals, behind which sat every Instructor in Garden. As soon as any candidate answered a question, the next would immediately flash onto the screen, while the previous submission would be sent to one of the Instructors, who would criticise and pick it to bits before marking it and sending the result to a screen set up in the hallway outside. The variety of questions alone was staggering. Not only were there multiple choice questions, one-word-answers, short- and long-response questions, the topics were almost endless. Knowledge was required of various monsters and their strengths and weaknesses; magic and elements; items and their uses; Guardian Forces and junctioning as well as familiarity with a wide variety of weapons and specifics of your individual weapon of choice, IN ADDITION to a solid grasp of geography, world politics and history, from the Lunar Cry 80 years ago to the hierarchy of modern Dollet. Lastly and often most frustrating were questions of ethics!!! And some perverse creature known as the Headmaster had strange ideas about the Chaos theory, and so the questions were now totally and utterly random, as opposed to the exams of only two years ago, when all questions were sorted into form and topic. It was almost impossibly difficult – but that was what it took to become a SeeD.
You are travelling through the mountainous regions of Trabia in a party of four when you encounter a Ruby Dragon. Party member #1 is a Rank 25 SeeD, trained with a broadsword, with the Guardian forces Ifrit and Quezacotl junctioned, and base level offence magic. Party member #2 is a newly graduated Rank 10 SeeD, trained as a sniper, with unlimited ammunition and no Guardian Forces or magic. You are a Rank 15 SeeD, trained with a crossbow. You have the Guardian Force Carbuncle, and are highly skilled in all types of Support magic. Your squad leader is a Rank A SeeD, trained with a spear, with the Guardian Forces Shiva and Diablos, as well as medium level offensive magic. Your squad leader has been gravely injured, and no members of your party have any restorative magic or items. You cannot escape the encounter. Detail your course of action.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes, not even bothering to stifle my yawning. Ruby Dragons were weak against ice, so I started on the scenario by having member #1 junction Blizzard to his weapon and member #2 serve as a distraction. I'd realised that Shiva and Diablos could easily defeat the Ruby Dragon, but the trick was to revive the Squad Leader first. Yes, that was the real problem. With the Squad Leader out of the fight, we had no chance. Especially not "me". I mean, what was the point of training in only Support magic? I stared thoughtfully at the screen, then hesitantly typed in: "I would cast the status magics Zombie and Bio on the Squad Leader. Zombied allies are damaged by restorative spells such as Regen, so conversely, a zombie should actually be healed by poison." I frowned blearily at what I'd written and wondered if that was true or if I had made it up. It did sound like it would work. Possibly. As I clicked on 'submit', the thought of a zombied Quistis sprang into my mind, and I idly wondered exactly how Holy Water turned a Zombie back into a normal person. Bet Quistis didn't like getting water poured over her like that... And I bet Selphie didn't like Quistis casting Water on her in the MD Level that day... What was that place for again? Someone important... a Shumi?
List the major settlements on the Galbadian continent and the quickest methods of travel to each from Balamb Town.
"Shou' just... fly there..." I murmured. Stupid question, really. After all, Squall had somehow made it to Trabia in just one day. He was here in Balamb Garden that morning... I know - I was there. 'Bout time someone figured a quicker way than that damn Dollet ferry. I barely noticed my eyes closing as my thoughts drifted further and further away. Strange realities, disturbing dreams and confused memories. Selphie and Seifer knew about the Seed Exam. Irvine knew the secrets of the past. Quistis knew Rinoa. And I knew... nothing...
"Matwyn?" The lady in black lay there on the stones, and the small figures spiralled around her, moving closer and then darting away. The sound of crying and whimpering was everywhere. Why wouldn't it stop? Why wouldn't they stop? Why wouldn't she stop? I fled, searching for Sis, searching for her dark hair and dark eyes, searching for her smile, searching for her warm arms around me. She would make everything better. She would make them all stop. And I found her. She knew I needed her. She was here. She had come back. It was her. If only she would get up, everything would be better. I had to wake her up. She was lying down and wouldn't look at me. She was lying down like Matron on the ground, but she wasn't. She couldn't be. I could wake her up. Sis would wake up. I had found Sis Ellone and she would wake would wake up
"WAKE UP!" I yelled to Sis. But she wasn't there. Instead, there were thirty students and a dozen instructors all gaping up at me. "Sorry," I mumbled, and sat down again. I had fallen asleep in the middle of the SeeD exam and the on-screen clock told me there was only five minutes left. But I couldn't have cared less. It had been a dream, yes, but it had also been partly memory. On that day, twelve years ago, we had found Edea dead. I had run away, in search of Ellone. And I had found her. Sis was lying face-down in the flower field. And like Matron, she wouldn't move.
