Chapter Two
Preliminaries
Squall approached the volcanic Fire Cavern several hours later, still chaffing somewhat at Quistis' question a moment ago. She'd asked him if knew how to use his gunblade properly! Concerned, she'd said. Yeah, right. She'd just been pissed that he'd left her waiting at the front gate while he got something to eat. Squall's face was set into a stern frown as he strode down the path toward the two robed Garden Faculty members standing guard at the cavern's entrance. He absently checked to make sure the chamber on the gun of his blade was full, then cocked the hammer and re-strapped it to his belt.
Out of habit and the knowledge that had been drilled into him from the time he was a child, he searched inside of himself to make sure he was still properly junctioned to his Guardian Force—or GF for short. In response he felt a now familiar soothing presence wash over him, and shivered as the temperature around him seemed to drop by twenty or so degrees. His next exhalation of breath even formed a cloudy puff of steam.
Taciturn, harshly composed and coolly reserved, Shiva—the GF of Ice—suited him very well, which was probably why the stand-offish GF had chosen him as a carrier all those years ago.
GFs were spirits of magic that were almost god-like in power, yet on the other hand almost completely dependant on a human host to survive. They couldn't exist without a carrier, junctioning their life-force to a human—in essence taking over a small portion of the brain to live in until summoned. GFs and SeeDs had been working together in such a mutually beneficial relationship ever since Garden's inception. GFs gave SeeDs strength and power and the ability to wield magic—a feat otherwise reserved for sorceresses—while SeeDs provided GFs with a never-ending supply of hosts. They could also summon the spirit themselves to aide them in battle if absolutely necessary, though this could be dangerous if done too often and they were trained to never resort to summoning their GF unless it was a dire necessity. The GF and the host could communicate telepathically as well as empathically with one another at all times while junctioned, and generally—after junctioning—a GF and a SeeD would remain together for the rest of that SeeD's life. In which case the GF would then choose another host after the original's death.
Shiva had first junctioned with Squall when he was only seven years old, only two years after he'd joined Garden. In ten years Squall could count on one hand the amount of times she had communicated with him verbally. Normally she merely gave him impressions or sensations that effectively communicated her thoughts or desires. The only bad side-effect of being junctioned to Shiva was that he could never seem to get warm, always cold, which was the reason why he wore a fur-lined jacket all year round—even in Balamb's humid heat. A small price to pay, in his mind, for the benefits she gave him.
As they neared, the Garden Faculty members straightened. Much of their expressions were hidden by those strange wide yellow hats they wore, but Squall could see the stern man's mouth moving as he spoke, "Objective ; to defeat a low-level Guardian Force in battle. A SeeD member must support. Are you ready?"
Squall pulled himself into a picture perfect salute. "Ready." Next to him, Quistis did the same.
"I'm his support. Instructor number 14, Quistis Trepe." The one who had spoken first nodded in acknowledgement, then the other one stirred himself.
"Select a time limit. Choose one suited to your abilities. Challenging yet reasonable. 40 minutes, 30 minutes, 20 minutes or 10 minutes."
"Ten," Squall was quick to reply. Apparently this wasn't a new occurrence, for neither looked terribly impressed.
"Very well," the first replied. "Good luck." Then they both stepped aside and allowed he and Quistis to walk past.
As soon as they cleared the first tunnel Squall was blasted by an intense wave of heat. Rock formations jutted out every which way, and they were surrounded on all sides by flowing lava. No doubt anyone else would've been overcome and extremely uncomfortable, though Shiva's presence kept him from being too overwhelmed. For once he was glad for her dropping the temperature.
"My job is to support you in battle," Quistis announced as they began walking along the path, a step behind him, allowing Squall to lead. "Everything else is up to you."
Squall loosened the catch over the handle of his gunblade, keeping an eye out for monsters. "Fine," was his monotone reply.
They made their way through the cave, lava and fire pits maintaining a steady, dull roar in the background. After a few minutes Quistis suddenly chuckled. "You know, the boys often choke on this test when I come with them." Squall rolled his eyes, inwardly groaning. "I guess my charm makes them nervous."
Whatever, he intoned silently, sliding her a venomous glare. She laughed harder.
"I'm just kidding! Just trying to keep you relaxed, that's all."
Squall led the way confidently through the Fire Cavern. What few Bombs, Buels or Red Bats dared to impede his way were quickly and efficiently dealt with. Quistis rarely had to touch the whip on her side, merely standing back, arms crossed, and admiring his skill. Until, at last, Squall entered what seemed to be the very back of the cavern with no more then two minutes left on the clock. A huge well-spring of lava sat before him, giving off an incredible amount of heat. Quistis shook her head as they approached.
