New Beginnings and Speculations
"Good morning, all of you. I have to apologize if I disturbed your sleep. Before I forget myself, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Commander Ouragan, headmaster and commander of the Esthar Garden Covert Ops Training organization," he said while proffering a hand to the leader of the group, Squall Leonhart.
At 6'5", Ouragan was no joke for a commander, yet his features seemed to radiate with youth and energy, unlike Squall's serious and stern demeanor. With long, wavy brown hair that reached up to his shoulders, he wore a well- trimmed beard and moustache on his face (think of Eric Bana's beard in Troy) that gave him an aura of respect and dignity. His green, cat-like eyes were entrancingly beautiful, and he had a lean, muscular build on him that would have sent Quistis, Selphie, and Rinoa drooling if they hadn't realized that they were in Cid's office. His brow was well-defined and stern, much like Squall's, yet the warm, inviting smile on his face told others that he was approachable. Around the standard commander uniform, he wore a long, black trench coat that made his tall frame look much taller than it did. Squall and Irvine caught Selphie and Rinoa stealing glances at his chest, and both felt a pang of jealousy when he gracefully and stealthily walked across the room. Zell didn't seem to care at all.
'Okay, this guy in insanely tall! Reminds me of the Storm guy, except that he seems younger.'
"Good morning, welcome to Balamb Garden," Squall said rather dryly.
"It's a pleasure to be here Commander," replied Commander Ouragan with a smile, "It's been years since I walked through these walls. I was a student here once, and I'm really fascinated with the improvements the headmaster has made on the Garden. Oh, how rude of me to forget, I do have to congratulate you for your recent victory."
Squall, feeling embarrassed at having a complete stranger shaking his hand and congratulating him, mumbled out, "...uhh...thank you."
Both commanders exchanged glances and said nothing, so Cid decided to break the silence.
"Children, I know that most of you might not have remembered Commander Ouragan, but he was one of Garden's exceptional students, swiftly rising from a mere cadet to rank A at 15 years old. He graduated at 15, left Balamb for the underground Esthar Garden a year later, and replaced the former headmaster to lead the school 2 years ago," Cid said breathlessly.
Quistis, still trying to let the caffeine wake her up, asked Cid, "Underground Esthar Garden? I've never heard of it before. I thought there were only three Gardens?"
"Balamb! Galbadia! And Trabia!" said Selphie as she began jabbing a half- asleep Irvine on the couch.
"Ouch! Seffie! Yeah, Balamb, Galbadia, and Trabia, from what I can remember," mouthed Irvine as he felt Selphie's strong pokes.
Headmaster Cid spoke up this time, "Well, Esthar Garden was formed 20 years ago by a man named Commander Storm. He was a good friend of mine, and we decided to engage in a joint venture to finance the building of a Garden especially reserved for Covert Ops missions. Most SeeDs who go there are graduates of Balamb, Trabia, and Galbadia, and only those who have achieved the Class A rank has the luxury or rather, the opportunity to study in Esthar Garden. And if you were wondering, Esthar Garden was never mentioned to you students because Storm wanted to keep it as secret as possible, even from students, so that their agents can only be used for the most crucial missions. Over the course of these 20 years, Balamb Garden has sent several of its best SeeDs to Esthar. Five years ago, Ouragan graduated top of his class, aced the Garden's courses within a year, and is now serving as the Garden's leader when Commander Storm went missing two years back."
Squall thought, "Is he the same Storm I dreamed of?"
The headmaster continued, "Ouragan is one of the best SeeDs the world has ever seen. He wields a gunblade and has mastered at least 10 different weapons, to say the least. He has also mastered several forms of magic, and is an excellent fighter. I believe that Esthar Garden can train you, my children, to be as great a warrior as he is. That is what Esthar Garden is all about—to train the best cadets to master and learn how to use what he has at hand in the battlefield, to use different weapons so as to avoid looking dumbstruck when handed another, and to be a balanced magic user as well. Every 2 years, the headmaster of the Garden would go to each academy to see different SeeDs perform in the field exams, and he would handpick them for Esthar Garden. Most of those who go to Esthar, by the way, are 20 years old and above, so you must be really good or are quite exceptional war prodigies to be accepted at this age. Only the best SeeDs enter this school, and I am proud that you, my children, are one of those SeeDs."
