Fanfiction; FFVIII Pre-Game; "An Explosion of Chance"; For irish_ais
Title: An Explosion of Chance
For: irish_ais
Medium: Fanfiction
Request: "FFVIII, any genfic heavy on Quistis and Xu. Preferably with explosions, and set before they make SeeD. And it doesn't have to be gen. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge."
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII pre-game
Characters/Pairings: Xu/Quistis
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Feedback: Feedback is always appreciated.
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 1,756
Summary: Using a spell that is stronger than you might expect can cause explosions about 75% of the time.
Notes: Yes, the song did help inspire a lot of this fic, as well as the amazing prompt by irish_ais. I would just like to state now that I did write this in a different country than my own, and that I realize there may be many flaws and such. So you, my dear fic prompter, will most likely getting something else as well when I get back home, as an apology for this work of fiction. More than likely, it will be a longer and better continuation of this story.
We like explosions that leave you feeling good
We like ideas that change the world for good
There's nothing past the stop 'n' go
There's nothing but the ebb and flow
There's nothing like some in and out
There's nothing more than what you know
-Devo
It was common practice to have all SeeD cadets to start out learning basic skills in fighting with magic and without, choosing which weapon they preferred using, and basic first aid, which was really just another way of saying "Here are some bandages, now place them in the right position and then cast Cure." No one really expected any of the cadets to be able to pull off a series of brilliant moves that would take down any of the many monsters that inhabited Balamb Garden's training room. It was simply something that was not done on a regular basis, except by those who were well versed in the ways of fighting and being able to use magic.
But then, of course, there were also those students who could only be called a prodigy, and when such a word was uttered or announced with enthusiastic approval, all anyone else could do was accept that fact and move on, watching that one student prodigy out of the corner of their eye over the years. It was sad to say that most other students, and even many of the instructors, were always on the look out for failure, because was that not the case with everything? Everyone always wanted to see the best put down in such a way that they all could laugh about later. It helped heal a bruised ego to see someone collapse who was considered to be perfect. On the same line, though on the opposite side of the spectrum, there were always those who wanted to see the student succeed, who wanted to shove in the fasces of those opposed to it, that this person was indeed perfect at everything they did, and those, in turn, helped along the way as much as they could.
However, when Quistis Trepe was involved, there seemed to be an unraveling of everything that everyone had already thought of. Perfection had been a rarely used word at Balamb, but at the same time, there was simply no other way to describe many of the things that this one student was able to do. Magic flowed through her as if it was water, junctioning a GF came as easily to her as tying her shoes, and when she had chosen to use the chain whip, a weapon that was not seen for many years, and then practice it until it was able to be used as a most formidable weapon...well.
Prodigy and perfection became standard vocabulary words.
But even someone who was perfect at something always did have their downfalls. Quistis' were just not as noticeable as everyone else's, and it had been that way for years. Ever since arriving at Balamb at the age of ten, she had excelled in everything, except for one thing. Social awkwardness could be found in everyone, and while some students masked it away by being sullen and anti-social, or becoming a bully, or being a bit too friendly and a bit too nosey, Quistis was none of those. Instead, she stayed in instead of going out. She studied while others had long been done studying and were now sleeping.
But even in the darkest times, and really, training to become a SeeD counted as a dark time in which food was thought of but not eaten and practical magic sent you to the infirmary more than reading up on it did, there were some things that made it easy to find friends.
Who knew that it would come to a simple card game? A card game that she had to do well in anyway, but that was where she had found someone who she could call a friend. Xu was not noticeably shy in that way that extremely shy people often are. In fact, it was that shyness that attracted Quistis to her, even though the other girl was a good two years older than her. When she first met her, Quistis was young and optimistic enough that she knew she would always be able to do what needed to be done. And with Seifer and Squall in her class, it really was something that she thought upon often, especially the leadership skills she felt she was developing because of all the almost fights that she had broken up between the two of them.