"I guess I was right. You and Seifer are in a league all your own." Squall didn't say or do anything other than approach ever closer. "Ok, this is it," she announced, grabbing the handle of her whip and sliding into a fighting stance. "Are you ready?" Squall pulled his gunblade and gave it a whirl. She snorted. "You seem confident enough."
As if that was some kind of signal, not a moment later there was a huge roar that shook the very walls of the cavern. Bits of lava and magma spewed up out of the well-spring, and then an enormous brown-skinned creature leapt forth. The bestial creature landed with a loud thud in front of them, rippling with muscle and fire-red and orange fur. Two huge black horns sprouted back off it's head, and two yellow-gold eyes narrowed on him. The creature—the legendary GF Ifrit—spread it's arms and threw it's lion-like head back for another ear-splitting roar, then suddenly leapt up into the air. Squall had about a half a second to pounce out of the way before Ifrit's enormous clawed fist—of which was bigger than Squall's entire head—slammed into the earth where he had been and cratered it. Lava pooled in to fill the gap immediately afterward.
Had he been under that blow when it hit, he'd probably be dead.
Squall quickly rolled to his feet, and Ifrit straightened. His snout pulled back into a semblance of a smile, a row of razor-sharp fangs showing.
"Hm," he rumbled suddenly, his voice deep and powerful. "Not bad for a human."
Squall scowled, fighting to recover from being so thrown off his balance. He shifted his stance, then suddenly went on the offensive. He ducked in through Ifrit's guard, his gunblade slashing out and catching the enormous GF in the mid-section. Right at the last moment he pulled the trigger, pumping a round into him as well. Ifrit stumbled back with another roar, this one enraged and in pain.
"Impudent human!" The GF motioned with it's paw, and Squall fell back—stunned—when he was suddenly engulfed in flames. Only his quick reaction time and a timely intervention from Shiva kept him from catching on fire. Unfortunately this was just enough of a distraction for Ifrit to pounce forward again and then catch him in the chest with a powerful blow. Squall fell back on his back with a slight cry, then jerked his head up, eyes wide, just in time to see Ifrit closing the distance fast.
Before he could get to him however, the ground around them suddenly froze over, waves of ice forming on the stone all around them. An enormous spike of it suddenly shot up, and encased within was the blue-skinned Ice Goddess herself, arms folded over her chest as if in repose. Ifrit stumbled back a few steps, his bestial eyes widening. Shiva lifted her head, eyes opening, and with a slight toss of her head the ice encasing her shattered. She immediately put her arms in front of her, floating above the ground, and her Diamond Dust attack peppered Ifrit with shards of freezing ice and wind before she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
The elemental of fire was forced to his knees.
"They have Shiva?!" Ifrit snarled furiously, then forced himself back to his feet. The GF was wounded however, slower, and Squall took the opening given. Three more slashes had the powerful creature back on it's knees. His head bowed.
"For me to lose to a human . . ." He heaved a gusty sigh that blasted Squall with heat and the smell of sulfur. Ifrit raised his head. "Very well, you have proven worthy."
A moment later Ifrit had disappeared back into the pool of lava. Squall winced as he straightened, more than one place on his body aching from the exertion he'd just put on it and the blows he'd taken. Quistis checked her watch, then chuckled.
"Exactly five seconds to spare," she murmured, then shook her head and sighed before eyeing him admiringly. "Five seconds better than Seifer's time."
Outwardly Squall didn't show any reaction to her admission, though inwardly he was practically purring in pleasure. Hah. Take that, Almasy.
Quistis chewed on her lip as she and her student made their way back to Garden. Normally she wasn't one to mind silences. She was known to brood and mull on occasion herself. Yet for some reason she could never seem to stand uncomfortable silences with this particular teen, which unfortunately was just about the only thing he was apt to give her. Or give anyone, for that matter.
More than once Quistis had questioned her own sanity and good judgment in singling Squall out as she did. Sure, he was handsome, and smart, and a damn good fighter. Yet there were smarter, handsomer men than Squall Leonhart in the world—and plenty of them showed loads more interest in her than her taciturn student did. The fact that he was a student and she was his Instructor—not to mention a year younger than her as well—should have been plenty to completely deter her from any untoward behavior. There was just something about Squall that drew her like a moth to flame however, despite all of her good intentions otherwise. Even in the face of his absolute disinterest.
