Domestic

WARNINGS:

1) I do not own FF8, Squaresoft, or get any profit out of this story

2) Rated PG-13 for violence and language

Chapter 1: Recruitment Day

Current Balamb Students,

This year, a new policy will become precedent. In order to lower the drop-out rate and make the Garden more competitive, a Recruitment Day has been established. All incoming underclassmen must perform both a written and physical exam. Of course, Garden's mission statement will remain untouched and orphans are still guaranteed admittance. Therefore they will be exempt from this examination. Any questions, comments, or concerns can be addressed to Quistis Trepe or myself.

Squall Leonhart

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From above, Squall watched small underclassmen squeeze their way into the Quad. He had successfully blocked off part of the upper section for himself. Squall's pale hands gripped his leather chair as he watched the chaos below. They definitely needed a larger place to do this next year. They also should have screened a few of these recruits before giving them weapons. Packed in tightly, overconfident cadets spun their swords clumsily. The circus would soon open, and Squall knew it was not going to be pretty. He was calm though.

With Ultimecia gone, Edea safely at her orphanage, and Galbadia slowly demilitarizing, Squall was able to set his attentions back on Garden. Despite his contempt for the job, Squall was slowly coming around to being Commander. Xu, Quisits, and their staff handled most of the paperwork. For all practical purposes, Squall handled Garden admittance, expulsion, and SeeD missions. All of these things he grew to enjoy. Squall began to like the control. He was the puppet master, and he began to enjoy tying and cutting the strings.

Today was a perfect example. It was Recruitment Day. Squall planned, funded, and executed it himself. The day was going as hoped and Squall intended to garner as much talent as possible.

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Zell hated tests. Actually, he hated the English language in general. He was a much more 'hands-on' learner. Yet here he sat. He hadn't taken a written exam in over two years, but he wasn't too concerned. There was no way they were going to deny him admittance to Garden. Slouching angrily in his seat, the blonde looked around at his neighbors. Along with 200 other garden students, Zell sat in a second floor classroom taking the written test. Hungry and somewhat tired, the blonde groggily flipped through the exam.

1) What is your name?

Zell Dincht

2) Current Residence?

Balamb

3) Are you a current member of the Garden/SeeD?

Both

15) Name the three prominent Gardens that exist today

Galbadia, Balamb, Trabia

34) A Chimera eats…

Small cadets, Grand Mantises, and a surprising amount of grass.

72) Oh No! You were bitten by a Bite Bug! Where should you report to?

If you're really upset about it – Training Center. You'll get a real injury there and forget all about your bug bite.

104) Why should the Garden accept you?

I passed the SeeD exam last year. I helped subdue Sorceress Ultimecia. Squall enjoys my company…sometimes.

200) What will you provide for this Garden, granted you are accepted?

My strength, my energy, my life. You'll be providing my room and lunch.

Dropping his pen, Zell slouched further into his chair. His head hurt. His back hurt. His wrist hurt. "At least there's some exercise coming up." He looked around the classroom. New desks and chairs were crammed into the once comfortable class room. Everyone looked so focused and motivated. Zell had half the idea to redo some of his answers. It was fleeting. Looking around, Zell didn't see many familiar faces.

In the front row however, Zell spotted Selphie. It was just like her to sit there. She was always Miss Perfect. Well she was Miss Perfect on speed. From the moment he saw her jump off a cliff to the Communication Tower, he knew she wasn't quite all there. Zell was annoyed by her, yet he still spent a vast majority of his time with her.

Irvine was sleeping in the far right corner. The cowboy was the cool kid Zell could never be. He had the women. He had the guns. He had the moves. Zell had a nerdy librarian. Zell had punches and kicks. Zell had an awkward walk and was prone to run into walls. If they lived in a movie, Irvine would be "MAIN HERO" in the credits. Zell would be "second short guy".

To the blonde's direct left, Rinoa was looking blankly into space. Rinoa and Zell didn't spend a whole lot of time together. He wasn't exactly sure why though. She always seemed a little slow-witted, but Zell knew that since the day he met her. As for her relationship with Squall, that was questionable. With peace restored, Squall put his attention back on the Garden. Rinoa was once again put in the number two seat. Of course they spent time together, however Zell didn't know if that qualified her as his girlfriend.