Rinoa's heart fell when she heard the word "SeeD". Since she wasn't a part of the organization and got mixed up into all of this because of her lover, she feared that the trip to Esthar might separate her from Squall. Her face seemed gloomier than usual, and she felt a hand creeping around her shoulder to comfort her. She rested her head against the soft, black leather, and felt Ouragan's eyes exploring her face. He must have noticed her crestfallen look.
"Cid, I believe you have advertised my Garden well enough," said Ouragan as he let out a hearty laugh before turning back to the gang, "Well, care to take up the offer? The tuition is free, by the way, and I believe that you will enjoy the Garden as much as you do Balamb. We have all the furnishings and facilities available for you."
Looking to each member of the gang, he began by staring at Squall, "Our training center has monsters shipped from the Islands Closest to Heaven and Hell. No more annoying Gnats and weak T-Rexaurs with halitosis to bother you there."
Squall just beamed at the idea.
Turning to Selphie, "Our Garden Festival Committee is also up for new members, and I believe Balamb produces some of the best organizers ever," Ouragan said while smiling at her.
Selphie might not have noticed, but her curls just got a notch curlier when he said that.
Shifting his gaze to Zell, "And...our cafeteria serves excellent gourmet food. Plus, we don't run out of hotdogs," he said while feeling the inside of his coat for the Garden Café's menu.
Zell's mouth watered when he saw the illustrations on the paper he was holding and pleading Ouragan with puppy dog eyes, the commander tossed the menu to Zell.
The commander's eyes fell on Irvine when he said, "Oh, might I add, there are a lot of beautiful women enrolled at the academy!"
Irvine's slit eyes literally turned into orbs at the thought, and before he could do anything silly, Selphie jammed his hat down hard on his head, ripping the rim slightly open.
"Hey!"
"Seff, you know that I love you, but a guy's gotta have fun, right?" he said with an innocent smile.
Selphie just stuck her tongue out at him and looked away from her cowboy boyfriend. Irvine tapped at Selphie's shoulder, but she decided to play the "ignore him" game.
Ouragan smiled at their display of affection before reverting his attention to Quistis.
"Quisty! It's been the longest time!" he said with a grin as Quistis stood up to hug him.
"Ouragan, I never expected to see you here! Hyne, the last time I saw you, you were as tall as Seifer. Now look at you, as tall as a tree and still as cheerful as a boy!"
Ouragan gave her a boyish grin and said, "You know, I always thought that the Garden could use a prodigy like you!"
Quistis blushed at his remark and said, "Oh, not really," feeling embarrassed to be wooed by an old friend. "I mean, there are so much more 18 year old instructors like me!" she said while shuffling her boots uncomfortably on Cid's smooth, shiny marble.
Ouragan noticed her blush and wanted to woo her more, "But you are so different from the non-existent others whom you are talking about," he continued still with the boyish smile. "You are graceful and stunningly agile, fierce with a whip, yet still retain that touch of elegance while striking at enemies in the blink of an eye. Enough said, I want you in the Garden."
Quistis sighed and sat down, feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks. Beside her Selphie and Rinoa were giggling silently until Quistis shot them a dangerous look.
His eyes seemed to soften when the 21-year old commander saw the 17-year old sorceress. He woke up from his trance and told the raven-haired sorceress, "Typically, I wouldn't accept non-SeeDs, but you are an exception. You are a great fighter, Miss Heartilly, and a sorceress would be a great addition to the many gifted students at the academy."
Rinoa could feel her smile reaching up to her ears when he said that. 'Yes! I could be with Squall!'
"Of course, I do know about your interest in books, my lady. So, it is my pleasure to inform you that our library if furnished not only with the latest books on GFs, monsters, and the like. It also has ancient manuscripts kept under lock and key, preserved in an oxygen-less chamber to prevent them from crumbling. Novels aren't left out either, so I do hope you have a good time. If you want to gain access to the 400 year old books, by the way, just ask me."
Rinoa wanted to hug the man right there, right then, but she hesitated when she felt Squall's hand rubbing her own in excitement.
'Oh yeah (wait...Zell uses that expression, what's going on with me???)! Rin can be with me! Maybe I can take her out to one of those elegant Estharian restaurants and buy her jewelry and stuff in the Esthar malls...'