Perhaps it was the mystery of him. Always so withdrawn and cold, so . . . emotionless. He guarded himself and his feelings so closely, so completely. Quistis—a natural problem-solver—couldn't seem to leave well enough alone when it came to Squall. After months of trying, she had pretty much accepted the fact that Squall was simply not in the least bit interested in her as a woman and she'd tried her best to bury her ridiculous crush or else end up acting and looking the fool.
Some things were easier said than done, though. And, Hyne, did it hurt. Squall rejected her as easily as one might discard an old pair of shoes, not an easy thing for any woman to experience. Her rigid control and SeeD training were probably the only things keeping her from dissolving into a shrieking harpy every time he gave her one of those impatient glares or annoyed rolls of his steely blue eyes when she had the audacity to try and lure him into perfectly innocent, friendly conversation.
As they approached the front gate, Squall turned to her and stood at attention, but for all his blank expressions she had grown to know him well this past year. He was dying to get the hell out of there and away from her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but pulled her professional face forward and straightened as well.
Two could play this game.
"Well done. All your requirements are now filled, so you're free to participate in the exam." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost time. Now change into your student uniform and assemble at the first floor lobby."
Squall turned on his heel and walked away without another word or twitch of an eyebrow. Quistis hesitated a moment before following after. She made for the directory in the lobby. A few students had already assembled as well as the four other SeeD instructors who would be accompanying the candidates on this mission. They called greeting to her when she approached. For appearances' sake she put on a breezy smile and nodded in return, accepting the file that a Garden Faculty member handed her before he turned around and left as well. Quistis ignored the impulse to open the folder and take a peek in order to see who Squall had paired with if for no other reason than the only student she was interested in looking at was him.
Hyne, it was getting to be like some sort of sick obsession. Not to mention pathetic. A few more students began trickling up as the minutes ticked by. The instructors began announcing squad assignments and the students began pairing off. Shortly before 1600, Squall himself appeared. Quistis did her best to squelch the flare of excitement that pooled in her belly at the sight of him in his dark blue uniform—of which looked very good on him. Not one to conform completely however, he'd left his jacket unzipped, revealing his Griever pendant that he still wore and the tight white undershirt on beneath it—which molded far too well to the toned muscle of his chest for her or any other girl's peace of mind.
Really, how was a girl supposed to keep her head with that kind of display? She cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses.
"Squall!" she called out, ignoring the others who turned to her at the sound of her voice. "Over here!" His face was as bland as ever as he approached her. "I'll be announcing the squad assignments for the exam now." She finally opened the folder and glanced down the sheet inside. "Let's see . . . you'll be with . . ." her eyebrow rose. "Zell Dincht," she announced, slightly stunned. Then she felt her mouth quirk into a smile of amusement, something Squall apparently did not share in the slightest if his suddenly irritated expression was any indication. This oughtta be good, she thought to herself, then announced diplomatically, "quite a lively fellow."
Squall's glare was venomous. "Lively? He's just loud. Can't I switch members?" Quistis shook her head.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," she returned coolly, then turned to where she saw Zell shadow-boxing near the back of the group. That kid never stood still. He was constantly moving. She'd seen hyper before, but Zell easily took the cake. "Over here, Zell!" she yelled, causing him to pause in his mock-fighting and turn. He grinned and then—instead of walking over like any other normal human being—he suddenly ran into a cartwheel and then back-flipped the entire way over. At the last second he pulled up and then gave them a thumbs up and a wide toothy grin. Squall put his face in one hand and groaned while Quistis just chuckled, feeling just a twinge of vindictive humor.
Oh this is going to be so much fun. Just wait until he finds out who his squad leader is.
"Whoa!" Zell exclaimed after a half a second. "I'm with you?" He quickly rubbed his fist on the leg of his pants, then held it out for a friendly handshake. Not surprisingly Squall completely ignored it and turned back to Quistis, expression tight with disapproval. After another moment Zell realized he wasn't going to get to shake hands and slumped slightly. He recovered quickly however and suddenly questioned, "You don't get along with Seifer, do you?" Quistis saw Squall tense, but he didn't answer. Zell continued dauntlessly. "Heard he whooped you pretty bad this morning."
Now that will definitely get a reaction, Quistis mused, and smirked when her prediction proved correct. Squall pivoted slightly to pin Zell with a cold stare.
"We weren't fighting," he announced blandly. "We were training." Zell snorted, mimicking Quistis' own reaction to such BS.
"I bet you he doesn't think so." Then Zell sighed. "Look, Seifer's just being a pain in the ass. All you have to do is ignore him." Quistis snorted again. This coming from the kid who was constantly getting reprimanded for throwing fits after Seifer even so much as breathed a word in his direction.