Shrugging it off, the blonde decided to steal Irvine's idea and take a nap. His desk smelled like pencil lead.

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"This is a weapons only fight," Squall announced into the speaker. Order had finally been established as the recruits were divided into groups of twenty. All of them were huddled in the top section of the Quad, as the bottom section was reserved for the fight. Looking around for familiar faces, Squall spotted Zell and Irvine. After a day full of bumbling cadets, the day just became a little better. Running a hand through his hand, Squall grabbed the speaker again. "No magic. No junctions. No GFs. First, you will fight a randomly generated monster with your preferred weapon. Tomorrow you will take part in a hand-to-hand combat competition.

"Woo-hoo!" yelled Zell. "Double-Easy!"

Irvine smirked at him, but was semi-distracted by a leather clad female to his left.

"Azerton, Travis." Squall muttered.

A black haired boy stepped into the center of the quad and pulled a battered quarterstaff out of its sheath. It seemed to be comprised more of tape then wood. Zell covered his face; he might as well be fighting with his fists.

Out of nowhere, a screeching Buel descended upon him. His knuckles clenched the staff, as the hell spitting creature shrieked around the room

"Should be easy if that stick can hold up," Zell muttered, nudging Irvine in the side. The cowboy paid him no attention.

Staring at his opponent, the Buel made a dive straight at the boy's head.

Travis steadied his nerves and swung as hard as humanly possible. He felt the staff connect…and then shatter. It was like the Buel won a marathon and crossed the ticker-tape. The momentum threw Travis back onto the hard ground. A downpour of splinters fell on top of him, as the Buel continued to flap around unfazed.

Squall dropped his head into his hands; he knew this was going to be a long fight. There were a lot of long fights today.

The Buel made another dive at the now petrified boy. On pure adrenaline, Travis rolled to the left just in time to avoid the beast's sharp wings. He was screwed. It was hard enough to hit a flying monster with a sword, more or less trying to punch it. This couldn't be happening Not after all the training.

Cruel snickers erupted from the bystanders. "What kind of weapon was that," laughed a chubby kid to Zell's left. "I've seen hobos with better self-defense. This guy'll be dead in three years. I swear."

"He might not be able to fight off a Buel, but at least he can fight off a ho-ho," Zell snapped, glaring at the kid.

"What was that?" Chubby snarled, turning red.

"What's your name?" Zell asked sharply.

"I'm Wix Kr…" he started, but was cut off, as the giant Buel flew inches over their heads.

Travis picked himself off the ground and tried to think of a game plan. Luckily, the Buel seemed to lose interest in him and instead flew aimlessly around the quad.

With splinters in his hair, Travis grabbed the largest chunk of the quarterstaff he could find, and prepared for the Buel's attack. His pulse pounded through his ears, as the Buel suddenly noticed him again. Giving off a shivering screech, the beast twirled its pointed wings and aimed to cut the boy in half. Travis pointed the splintered end of the staff at the Buel, closed his eyes, and swung. Then he was flying. The momentum of the beast was incredible. Like being thrown off a merry-go-round, Travis felt the room spin around him. He hit the ground two feet away.

The Buel was in worse shape. The splintered staff scraped away its eyesight, and it fluttered aimlessly around the room. Screeching as loud as possible, the beast bounced across the Quad.

A rare smile spread across Travis's face. Gripping his splintered quarterstaff, Travis climbed to his feet and approached the beast. With one quick motion, the boy stabbed the sharp splinters through the Buel's leathery skin. A final screech sounded and the monster fell.

Covered in cuts and bruises, the boy slowly made his way back into the crowd.

"Impressive," Squall scribbled on his notepad. "An unorthodox victory, but he's resourceful. Can execute in the clutch. Overall, B," he concluded. "Wix Kramer."

Zell glared as the chubby child walked past him. "Come on Ruby Dragon. Give me a Ruby Dragon," the blonde muttered under his breath. To his great disappointment however, an Imp appeared in front of Wix.

"What is this?" Wix laughed aloud, as he pulled out a bow. "I was hoping for something bigger then my shoe." Drawing an arrow from his quiver, the brown haired boy took aim at the beast's back.

With a 'twing' Zell watched the arrow sail dead on towards the Imp. Then the room changed. Out of nowhere, the air became unbearably heavy. It felt as if the room at submerged four hundred feet under water. It was unbearable to stand. "Demi," smirked the blonde, crouching under the weight. He watched the look of horror on Wix's face, as the pressure caused him to go to one knee.