Ouragan broke the silence, "Well then, I shall be expecting an answer from all of you on Monday. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so please don't waste it." At that he ended the briefing and spoke to Headmaster Cid about Esthar Garden. The orphanage gang got up, and Quistis looked shyly at Ouragan. Ouragan noticed her, and waved at her shyly too, and she blushed. She then ran off to join her friends at the elevator.
"...He's brilliant...isn't he...?"
Selphie wanted to jab her friend on the sides, "What was that Quisty?"
Quistis blushed. "I mean he's obviously smart! Look at what he was able to do in such little time! Plus..." Quistis said in a very low voice, "I think he's...(in a very soft voice)...cute." Selphie's eyes widened and she asked, "Did you say, cute?"
Quistis blushed again and said through clenched teeth, "No! I didn't say that! I said 'plus he's got a lot to boot!'" with very red cheeks.
Rinoa joined in the fun. "Hmm...do you want me to hook him up with you?"
Quistis practically jumped on her spot and said, "No! I mean yes! I mean, he's a commander! I can't date someone like him!!!"
Rinoa and Selphie said in unison, "Oh yes you can."
"Great! Why did I even talk about him to you guys? You're just going end up hooking me up with him and placing me in the most embarrassing situation in my life!" Quistis said really fast, not noticing that she was sweatdropping.
Zell suddenly spoke for the guys, "Can you girls bring your girl talk somewhere else? We guys are trying to think this over, you know?"
Rinoa went back to Squall and rested her head on his shoulder and Selphie cuddled up to Irvine and both girls said, "Okay."
Quistis sighed and thought of her childhood friend. She could remember him quite well back then when she was the four-eyed student who craved for a guy friend, and a boy three years older than her would often talk to her. She was infatuated with him, of course, but she could never tell him how she felt. He was indeed one of the greatest students of Garden, possibly even better than Squall. To think the high and mighty would be friends with the four-eyed lonely was a bit unthinkable, but she grew to like him as a friend anyway. She couldn't remember when they first met, but if she could recall, they went a long way back. Way longer than Garden...
============
Wow! I can't believe I just finished Chapter 6! Thank you by the way for the reviewers who took their time to read my story. More cliffhangers and story twisters on the way!
By the way, can some writers give me some advice on writing the lemon section? Please give your suggestions and reviews. I would appreciate then a lot.
"Good morning, all of you. I have to apologize if I disturbed your sleep. Before I forget myself, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Commander Ouragan, headmaster and commander of the Esthar Garden Covert Ops Training organization," he said while proffering a hand to the leader of the group, Squall Leonhart.
At 6'5", Ouragan was no joke for a commander, yet his features seemed to radiate with youth and energy, unlike Squall's serious and stern demeanor. With long, wavy brown hair that reached up to his shoulders, he wore a well- trimmed beard and moustache on his face (think of Eric Bana's beard in Troy) that gave him an aura of respect and dignity. His green, cat-like eyes were entrancingly beautiful, and he had a lean, muscular build on him that would have sent Quistis, Selphie, and Rinoa drooling if they hadn't realized that they were in Cid's office. His brow was well-defined and stern, much like Squall's, yet the warm, inviting smile on his face told others that he was approachable. Around the standard commander uniform, he wore a long, black trench coat that made his tall frame look much taller than it did. Squall and Irvine caught Selphie and Rinoa stealing glances at his chest, and both felt a pang of jealousy when he gracefully and stealthily walked across the room. Zell didn't seem to care at all.
'Okay, this guy in insanely tall! Reminds me of the Storm guy, except that he seems younger.'
"Good morning, welcome to Balamb Garden," Squall said rather dryly.
"It's a pleasure to be here Commander," replied Commander Ouragan with a smile, "It's been years since I walked through these walls. I was a student here once, and I'm really fascinated with the improvements the headmaster has made on the Garden. Oh, how rude of me to forget, I do have to congratulate you for your recent victory."
Squall, feeling embarrassed at having a complete stranger shaking his hand and congratulating him, mumbled out, "...uhh...thank you."
Both commanders exchanged glances and said nothing, so Cid decided to break the silence.
"Children, I know that most of you might not have remembered Commander Ouragan, but he was one of Garden's exceptional students, swiftly rising from a mere cadet to rank A at 15 years old. He graduated at 15, left Balamb for the underground Esthar Garden a year later, and replaced the former headmaster to lead the school 2 years ago," Cid said breathlessly.