Well, not as much of a cliffhanger, I guess. But it's not shaping up to be a very nice reality for Squall - Edea dead, Rinoa missing, and now Ellone is gone, too. Poor boy. Oh, don't worry - not everyone dies. Very reassuring, huh? Well, at least I got another chapter up. And it does start to make sense from here. Well, it does to me. Uh, I think... Let's just move on.
AUTHORS: Freakker: (I'm sure there has to be a story like this out there somewhere... until I find it, thanks.) Sayiera (well, I'm sure there has to be a... hey! That sounds familiar...) Vick330 (hehe, playing with words is fun. Thanks for noticing)
ANONYMITES: Sophie (thankies!)
And that's the end of the story. No, kidding! Come back! Stay! (phew) Don't do that to me! After all, you can't just ignore the three R's: Read, review, and... um... uh... blast! Where's that dictionary? Stay there, I promise I'll be back... uhmm... Draic
Now a word from our sponsors, CuteMooglez, who kindly offer "Trading Spaces" to all readers who wish to see Squall and Selphie in unusual shapes and forms (now with free sugar high) And that word is: "tee-hee!" http:?storyid=1020435
Alternate Fantasy
By Draic
Chapter Eleven: Heated
"I know who Rinoa is," she said, and closed her eyes. I stared at the face in my lap. How!? How do you know Rinoa? But she was already breathing deeply, fast asleep. I stared at the unmoving walls behind the glass and sank into a sort of trance, questions spinning round and round in my mind. How can Quistis know about Rinoa, if I don't? Well, I don't know her personally, I just know her through... Squall. The other Squall. Damn. What is this thing that keeps happening? Why me? What have I done? And why do I keep having these dreams? Who is this person? What did they mean? Remember something... something in my past? Where? When? How can I know something I don't even understand? And what was with that flame thing? I rubbed my arm nervously. Damn freaky. I wish Sis wouldn't keep trying to kill me... The elevator suddenly jerked. The lights flickered back on and Quistis' eyelids snapped open. She squinted up at me. "What time is it?" she asked. I looked at my watch and groaned. "Almost sunrise. Do you think we can get an exemption from class today?" She brought one hand over her forehead and closed her eyes again. "I wouldn't count on it. Besides, do you want to tell Instructor Segal why we're so tired?" "Because we were asleep together in an elevator?" I shook my head. "Nope, you're right. I can't see it working." Ding! We both looked up as the door opened to reveal the astonished junior cadet who had summoned the elevator. "Good morning," Quistis said from my lap. I added my own greeting and we both broke up in a fit of giggles.
Quistis and I parted at the dorms, after I told her of our plan to meet with Irvine. She agreed. "I definitely want to be there...Try for lunchtime?" she asked. "Yeah." She nodded and walked off to the girls' dorms. I returned to my own dorm to grab a change of clothes, then hit the showers, trying to stay awake... Ding! "No," I moaned, half asleep. "No more elevators..." "...tention ... SeeD ...ates. Attention ... eeD candidates." Someone was calling, but the water was muffling the words. I abruptly realised it was the intercom, not the elevator, and fumbled for the taps. "...annual Field Test for SeeD will be held tomorrow morning. The written exam will be held this afternoon. Students who have not yet undertaken basic GF training should prepare themselves. Report immediately to your homeroom for further information." I panicked. What? Tomorrow!? They can't spring the SeeD exam on us like that... can they? I considered for five seconds... and then threw on my clothes and bolted.