The Imp then turned all the way around to face the struggling Wix. The audience cringed, as the beast cast a heavy cloud into the brunette's face

It felt like his face was covered in oil that couldn't be brushed away. The darkness was thick, and the heavy air was of no assistance. Wix was helpless. Zell cringed, as the imp turned full circle and slashed the panicked boy across the chest.

Seeing it was a losing battle, Squall shook his head. Reluctantly, he focused on the Imp. The Quad's floor trembled ferociously, and the hell beast Ifrit exploded out of the floor. The heavy air disappeared at once. Ifrit let out a deafening roar, causing several students to jump in surprise. Before the Imp could move, Ifrit slashed it with its' claw and devoured the beast. When Squall broke the focus, the room returned to its regular state. "Azerton, take him down to the Infirmary," Squall muttered with a hint of disgust.

Nodding, Travis gathered the bloody mass that was Wix, and led him out of the Quad.

"Cocky and unprofessional" Squall began scribbling. "No knowledge in enemy weaknesses or abilities. Old Headmaster's son. Overall A-," he concluded. "Zell Dincht," the brunette muttered. "This should be interesting."

The blonde slowly walked forward, and waited for his monster to appear. He took his Gauntlet Knuckles out of his pocket and slid them onto his wrists. It had been a long time since he wore them last, and the leathery smell was refreshing to say the least.

A thunderous roar from his left made him pivot and take a step back. A giant Grendel was currently scaling the Quad stage. It was tearing apart the loosely put together planks with its dagger like claws.

"A Grendel? What the hell happened to fighting Imps and Buels?" Zell thought to himself. He didn't have much thinking time however, as the speedy beast lunged two feet in front of him. It let out another bone-chilling howl, and glared at the blonde.

"Good Luck!" Irvine called.

Zell snarled at him, and waited for the monster to make its first move. Breathing heavily, Grendel jumped for Zell's chest. The blonde dived to the floor, and heard the swipe travel past his right ear. He hopped back to his feet, and smiled at the aggravated Grendel. The dragon was fast, but Zell considered himself quicker. He bounced from one foot to the other, taunting the beast to come again.

Grendel took another swipe at him, but this time the blonde held his ground. He caught Grendel's scaly wrist, inches before it would have torn into his side. The surprised beast tried to pull back, but Zell kept a tight grip on the arm. He moved his right arm to the monster's hairy chest, gripped, and tossed the fiend towards the crowd.

Many of the students cried in fear, as the hairy Grendel skidded across the floor. The fiend slowly got to its feet and refocused its energy on the blonde. With a handful of hair, Zell cracked his knuckles and retightened his gloves. The monster howled at his tosser, and within seconds, landed inches from Zell's face. He took another swipe of his giant claw, this time aiming for Zell's face. The blonde jumped back, but wasn't quick enough. He felt a searing pain travel down his face, as the spiked claw ripped through the edge of his ear.

Feeling the blood trickle down his face, Zell decided he needed to take the offensive. Before Grendel could stage another swipe, Zell delivered a kick below its chin. Grendel toppled back with the momentum, and once again almost rolled into the crowd. It's jaw seemed fractured, as blood began to drop onto the floor. The foe's once yellow hair was now turning a shade of magenta.

Distracted with its injury, Grendel didn't see Zell start to throw a right hook. The consequences were painful. Zell's metal infested gloves tore into Grendel's soft skin, causing skin, hair, and blood to be torn from the beast's body. It's mouth and side bleeding profusely, the monster tried to look for a way to escape. Zell didn't allow it. Before Grendel could react, Zell delivered a right hook to its eye, and followed it up with a punt to its midsection. Grendel hit the floor four feet away and did not get up.

With a bloody ear, bloody gloves, and bloody shoes, Zell tiredly returned to the crowd.

"Not bad," Irvine snickered. "Could have been a lot worse."

"You're telling me," Zell sighed.

"Dincht, report to first aid," Squall said into his speaker. Reluctantly, the blonde got to his feet, and left the Quad. "Amazing hand-to-hand combat. Strong knowledge in enemy weakpoints. Sometimes headstrong. Overall A," the brunette scribbled on his clipboard. "Donner, Oren." Squall announced next.

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