Quistis, still trying to let the caffeine wake her up, asked Cid, "Underground Esthar Garden? I've never heard of it before. I thought there were only three Gardens?"
"Balamb! Galbadia! And Trabia!" said Selphie as she began jabbing a half- asleep Irvine on the couch.
"Ouch! Seffie! Yeah, Balamb, Galbadia, and Trabia, from what I can remember," mouthed Irvine as he felt Selphie's strong pokes.
Headmaster Cid spoke up this time, "Well, Esthar Garden was formed 20 years ago by a man named Commander Storm. He was a good friend of mine, and we decided to engage in a joint venture to finance the building of a Garden especially reserved for Covert Ops missions. Most SeeDs who go there are graduates of Balamb, Trabia, and Galbadia, and only those who have achieved the Class A rank has the luxury or rather, the opportunity to study in Esthar Garden. And if you were wondering, Esthar Garden was never mentioned to you students because Storm wanted to keep it as secret as possible, even from students, so that their agents can only be used for the most crucial missions. Over the course of these 20 years, Balamb Garden has sent several of its best SeeDs to Esthar. Five years ago, Ouragan graduated top of his class, aced the Garden's courses within a year, and is now serving as the Garden's leader when Commander Storm went missing two years back."
Squall thought, "Is he the same Storm I dreamed of?"
The headmaster continued, "Ouragan is one of the best SeeDs the world has ever seen. He wields a gunblade and has mastered at least 10 different weapons, to say the least. He has also mastered several forms of magic, and is an excellent fighter. I believe that Esthar Garden can train you, my children, to be as great a warrior as he is. That is what Esthar Garden is all about—to train the best cadets to master and learn how to use what he has at hand in the battlefield, to use different weapons so as to avoid looking dumbstruck when handed another, and to be a balanced magic user as well. Every 2 years, the headmaster of the Garden would go to each academy to see different SeeDs perform in the field exams, and he would handpick them for Esthar Garden. Most of those who go to Esthar, by the way, are 20 years old and above, so you must be really good or are quite exceptional war prodigies to be accepted at this age. Only the best SeeDs enter this school, and I am proud that you, my children, are one of those SeeDs."
Rinoa's heart fell when she heard the word "SeeD". Since she wasn't a part of the organization and got mixed up into all of this because of her lover, she feared that the trip to Esthar might separate her from Squall. Her face seemed gloomier than usual, and she felt a hand creeping around her shoulder to comfort her. She rested her head against the soft, black leather, and felt Ouragan's eyes exploring her face. He must have noticed her crestfallen look.
"Cid, I believe you have advertised my Garden well enough," said Ouragan as he let out a hearty laugh before turning back to the gang, "Well, care to take up the offer? The tuition is free, by the way, and I believe that you will enjoy the Garden as much as you do Balamb. We have all the furnishings and facilities available for you."
Looking to each member of the gang, he began by staring at Squall, "Our training center has monsters shipped from the Islands Closest to Heaven and Hell. No more annoying Gnats and weak T-Rexaurs with halitosis to bother you there."
Squall just beamed at the idea.
Turning to Selphie, "Our Garden Festival Committee is also up for new members, and I believe Balamb produces some of the best organizers ever," Ouragan said while smiling at her.
Selphie might not have noticed, but her curls just got a notch curlier when he said that.
Shifting his gaze to Zell, "And...our cafeteria serves excellent gourmet food. Plus, we don't run out of hotdogs," he said while feeling the inside of his coat for the Garden Café's menu.
Zell's mouth watered when he saw the illustrations on the paper he was holding and pleading Ouragan with puppy dog eyes, the commander tossed the menu to Zell.
The commander's eyes fell on Irvine when he said, "Oh, might I add, there are a lot of beautiful women enrolled at the academy!"
Irvine's slit eyes literally turned into orbs at the thought, and before he could do anything silly, Selphie jammed his hat down hard on his head, ripping the rim slightly open.
"Hey!"
"Seff, you know that I love you, but a guy's gotta have fun, right?" he said with an innocent smile.
Selphie just stuck her tongue out at him and looked away from her cowboy boyfriend. Irvine tapped at Selphie's shoulder, but she decided to play the "ignore him" game.
Ouragan smiled at their display of affection before reverting his attention to Quistis.
"Quisty! It's been the longest time!" he said with a grin as Quistis stood up to hug him.
