CHAPTER 1 – The Beginning of the Journey

Author's Note – the bold words at the beginning of some paragraphs represent a shift, such as a perspective or time change.

The way she looked at it, she had two options: Change her name and start over at the Balamb Garden academy, or just keep going as plain old Squall Leonhart.

For the time being, she chose the latter.

It had been a strange thing, getting wounded by Seifer Almasy and getting thrown down to a pile of rocks, then waking up in the infirmary and being informed that her measurements were 34C-24-32, and that her new school uniform was waiting.

Squall, as a guy, had hated uniforms. Only ever wore one when it was absolutely necessary.

Squall, as a girl, was forced to wear one because those where the only clothes she now had.

She sat at her desk in Instructor Trepe's classroom, supporting her head with her left hand leaning against the computer terminal within the desk. The Instructor's class today was boring as hell. Then again, Squall had never really gotten into the classes that much anyway. She'd just taken them because she had to have class time to be a SeeD.

"Squall!" She was snapped out of her day dreaming about what she could remember about her family by Instructor Trepe calling her name.

"Yes, Instructor?"

"Day dreaming in class isn't a topic we're studying today."

"Sorry, Instructor."

"Well, that concludes the lesson today." Instructor Trepe stood up from her desk. "All students taking the SeeD exam this afternoon are free to report in the front of the building at the designated time. All students not taking the exam are to be in their classrooms studying for the non-SeeD tests tomorrow. Class, dismissed." Then, as students were filing out of the room, the Instructor said, "Ms. Leonhart, come here, please."

Oh, shit... Squall thought, standing up and adjusting the skirt of her uniform.

As she walked past him, she caught sight of Seifer smirking at her. She really wanted to hurt him.

"Yes, Instructor Trepe?" Squall said as she reached the Instructor's desk at the front of the room.

"You haven't been to the Fire Cavern yet, have you?"

"No. I was gonna go there this morning, but then Seifer and I had our little bout and... well," she waved her hands across her body.

"Well, you can't participate in the SeeD exam today unless you do this, so we're going to have to go ASAP. You've been registered GFs, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I've just gotta confirm the registration on the computer at my desk."

"All right. You do that, and meet me at the front gate, okay?"

"All right."

Squall walked back to her desk and turned on her computer.

GARDEN BASICS

GARDEN EVENTS

SEED

GARDEN SQUARE

GARDEN FESTIVAL

She clicked on the GARDEN BASICS.

GARDEN BASICS

GF REGISTRATION: SQUALL

GF REGISTERED ARE:

GF QUETZEQUATAL

GF SHIVA

REGISTER GF NOW?

[Y/N]

She clicked on Y and waited.

GF REGISTRATION COMPLETE

She shut the computer off, then looked up at the front of the room. The 'Trepies' were standing at the doorway, chatting amongst themselves, while Instructor Trepe was no where to be found.

Well, guess it's time to go become an honorary SeeD trainee...

She stood up and walked to the door, where the tallest—and only male—Trepie stopped her in her tracks.

"You better take care of Instructor Trepe, y'hear?" he said, his deep voice resonating in her ears.

"Well, after what happened to me this morning, I'd say she'll be doing a good deal of taking care of me." Squall pushed her way through and walked out of the room.

She was at the corner that lead to the elevators when the sound of running footsteps came straight for her. She looked up just as someone collided with her. After falling on her ass, she instantly made sure her panties weren't showing before she looked up and saw a girl with light brown hair in an upswept style doing something similar.

Great... we both close our legs to make sure a guy didn't try to take our bounty...

"You okay?" she asked the unknown girl.

"Yeah," the girl responded, standing up and helping Squall up. "My name's Selphie Tilmit, what's yours?"

"Squall. Squall Leonhart."

"You're that girl who used to be a guy?"

Squall felt the color drain from her face. "Greeeeat... News travels fast in this school, doesn't it?"

"Hey, I don't mind that you used to be a guy. You're still just one of us girls."

"Thanks. I guess."

"Um, is Homeroom over?"

"Yeah."

"Awwwww! Damnit!"

"You new, or something?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I just transferred here from Trabia region's Garden. I came here to be a SeeD, and because you guys always have great Garden Festivals."

"The Festival Chairman made me an honorary member of the Festival Committee, so I guess I could introduce you."

"Really? Thanks!" Selphie hugged Squall as hard as possible.

"Uh, Selphie? Can I breath, please?"

She let go. "Sorry."

"That's okay. I guess I've still got a long way to go before I'm really just one of the girls..."

"Hang out with me and I'll teach you everything you wanna know."

"Thanks for the offer, but I can deal with it on my own. I mean, don't let guys see your panties, don't let guys see you naked, and come on to guys whenever you need something—it sounds kinda easy."

"Well, then you've got all the basics down."

"Yeah. Um... Shibiru should be at the Festival Square right now, that's down on the the first floor. Let's go."

"Okay."

Squall didn't see Shibiru Hakashi—the chairman of the Garden Festival, and self-proclaimed 'boyfriend' of Squall—right away, but did find him working on a girder on the top of the stage they were going to use for whatever the hell they were going to do on Festival day.

"Hey! Shibiru!" Squall shouted up at him, almost making him fall down. He latched onto the girder with all four limbs, like a monkey.

"Wha—what the hell, Squall?"

"Why don't you get your ass down here?"

"Uahau?"

"What the hell did he just say?" Selphie asked.

"He's looking down your uniform." Squall pointed to Selphie's partially unbuttoned uniform, which was showing a good amount of cleavage. "He does that."