I burst into homeroom with my hair still dripping down my back, greeted with a roomful of students, all staring. Homeroom was only ever this full once a year - when the 'important' exams were upon us. "Well, Squall, it's nice to see you actually consider your future at Garden to be important!" scolded the woman at the front of the room. "Sorry, Instructor Trepe," I began, "I was caught in the shower..." Hang on, did I just call her...? "Instructor what!? Squall, if you can't even remember your own instructor's name, how can you possibly hope to pass the exams?" A round of snickers crossed the room as I stood and gaped in confusion as the black-haired Instructor glared back at me and the real Quistis Trepe ... no; Quistis Miranh ... hurried up the aisle and grabbed me by the arm. "Instructor Foset, please excuse Squall. He has had some problems with amnesia lately," she informed the older woman. The instructor looked shocked and whispered something to herself. I thought I heard, "...GF affected... already?" Wordlessly, she waved us to our seats and sat down herself. Quistis dragged me back down the aisle and had to force me to sit down before I managed to gather back my senses. She leaned over and whispered, "You know, you're really starting to worry me, Squall. Maybe I should try to get used to it." She frowned like she did when something was puzzling her and seemed about to say something else, but all the study panels flickered on and Instructor Foset was standing again. Quistis hurried back to her own seat before the speech started. "As you have heard, the written exam is to be held this afternoon, due to the urgent nature of the field exam. You will hear more about the field exam after the written test, but please note that many of the fully-fledged SeeDs have already been dispatched, which should leave much less opportunity for cadets to become distracted." A dark-haired boy I didn't recognise jumped up and said, "If the field exam is so urgent, why are we wasting time with the written exam?" A few students murmured agreement. "Sit down, Hewlut!" the Instructor commanded. The boy reluctantly did so and Instructor Foset continued. "It is because this mission is so urgent that we have sent SeeD already. Despite your willingness to rush into battle, Hewlut, we will stick by Garden's law and send only those cadets who we are sure will come back alive from such an encounter!" Hewlut still looked a little sulky, but many of the other students looked shaken by the Instructor's words. I wondered what could possibly be so important as to have thrown the whole of Garden into chaos within one morning. "Now if you consult the timetables shown on your study panels, you will notice that..." I looked blearily at the screen in front of me and tried to stay awake. Much pinching was involved.
We spent the rest of the morning in private study until lunchtime. Well, some people were studying. Technically, the only set condition was that we had to be quiet, not that we had to be studying. Personally, I felt if you were trying to learn things last minute, you hadn't worked hard enough. Quistis disagreed, however, and was engrossed in her study panel. I spent the whole time randomly flicking through the battle guide screens and pretending to be concentrating. I kept thinking about Rinoa, and Edea, and Ellone, and dreams... I tuned back into life a bit later on, broken out of my stupor by Dr... Lunchlady Kadowaki. I was in the cafeteria. "Are you going to order something, honey?" "Oh, uh... I'll just have some fish and..." An odd feeling in the back of my head made me stop. "No, on second thoughts, I'll have some lasagne, thanks." I searched through the tables for anyone I knew. Not even Seifer or Selphie...and I didn't really see either of them as the kind to be off studying madly like Quistis. Looking back across the tables, I found my gaze caught on a guy sitting alone at a table, head down, and cap over his face. Something about him seemed familiar. I made my way over to his table and put down my plate. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He looked up, surprised, but shook his head. And then planted his face firmly back down over his plate. I sat down across from him. What was it about him? Had I seen him before in class? He hadn't shown any signs of recognition. I noticed him looking at me from under his cap and I realised I had been staring at him since I sat down. I picked up my fork and started on the lasagne. Hyne, this is good food. I have to remember to thank Squall for the tip. Hah. Most useful thing he's done for me since all this started. I wish I understood what was going on. Dreams, realities, and then back in my own normal world, Garden is in a panic. Great time to be a SeeD cadet. Maybe this is just my own perspective? Wonder if this guy is hiding the same sort of... I looked up again, and gave a start. The guy was gone! I turned and scanned the cafeteria. Nowhere to be seen. Damn, he was quiet... and fast. I heard a plate clink on the table behind me and turned to see Quistis taking the guy's place. She was rubbing her eyes tiredly. "So, what did you get out of him?" she asked. Confused, I said, "Huh? Out of who?" "Out of Irvine. Didn't you talk to him about... well, about the orphanage?" "Oh. No, I was gonna wait for the rest of us before we talked to him." Odd how I had included Selphie and Seifer as 'us'. "Besides," I continued, "I don't even know what he looks like." She looked startled and nearly choked on her chicken for laughing. "What?" I asked. "Squall, he was just sitting here." "What do you mean?" Realization suddenly dawned on me. "You mean... that was Irvine?" I turned again, as if expecting him to appear just because I knew who he was. "Oh, Squall..." Quistis said. I could hear the laughter in her voice. "Never mind. I wanted to be there myself when we did talk to him. We should probably find the others, too. After we eat - I'm starving." My stomach rumbled in agreement. I gave up on looking for Irvine and turned back to my plate. The lasagne looked particularly good today. I grabbed a forkful and raised it to my mouth, noticing as I did so that there was a light red mark along my arm, like I'd been sunburned. That's odd. I don't...