But games required cunning, logic, and decisiveness. And a card game was the right step in the right direction. Of course, like everyone else who started off playing Triple-Triad, she was horrible at it. But when Xu showed up and gave her a smile, Quistis was determined to become better. It was nice to be smiled at like that, and what soon started off as a competitive streak slowly turned into a friendship. Even though she was older, Xu showed some deference to the other girl, and she didn't even complain when Quistis took the top title and all she had gotten was second place in the line of the card game.
But that was how things worked out, and from then on, when one was in trouble, the other would be there just in case. It was something different though, at times, when Xu looked at Quistis with happiness and respect, and that little bit of something that made her feel funny in the inside like she had never felt before. And maybe, just maybe, that little look of want in her eyes matched Quistis' own want, except neither of them knew how to broach the subject, or even if it was something that should be broached at all.
And that was what probably got them in that mess in the first place. Now, any first year cadet could tell you that when using magic, its always good to have a back up handy, just in case something goes wrong. They will also tell you that if something does indeed go wrong, then you should run from the place as fast as you can; because that usually means that something is going to blow up.
It was the day before her SeeD examination, and Quistis, while worried, was not the type to begin freaking out in that worried sense, where everyone begins hyper ventilating and trying to sit with their hands in their laps at the lunchroom, even though the napkin that they were holding had begun to resemble little bits of string, the way they had been pulled apart and put back together and rolled until they could almost make a ring around your finger.
Killing off Grats in the training room was not on the list of things to do before the examination, but it worked extremely well at releasing tension, and that was something that Quistis felt needed to be done. She had been on the verge of going to the instructors’ quarters and asking Xu if she wanted to join her, but something had held her back. Not fear, not nerves, but more like she knew how busy Xu had become, especially now that the other woman was a SeeD and did many an administrative job. Even though they were two years apart, seventeen was still a long ways to go from fifteen, but one SeeD was indistinguishable from another, even if one had joined when she was sixteen and the other was going to be joining a year earlier.
But killing a pile of Grats seemed to do the trick, and while her whip did good work of finding the most vulnerable spots on the monsters' bodies, Quistis was able to feel some sort of energy building inside her, and she just knew that to release it would mean breaking the unspoken all important rule of all students; when you release a fire spell, especially one as high up as Fira was, then you should always back away at least ten steps before you realize something as powerful as that.
And this was the one case that she just didn't care for rules at the moment. And of course, Xu had to appear behind her as soon as she let out the spell.
Needless to say, Xu's surprised sound of her name was overshadowed as the explosion seemed to hit a Grat, another one, and then one more, making the sound of exploding Grats something that no one else could say they had heard before this. Rather than a large BOOM sound, as was customary of any loud explosion, this one seemed to crackle with the fire that had made it, and while the BOOM was indeed loud, the blast of the heat was enough to send both girls back with full force, enough that it made them both land on their backs, Xu just as surprised as Quistis was until she passed out.
Later, when she opened her eyes, she realized she was not in the infirmary like she had thought she would be. Instead, the linens weren't that scratchy kind all hospitals seem to have, and second, infirmaries do not look like a friend's room, with said friend sitting in a chair by the bedside. Quistis turned her head and looked at Xu, who said nothing for a moment, her face a stern mask of disapproval.
"You could have been seriously hurt, what were you thinking?" Xu asked coldly, and for one of the first times in her life, Quistis did not know what to say. She had the beginnings of something on her mind, but instead, just like how she had reacted emotionally without thinking of rules and regulations, she leaned over and gave her friend a lingering kiss, surprising both of them again. Not that it seemed Xu minded, and even though two years of an age difference didn't seem to matter in the long run, there was still something to be said about kissing someone you are the closest to.
"What was th--" Xu began, but was cut off when Quistis smiled a little smile and kissed her again.
There were some things that happened because they needed to happen. And sometimes they needed to happen as soon as possible, because, like a wayward explosion, there was always the possibility of something going wrong.