"How do you put up with him?"

"What? It's not like I'm really dating him. Though, I gotta admit, he is kinda cute."

Shibiru landed just in front of them, then he stood up. "So, you do think I'm cute."

"I said 'kinda'."

"Well, good enough for now. Hey there, I'm Shibiru Hakashi," he said, the last half directed to Selphie.

"Selphie Tilmit. I came to join the Garden Festival Committee."

"Hey, we can always use cute girls like you and Squall on the Committee. A little estrogen didn't hurt nobody, right Squall?"

"Yeah, I should know. After this morning, I'm swimming with it."

"That's why I like you."

"Wait, so, you two have only been, uh, quote/unquote together since this morning?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah," Squall answered. "He was the one Dr. Kadowaki had give me my new uniforms and underwear."

"Oh, so that's why you call yourself her boyfriend: because you've seen her naked."

"Yep!" Shibiru smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Wait, how come you don't sound mad?" Selphie asked Squall.

"Why should I? Like I said, he's kinda cute. And I couldn't exactly tell him to hand me my clothes and leave."

"So, you really like him?"

"I don't like like him. I just... goddamn teenage emotions!" Squall shouted, swinging her arms out and hitting Shibiru in the face. "Oops..." Squall covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry, Shibi."

Squall lead Selphie to the cafeteria.

"This is the cafeteria—good luck getting a hot dog."

"What?"

"I'm serious. The hot dogs here are so damned good that everybody buys them right away."

"Have you ever had one?"

"Only because Seifer and I had to pull cooking duty after one of our fights in the hallway."

"Hmm..." Shibiru said, scratching his chin. "Squall in an apron..."

"I was a guy then, Shibi."

"I can dream, can't I?"

"So, what? Do something that forces you into kitchen duty and you get free hot dogs?" Selphie asked.

"Yep."

"Hmm... Squall eating a hot do—" Squall covered his mouth with her hand.

"I know what you mean by 'hot dog', Shibi."

"Fwaury..."

"What?" Selphie asked.

Shibiru grabbed Squall's hand and pulled it away from his mouth. "I said, 'sorry'."

" These," Squall directed Selphie, "are the dorms. Now, until today, Shibi and I would be in the same room, but because of my new condition, I don't know where I'm set up."

"With me," Selphie said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's how I learned about you. I asked around about my new roommate."

"Oh."

"So, do you need help moving your stuff?"

"Nah. Shibi'll move my stuff for me. Lemme just grab my gunblade."

"Gunblade? You can use a gunblade?"

"What? It ain't that hard. Keep the weight on the handle, swing with your wrists and don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes."

"That sounds hard for me. I use Nunchaku."

"Y'see, I could never use those."

"Why not?"

"Well, ya gotta have a certain kinda hip movement that I just can't do."

Squall was walking Selphie through the library when the PA buzzed.

"Squall Leonhart, report to the front gate, please. Instructor Trepe is waiting for you."

"Aw, damn! I forgot!"

"What are you going to the front gate for?"

"I've still gotta go to the Fire Cavern before the SeeD exam."

"I'm taking the exam. And, I didn't know you had to go to any Fire Cavern."

"Well, guess we've both gotta go, then."

"Yeah."

Instructor Trepe was standing at the front gate, still wearing her SeeD uniform instead of her normal clothes. Squall had to think about that—she'd never seen Instructor Trepe in normal clothes.

"Well, Ms. Leonhart and Ms. Tilmit, I see. Somehow I had a feeling you two would be doing this together."

"You did?" Squall and Selphie both said at the same time.

"Yes. Now, let's get going."

Squall yawned once they finally reached the Fire Cavern. The trip had been long and boring, with only two sets of monsters attacking them on the way there—a bug type enemy and a caterchipillar each time. She was amazed that she was still as good with her gunblade as she had been before, but she was more amazed once she saw Selphie and Instructor Trepe fight.

Selphie was fast and ruthless with her Nunchaku, while Instructor Trepe used her whip like and extension of her arm. Squall was feeling like the crappiest fighter around compared to those two.

There were two Garden Faculty members standing guard at the Fire Cavern. Both unmoving.

"What's the matter?" Instructor Trepe asked.

"What?" Squall asked in response.

"You look like you're about to go straight into the valley of death."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know that."

"That's okay. What about you, Selphie, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Instructor."

"Good."

They reached the Garden Faculties and stopped. Instructor Trepe stood in front of them.

"These are my students: Senior Squall Leonhart and Senior Selphie Tilmit."

"They both need to enter the Cavern?"

"Yes, both have yet to take the challenge."

"And you, Instructor?"

"First Year Instructor Quistis Trepe, member of SeeD team Beta."

"How long is suitable: ten, twenty, thirty or forty minutes?"

Instructor Trepe turned to Squall and Selphie. "Well, girls, how long?"

Selphie spoke up first. "Well, we're here to acquire a low-level GF, right? I'd say this shouldn't take more than ten minutes."

"Even low-level GF are tough," Squall pointed out. "We'll need twenty at least."

"Have you fought a low-level GF?"

"Yeah, in the Training Simulator in the back room of the Training Center. It womped my ass."

"So," Instructor Trepe spoke up, "what'll it be?"

Selphie answered, "Thirty."

"Okay," she turned to the Garden Faculties, "Thirty."

"Thirty minutes. Any time over and you'll fail the test and SeeD training will be revoked until next year. You may now enter," the Garden Faculties moved aside, allowing the three young women to enter.