"Ouragan, I never expected to see you here! Hyne, the last time I saw you, you were as tall as Seifer. Now look at you, as tall as a tree and still as cheerful as a boy!"
Ouragan gave her a boyish grin and said, "You know, I always thought that the Garden could use a prodigy like you!"
Quistis blushed at his remark and said, "Oh, not really," feeling embarrassed to be wooed by an old friend. "I mean, there are so much more 18 year old instructors like me!" she said while shuffling her boots uncomfortably on Cid's smooth, shiny marble.
Ouragan noticed her blush and wanted to woo her more, "But you are so different from the non-existent others whom you are talking about," he continued still with the boyish smile. "You are graceful and stunningly agile, fierce with a whip, yet still retain that touch of elegance while striking at enemies in the blink of an eye. Enough said, I want you in the Garden."
Quistis sighed and sat down, feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks. Beside her Selphie and Rinoa were giggling silently until Quistis shot them a dangerous look.
His eyes seemed to soften when the 21-year old commander saw the 17-year old sorceress. He woke up from his trance and told the raven-haired sorceress, "Typically, I wouldn't accept non-SeeDs, but you are an exception. You are a great fighter, Miss Heartilly, and a sorceress would be a great addition to the many gifted students at the academy."
Rinoa could feel her smile reaching up to her ears when he said that. 'Yes! I could be with Squall!'
"Of course, I do know about your interest in books, my lady. So, it is my pleasure to inform you that our library if furnished not only with the latest books on GFs, monsters, and the like. It also has ancient manuscripts kept under lock and key, preserved in an oxygen-less chamber to prevent them from crumbling. Novels aren't left out either, so I do hope you have a good time. If you want to gain access to the 400 year old books, by the way, just ask me."
Rinoa wanted to hug the man right there, right then, but she hesitated when she felt Squall's hand rubbing her own in excitement.
'Oh yeah (wait...Zell uses that expression, what's going on with me???)! Rin can be with me! Maybe I can take her out to one of those elegant Estharian restaurants and buy her jewelry and stuff in the Esthar malls...'
Ouragan broke the silence, "Well then, I shall be expecting an answer from all of you on Monday. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so please don't waste it." At that he ended the briefing and spoke to Headmaster Cid about Esthar Garden. The orphanage gang got up, and Quistis looked shyly at Ouragan. Ouragan noticed her, and waved at her shyly too, and she blushed. She then ran off to join her friends at the elevator.
"...He's brilliant...isn't he...?"
Selphie wanted to jab her friend on the sides, "What was that Quisty?"
Quistis blushed. "I mean he's obviously smart! Look at what he was able to do in such little time! Plus..." Quistis said in a very low voice, "I think he's...(in a very soft voice)...cute." Selphie's eyes widened and she asked, "Did you say, cute?"
Quistis blushed again and said through clenched teeth, "No! I didn't say that! I said 'plus he's got a lot to boot!'" with very red cheeks.
Rinoa joined in the fun. "Hmm...do you want me to hook him up with you?"
Quistis practically jumped on her spot and said, "No! I mean yes! I mean, he's a commander! I can't date someone like him!!!"
Rinoa and Selphie said in unison, "Oh yes you can."
"Great! Why did I even talk about him to you guys? You're just going end up hooking me up with him and placing me in the most embarrassing situation in my life!" Quistis said really fast, not noticing that she was sweatdropping.
Zell suddenly spoke for the guys, "Can you girls bring your girl talk somewhere else? We guys are trying to think this over, you know?"
Rinoa went back to Squall and rested her head on his shoulder and Selphie cuddled up to Irvine and both girls said, "Okay."
Quistis sighed and thought of her childhood friend. She could remember him quite well back then when she was the four-eyed student who craved for a guy friend, and a boy three years older than her would often talk to her. She was infatuated with him, of course, but she could never tell him how she felt. He was indeed one of the greatest students of Garden, possibly even better than Squall. To think the high and mighty would be friends with the four-eyed lonely was a bit unthinkable, but she grew to like him as a friend anyway. She couldn't remember when they first met, but if she could recall, they went a long way back. Way longer than Garden...
============
Wow! I can't believe I just finished Chapter 6! Thank you by the way for the reviewers who took their time to read my story. More cliffhangers and story twisters on the way!
By the way, can some writers give me some advice on writing the lemon section? Please give your suggestions and reviews. I would appreciate then a lot.