And sometimes it was better to leave behind no regrets.
For: irish_ais
Medium: Fanfiction
Request: "FFVIII, any genfic heavy on Quistis and Xu. Preferably with explosions, and set before they make SeeD. And it doesn't have to be gen. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge."
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII pre-game
Characters/Pairings: Xu/Quistis
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Feedback: Feedback is always appreciated.
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 1,756
Summary: Using a spell that is stronger than you might expect can cause explosions about 75% of the time.
Notes: Yes, the song did help inspire a lot of this fic, as well as the amazing prompt by irish_ais. I would just like to state now that I did write this in a different country than my own, and that I realize there may be many flaws and such. So you, my dear fic prompter, will most likely getting something else as well when I get back home, as an apology for this work of fiction. More than likely, it will be a longer and better continuation of this story.
We like explosions that leave you feeling good
We like ideas that change the world for good
There's nothing past the stop 'n' go
There's nothing but the ebb and flow
There's nothing like some in and out
There's nothing more than what you know
-Devo
It was common practice to have all SeeD cadets to start out learning basic skills in fighting with magic and without, choosing which weapon they preferred using, and basic first aid, which was really just another way of saying "Here are some bandages, now place them in the right position and then cast Cure." No one really expected any of the cadets to be able to pull off a series of brilliant moves that would take down any of the many monsters that inhabited Balamb Garden's training room. It was simply something that was not done on a regular basis, except by those who were well versed in the ways of fighting and being able to use magic.
But then, of course, there were also those students who could only be called a prodigy, and when such a word was uttered or announced with enthusiastic approval, all anyone else could do was accept that fact and move on, watching that one student prodigy out of the corner of their eye over the years. It was sad to say that most other students, and even many of the instructors, were always on the look out for failure, because was that not the case with everything? Everyone always wanted to see the best put down in such a way that they all could laugh about later. It helped heal a bruised ego to see someone collapse who was considered to be perfect. On the same line, though on the opposite side of the spectrum, there were always those who wanted to see the student succeed, who wanted to shove in the fasces of those opposed to it, that this person was indeed perfect at everything they did, and those, in turn, helped along the way as much as they could.
However, when Quistis Trepe was involved, there seemed to be an unraveling of everything that everyone had already thought of. Perfection had been a rarely used word at Balamb, but at the same time, there was simply no other way to describe many of the things that this one student was able to do. Magic flowed through her as if it was water, junctioning a GF came as easily to her as tying her shoes, and when she had chosen to use the chain whip, a weapon that was not seen for many years, and then practice it until it was able to be used as a most formidable weapon...well.
Prodigy and perfection became standard vocabulary words.
But even someone who was perfect at something always did have their downfalls. Quistis' were just not as noticeable as everyone else's, and it had been that way for years. Ever since arriving at Balamb at the age of ten, she had excelled in everything, except for one thing. Social awkwardness could be found in everyone, and while some students masked it away by being sullen and anti-social, or becoming a bully, or being a bit too friendly and a bit too nosey, Quistis was none of those. Instead, she stayed in instead of going out. She studied while others had long been done studying and were now sleeping.
But even in the darkest times, and really, training to become a SeeD counted as a dark time in which food was thought of but not eaten and practical magic sent you to the infirmary more than reading up on it did, there were some things that made it easy to find friends.
Who knew that it would come to a simple card game? A card game that she had to do well in anyway, but that was where she had found someone who she could call a friend. Xu was not noticeably shy in that way that extremely shy people often are. In fact, it was that shyness that attracted Quistis to her, even though the other girl was a good two years older than her. When she first met her, Quistis was young and optimistic enough that she knew she would always be able to do what needed to be done. And with Seifer and Squall in her class, it really was something that she thought upon often, especially the leadership skills she felt she was developing because of all the almost fights that she had broken up between the two of them.