She saw her chance however, and just as Squall opened his mouth she spoke with him. "That's none of your business."
Both Zell and Squall turned to her afterward. Zell looked stunned and confused, Squall looked . . . blandly irritated as usual. Quistis cleared her throat.
"Ahem . . . Excuse me, but . . . That Seifer you're talking about . . . He's your squad leader."
Zell gaped, taking a step back with his astonishment. "Say what?!" he yelled, and Quistis winced at the sheer volume. This kid really needed to get a handle on his temper. Squall looked no more pleased, but kept his anger and disapproval in firm check. His face was as blank as always, only the fire spitting from his steel blue eyes gave him away. Quistis shrugged helplessly.
"It can't be changed." She turned to scan the crowd. "Seifer! Are you here?"
A moment later his tall form swaggered out of the throng, that egotistical smirk ever present on his tanned face. Of course he hadn't bothered to follow a simple rule like wearing his Garden student uniform for the exam. Instead he was dressed in the clothes she'd seen him wearing earlier in class, the black slacks and white-trimmed blue vest, his worn gray coat on over it. His little posse—Raijin and Fujin—weren't far behind him.
Quistis felt her whole body tighten in response to his arrogant expression. Like Squall, Almasy never failed to get a reaction out of her, and also much like Squall it was completely involuntary on her part too. For any other situation Quistis was well-known for being able to keep her cool, to never let her anger or her temper effect her work. Seifer had only to give her a certain look or turn a certain phrase and she felt her temperature start to boil. Seifer went out of his way to undermine her authority and disrupt her classes at every given opportunity. There were times these past two years when she thought she might have happily wrapped her Chain Whip around his neck and strangled the life from him.
Quistis gave his smirk a stern look, fighting to keep her cool. "You're the squad leader," she announced, tone frosty. It was either that or start screaming and clawing that damned look off his face with her bare hands. "Good luck to you," she added as an after-thought. When his expression darkened she tensed. Apparently she'd managed to upset him without even trying.
"Instructor," he purred in that baritone sneer that never failed to push all her buttons. "I hate it when people wish me luck," he continued snottily. "Save those words for a bad student who needs them, eh?"
Quistis folded her hands behind her back. "Very well." And some sort of perverseness had her leaning forward and adding, "good luck, Seifer."
His smirk fell into a strangely heated look a moment before he motioned with one arm. "Add Instructor Trepe to the list."
Trepe felt her eyebrow twitch. List? What list? Fujin merely nodded to Seifer's instruction. Quistis rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys.
"Well then, you're all assigned to Squad B," she announced primly. "I'll be the instructor in charge. Team work is of the utmost importance." She gave the three of them a serene smile. "Let's get through this exam, everyone." Seifer snorted, then turned to glare at his two teammates.
"Listen up! Teamwork means staying out of my way. It's a Squad B rule. Don't you forget it!"
Quistis groaned under her breath as Zell took a fighting stance and looked on the verge of throwing down. Fortunately Headmaster Cid chose that moment to walk up. All of the students—except Seifer—snapped to attention. Seifer merely lowered himself to turning forward, crossing his arms boredly. If Cid noticed, he didn't say anything. The portly middle-aged man came to stand in front of the congregation near the directory, his hands folded behind his back.
"Everyone here?" No one responded, but Cid nodded anyhow. "It's been a while, everyone. How's everyone doing?" Nothing verbal passed the students lips—they were too well trained for that—but the bright-eyed and expectant expressions on their faces told Cid well enough and he grinned. "This exam will involve twelve members from squads A through D. You will be proceeding to a real battlefield. Obviously the battles are for real." He motioned grandly with his arms. "Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace. Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or the other." He put his arms back behind his back and chuckled. "How 'bout it? Are you still up for it?"
The twelve students in front of him didn't even so much as squirm, but the energy in the room was almost palpable. Quistis almost cracked a grin herself. She remembered well what it was like to be on the other side of the line. Fresh out of the classroom, your head filled with images of glory and heroism. Unfortunately real battle wasn't nearly so glamorous, which was an unfortunate fact they were all about to discover. Still, it was what they had been training for almost all their lives. Today they would discover if they really had what it took to become a SeeD. Headmaster Cid straightened after a moment and continued.
"You will be accompanied by 9 SeeD members. Should you fail, these members shall get the job done." He smiled. "They always do. Well that's one less worry off your mind," he added with a chuckle, then motioned again. "The pride of Balamb Garden! The elite mercenary force, SeeD! Learn from them, obey their commands and complete the mission. Prove yourself worthy of becoming a member of SeeD." He nodded. "Best of luck."