Remember... My fork clattered on the table. "It can't be..." I whispered, holding my arm towards me. Quistis looked up from her chicken. "What's wrong?" "I...I'm uh... just a little shaky..." I stammered, and lowered my eyes to my arm again. The entire length of my arm was red. I hadn't even been outside in the last half-week or so, let alone standing in the sun for hours on end. "What, pre-exam jitters? You?" I vaguely heard. There was no reasonable explanation for this. No explanation other than... I thrust my arm into my lap and stared at Quistis, wide-eyed. "Honestly, Squall, you couldn't fail this exam if you tried. If you don't pass, no one will. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your girlfriend." "Huh? What?" I asked, distracted by this new train of thought. "O-oh... No, it's not that, Quistis... I just..." I shook my head helplessly and held out my arm towards her. She leaned over and inspected it thoroughly, then looked up at me. "What?" "I've been burned! Don't you..." I trailed off as I stared at my arm. Maybe it was a tinge red... maybe... but nothing as serious as a burn. I sighed in relief and explained to Quistis. "I thought I'd been burned. Must have been a rash or something... See, I had this dream where my arm just burst into flame..." I shook my head and chuckled softly. "I suppose I'm just stressed and seeing things. You have no idea what I've been through these past few days." She looked at me, eyebrows raised. "From what I can remember, I've been there with you through just about everything you've done this week." I winced. None too smart, Squall. "You're right, Quisty," I said. "I'm sorry." She shrugged and took a bite. "So what is it then?" she asked eventually. "You're not still tired, are you?" I shook my head. "A little, but I'd say that's left over from the elevator thing." "Then do you mean the amnesia?" "I guess so," I answered. In a way, it was. In a big way, actually. Just not quite amnesia... "You know, I can't help but wonder how you got that in the first place. You didn't hit your head, did you?" I tried to think back. "I don't think so." Quistis had her hands clasped under her chin, looking at me like I was a puzzle to be put together. "It's strange that you'd just suddenly get amnesia for no reason, don't you think? And it's a pretty weird type of amnesia. You haven't forgotten anything important, even if you do have to take your time to remember." I suppose that's the thing with living in two worlds – it takes a while for the other guy's mind to catch up. Or for his to leave mine when I'm here. I have to try to remember what people did and didn't do in whichever reality I'm currently in. And sometimes there just isn't time to think... "You know, I think it might not really be amnesia at all," Quistis declared, gesturing with her fork. "I think you just put yourself under too much pressure. You're concentrating so hard on your studies, cramming so much into your head, that you're forgetting the everyday details, like people's names, places and times – the things that you normally take for granted." "Maybe..." I said. Yeah, right. It's not like I've been studying that hard, anyway. Quistis is the one spending so much time with the books. ...Why don't I just tell her about... well, Squall? Okay, so it sounds crazy, but at least she'll hear me out and think it through from every angle before she sends me to a psychiatrist. Go for it! "Quistis... the truth is... you see... uh..." Ding! I groaned. "Attention all SeeD candidates. Please move to room C2 for the commencement of the written examination." Quistis sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know, I'd almost forgotten we have The Exam today," she said sarcastically. "Look, we'd better go - I have to collect my things from the Library first. Can we talk after the exam?" I nodded gloomily. She smiled a little and playfully tugged my bandana over my eyes. "Good luck," she whispered, her breath tickling my ear. But by the time I'd pulled off the makeshift blindfold she'd already disappeared, tray and all. As I slowly stood, it occurred to me that I'd missed the opportunity to ask about Rinoa – again.
Twenty minutes later, myself and the thirty or so other SeeD candidates were seated in the examinations room, in neat rows, alphabetical order, keypads tapping furiously and the clock pounding each second out of our grasp. For any student who looked up, the door at the front of the room was a constant mockery, for between the door and us was another line of computer terminals, behind which sat every Instructor in Garden. As soon as any candidate answered a question, the next would immediately flash onto the screen, while the previous submission would be sent to one of the Instructors, who would criticise and pick it to bits before marking it and sending the result to a screen set up in the hallway outside. The variety of questions alone was staggering. Not only were there multiple choice questions, one-word-answers, short- and long-response questions, the topics were almost endless. Knowledge was required of various monsters and their strengths and weaknesses; magic and elements; items and their uses; Guardian Forces and junctioning as well as familiarity with a wide variety of weapons and specifics of your individual weapon of choice, IN ADDITION to a solid grasp of geography, world politics and history, from the Lunar Cry 80 years ago to the hierarchy of modern Dollet. Lastly and often most frustrating were questions of ethics!!! And some perverse creature known as the Headmaster had strange ideas about the Chaos theory, and so the questions were now totally and utterly random, as opposed to the exams of only two years ago, when all questions were sorted into form and topic. It was almost impossibly difficult – but that was what it took to become a SeeD.