But games required cunning, logic, and decisiveness. And a card game was the right step in the right direction. Of course, like everyone else who started off playing Triple-Triad, she was horrible at it. But when Xu showed up and gave her a smile, Quistis was determined to become better. It was nice to be smiled at like that, and what soon started off as a competitive streak slowly turned into a friendship. Even though she was older, Xu showed some deference to the other girl, and she didn't even complain when Quistis took the top title and all she had gotten was second place in the line of the card game.
But that was how things worked out, and from then on, when one was in trouble, the other would be there just in case. It was something different though, at times, when Xu looked at Quistis with happiness and respect, and that little bit of something that made her feel funny in the inside like she had never felt before. And maybe, just maybe, that little look of want in her eyes matched Quistis' own want, except neither of them knew how to broach the subject, or even if it was something that should be broached at all.
And that was what probably got them in that mess in the first place. Now, any first year cadet could tell you that when using magic, its always good to have a back up handy, just in case something goes wrong. They will also tell you that if something does indeed go wrong, then you should run from the place as fast as you can; because that usually means that something is going to blow up.
It was the day before her SeeD examination, and Quistis, while worried, was not the type to begin freaking out in that worried sense, where everyone begins hyper ventilating and trying to sit with their hands in their laps at the lunchroom, even though the napkin that they were holding had begun to resemble little bits of string, the way they had been pulled apart and put back together and rolled until they could almost make a ring around your finger.
Killing off Grats in the training room was not on the list of things to do before the examination, but it worked extremely well at releasing tension, and that was something that Quistis felt needed to be done. She had been on the verge of going to the instructors’ quarters and asking Xu if she wanted to join her, but something had held her back. Not fear, not nerves, but more like she knew how busy Xu had become, especially now that the other woman was a SeeD and did many an administrative job. Even though they were two years apart, seventeen was still a long ways to go from fifteen, but one SeeD was indistinguishable from another, even if one had joined when she was sixteen and the other was going to be joining a year earlier.
But killing a pile of Grats seemed to do the trick, and while her whip did good work of finding the most vulnerable spots on the monsters' bodies, Quistis was able to feel some sort of energy building inside her, and she just knew that to release it would mean breaking the unspoken all important rule of all students; when you release a fire spell, especially one as high up as Fira was, then you should always back away at least ten steps before you realize something as powerful as that.
And this was the one case that she just didn't care for rules at the moment. And of course, Xu had to appear behind her as soon as she let out the spell.
Needless to say, Xu's surprised sound of her name was overshadowed as the explosion seemed to hit a Grat, another one, and then one more, making the sound of exploding Grats something that no one else could say they had heard before this. Rather than a large BOOM sound, as was customary of any loud explosion, this one seemed to crackle with the fire that had made it, and while the BOOM was indeed loud, the blast of the heat was enough to send both girls back with full force, enough that it made them both land on their backs, Xu just as surprised as Quistis was until she passed out.
Later, when she opened her eyes, she realized she was not in the infirmary like she had thought she would be. Instead, the linens weren't that scratchy kind all hospitals seem to have, and second, infirmaries do not look like a friend's room, with said friend sitting in a chair by the bedside. Quistis turned her head and looked at Xu, who said nothing for a moment, her face a stern mask of disapproval.
"You could have been seriously hurt, what were you thinking?" Xu asked coldly, and for one of the first times in her life, Quistis did not know what to say. She had the beginnings of something on her mind, but instead, just like how she had reacted emotionally without thinking of rules and regulations, she leaned over and gave her friend a lingering kiss, surprising both of them again. Not that it seemed Xu minded, and even though two years of an age difference didn't seem to matter in the long run, there was still something to be said about kissing someone you are the closest to.
"What was th--" Xu began, but was cut off when Quistis smiled a little smile and kissed her again.
There were some things that happened because they needed to happen. And sometimes they needed to happen as soon as possible, because, like a wayward explosion, there was always the possibility of something going wrong.
And sometimes it was better to leave behind no regrets.