At that dismissal everyone turned and began heading for the parking lot in the orderly fashion they were trained. On the way she heard Seifer heave a disgusted sigh and begin complaining to Raijin and Fujin—who were accompanying him to the car apparently like some sort of escort.
"I've had to listen to that same old dumb-ass speech three times now," he grumbled. "It never changes. You think he'd learn some new lines."
"And you'd think you'd finally manage to pass this exam," she shot back icily, causing Seifer to scowl in her direction. She met him glare for glare. "Get in the vehicle, Almasy," she snapped. "Raijin, Fujin, you're not among the 9 SeeDs assigned to this mission. Carry on with your business."
Quistis effectively ignored any venomous glares that came her way and maintained her cool stare until Fujin and Raijin eventually wandered off and Seifer stalked through the yellow hall leading to the parking lot. He entered the large six-seater first, followed by Squall and Zell, Quistis getting in last. The back had three seats on each side, purple upholstery with the words BALAMB GARDEN written in white across the head-rests. Seifer sat on the end of one row, Quistis on the other end with a seat between them. Zell sat across from her, Squall across from Seifer. The SeeD member behind the wheel started her up and then pulled out of Garden. Quistis settled back, her legs crossed and began counting the minutes. It was a twenty minute drive from Garden to the harbor town of Balamb.
She prayed the four of them could make it that long.
A moment later Zell suddenly turned to Squall. "Yo Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?" Squall continued to stare down at the floor of the van between his boots, saying nothing. Zell leaned forward. "C'mon man!" he wheedled. Again, nothing. Zell put his hands—fitted into his black and steel-plated fighting gloves—together in supplication. "Just a peek!" Quistis sighed as Squall refused to even look in Zell's direction. The blonde martial artist sat back heavily as he finally accepted the fact that Squall wasn't going to give in, shooting his teammate a dirty look. "Tch. Fine. Yeah, yeah." He waited another moment, as if waiting to see if his lack of interest would get a reaction, then sighed loudly. "Why you bein' so selfish?" he then demanded. "Scrooooge."
Quistis compressed her lips into a thin line to keep from snickering. She could almost see the vein in Squall's temple begin to throb as Zell kept up, refusing to be daunted by the brunette's refusal to be drawn into conversation. You had to give him one thing, at least Dincht was persistent.
"Say somethin', will ya?!" Zell demanded at length, crossing his arms, giving Squall a belabored glare. "What's on your mind?"
Quistis couldn't help it. As she saw Squall open his mouth she called out at the same time, "nothing."
Squall gave her a glare while Zell stared on in confusion and Seifer—who had remained slumped down in his seat and silent up until now—let out a low growl under his breath. She didn't hear the words, but doubted they were complimentary and didn't bother asking him to repeat them.
After another moment Zell suddenly got to his feet in the moving van. Quistis felt her brows knit in annoyance and exasperation as the hyper-active teen actually began shadow-boxing inside the car. Restless and edgy, it was almost as if Zell couldn't stand to sit still. A part of it probably had to do with the jitters concerning his first real battle, though Quistis suspected Zell would be this energetic in any situation. She could sympathize, but the back of a van was no place to start hopping in place and throwing mock punches.
She had just opened her mouth to reprimand Zell and tell him to sit down, but someone else beat her to it.
"Stop that," Seifer suddenly growled. "It's annoying." Zell froze, and turned to glare at the taller youth. Seifer gave him a sneering smirk. "Chicken-wuss."
Zell immediately fell into a fighting crouch, his face turning red with fury. "What did you call me?!"
Seifer just chuckled nastily. Quistis felt very near to pulling her hair out in frustration. Boys!
"Knock it off," she snapped angrily, cutting off any other outbursts. Seifer continued to chuckle, but under her stern glare Zell finally backed down and then plopped back into his seat. He crossed his arms and glared off out of the window instead.
A few more minutes of blissful silence ensued, until the most unlikely source finally broke it again.
"Instructor . . ," Quistis jerked and then turned her eyes to Squall, who had turned his head from where he still sat forward. He met her stare steadily. "Who was that girl in the infirmary this morning?"
Quistis frowned in confusion. Where in the world had that come from? "Was someone there?" she asked, striving to maintain a neutral tone. "I didn't notice anybody." A flicker of something passed his eyes, but as soon as it appeared it was gone again. Instead he turned back to staring at the floor. Quistis bit at the corner of her lip. "Is there a problem?"
He sighed, then shook his head. "No . . . not really."
Any other conversation was interrupted by Seifer's loud and obnoxious sigh. "This is great. I have Chicken-wuss and a guy who just reached puberty in my squad."