You are travelling through the mountainous regions of Trabia in a party of four when you encounter a Ruby Dragon. Party member #1 is a Rank 25 SeeD, trained with a broadsword, with the Guardian forces Ifrit and Quezacotl junctioned, and base level offence magic. Party member #2 is a newly graduated Rank 10 SeeD, trained as a sniper, with unlimited ammunition and no Guardian Forces or magic. You are a Rank 15 SeeD, trained with a crossbow. You have the Guardian Force Carbuncle, and are highly skilled in all types of Support magic. Your squad leader is a Rank A SeeD, trained with a spear, with the Guardian Forces Shiva and Diablos, as well as medium level offensive magic. Your squad leader has been gravely injured, and no members of your party have any restorative magic or items. You cannot escape the encounter. Detail your course of action.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes, not even bothering to stifle my yawning. Ruby Dragons were weak against ice, so I started on the scenario by having member #1 junction Blizzard to his weapon and member #2 serve as a distraction. I'd realised that Shiva and Diablos could easily defeat the Ruby Dragon, but the trick was to revive the Squad Leader first. Yes, that was the real problem. With the Squad Leader out of the fight, we had no chance. Especially not "me". I mean, what was the point of training in only Support magic? I stared thoughtfully at the screen, then hesitantly typed in: "I would cast the status magics Zombie and Bio on the Squad Leader. Zombied allies are damaged by restorative spells such as Regen, so conversely, a zombie should actually be healed by poison." I frowned blearily at what I'd written and wondered if that was true or if I had made it up. It did sound like it would work. Possibly. As I clicked on 'submit', the thought of a zombied Quistis sprang into my mind, and I idly wondered exactly how Holy Water turned a Zombie back into a normal person. Bet Quistis didn't like getting water poured over her like that... And I bet Selphie didn't like Quistis casting Water on her in the MD Level that day... What was that place for again? Someone important... a Shumi?
List the major settlements on the Galbadian continent and the quickest methods of travel to each from Balamb Town.
"Shou' just... fly there..." I murmured. Stupid question, really. After all, Squall had somehow made it to Trabia in just one day. He was here in Balamb Garden that morning... I know - I was there. 'Bout time someone figured a quicker way than that damn Dollet ferry. I barely noticed my eyes closing as my thoughts drifted further and further away. Strange realities, disturbing dreams and confused memories. Selphie and Seifer knew about the Seed Exam. Irvine knew the secrets of the past. Quistis knew Rinoa. And I knew... nothing...
"Matwyn?" The lady in black lay there on the stones, and the small figures spiralled around her, moving closer and then darting away. The sound of crying and whimpering was everywhere. Why wouldn't it stop? Why wouldn't they stop? Why wouldn't she stop? I fled, searching for Sis, searching for her dark hair and dark eyes, searching for her smile, searching for her warm arms around me. She would make everything better. She would make them all stop. And I found her. She knew I needed her. She was here. She had come back. It was her. If only she would get up, everything would be better. I had to wake her up. She was lying down and wouldn't look at me. She was lying down like Matron on the ground, but she wasn't. She couldn't be. I could wake her up. Sis would wake up. I had found Sis Ellone and she would wake would wake up
"WAKE UP!" I yelled to Sis. But she wasn't there. Instead, there were thirty students and a dozen instructors all gaping up at me. "Sorry," I mumbled, and sat down again. I had fallen asleep in the middle of the SeeD exam and the on-screen clock told me there was only five minutes left. But I couldn't have cared less. It had been a dream, yes, but it had also been partly memory. On that day, twelve years ago, we had found Edea dead. I had run away, in search of Ellone. And I had found her. Sis was lying face-down in the flower field. And like Matron, she wouldn't move.
Well, not as much of a cliffhanger, I guess. But it's not shaping up to be a very nice reality for Squall - Edea dead, Rinoa missing, and now Ellone is gone, too. Poor boy. Oh, don't worry - not everyone dies. Very reassuring, huh? Well, at least I got another chapter up. And it does start to make sense from here. Well, it does to me. Uh, I think... Let's just move on.
AUTHORS: Freakker: (I'm sure there has to be a story like this out there somewhere... until I find it, thanks.) Sayiera (well, I'm sure there has to be a... hey! That sounds familiar...) Vick330 (hehe, playing with words is fun. Thanks for noticing)
ANONYMITES: Sophie (thankies!)
And that's the end of the story. No, kidding! Come back! Stay! (phew) Don't do that to me! After all, you can't just ignore the three R's: Read, review, and... um... uh... blast! Where's that dictionary? Stay there, I promise I'll be back... uhmm... Draic
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