100 Final Fantasy VIII Stories

001. Birth (Squall)

"All students who participated in today's field exam, report to the second floor hallway. I repeat: all students who participated in today's field exam, please report to the second floor hallway."

The voice over the loudspeaker was fuzzy and interrupted with a few ear-piercing hums of feedback, but it was music to Squall's ears. It was just the announcement he'd been waiting all day for. Quickly, yet calmly, he got to his feet and motioned for Zell to do the same.

His blonde-haired, belligerent friend began punching at the air as he hopped alongside Squall to the elevator. "We killed it, man. We really kicked some ass out there."

'...Sure,' Squall thought, but the decision on their performance really could go either way. Even though Seifer was the one at fault for botching their mission, it wouldn't be unlike Headmaster Cid to punish and fail the entire group as a result.

"Huh? Huh? Didn't we really kick ass out there?" Zell asked again, and Squall realized he hadn't spoken his reply out loud.

"...Whatever."

With a "tch," Zell shook his head and punched the up button on the elevator. "You really are a man of many words."

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Zell exploded out of the elevator when it reached the second floor, punching and hopping again until he realized there was a large group of students already congregated in the hall. With a cough and a roll of his head on his shoulders, he wiped his nose and looked back at Squall, motioning for him to keep quiet. The man could only cover his face with his hand and sigh in response.

A hush fell over the rest of the students as the pair took a few more steps into the hallway. Squall could see a faculty member emerge from a nearby room. The man's voice was muffled as he spoke into his large collar, but with each quiet announcement of a name there was a loud hoot or whoop from the student who was called before they quickly ran into the room the faculty member had emerged from.

"Dincht... Zell Dincht."

The edge of Squall's lip quirked up as he watched Zell register that his name had been called. "OHHHH YEEEEEEAH!" Zell shouted as he jumped several feet into the air. He beamed at Squall, and with a "see ya!!," disappeared into the room of new SeeD recruits.

So... Seifer's bad behavior didn't automatically fail the entire squad. Good. But as more names were read and none of them were his, Squall began to get worried. There were about twenty students that had been in the hallway at the start. Five or six had been called, and the total number of students who passed historically had always been less than ten.

"TIlmitt. Selphie Tilmitt."

It was a good thing he didn't have Seifer's impatience or he'd have punched a wall by now. Speaking of Seifer... where was the bastard? He'd probably figured he'd automatically failed...

But Squall had gone along with Seifer's plan. He'd abandoned his post. He'd stopped to make sure a dog they saw on the side of the path got to safety as they ran away from that... that huge metallic monstrosity they'd fought. Had he not done that, would he have had to fight the damn thing again? Time had been of the essence, and he'd just barely made it back to the ship at the end...

He'd all but convinced himself he'd failed the test, and that he'd have to repeat the entire process with Seifer again, when the Garden faculty member announced the next name he'd read would be the last.

Squall had never been more terrified in his entire life and found himself holding his breath.

Finally: "...Leonhart. Squall Leonhart, from Squad B."

His gaze dropped to the floor as he slowly let out the air burning in his lungs. By Hyne, he'd passed. He'd really passed! Averting his eyes from the envious looks of the remaining students surrounding him, he bowed ever so slightly at the faculty member before making his way into the room. He heard a chorus of groans outside as the faculty member announced, "That is all. Dismissed."

When he entered the room, Zell let out a loud "whoop!" and jumped to his feet, clapping his gloved hands together with a stupid grin on his face. Squall was mortified and motioned for his enthusiastic friend to calm down, but on the inside he was thrilled that Zell was expressing just what he felt on the inside.

He did it. He was SeeD.