Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Lost and Found ❯ I want to leave SeeD ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or anything in it. (except my own personal copy of the game)

For Quistis Trepe, nothing had felt right since the near apocalyptic events that had occurred had finally come to a close a year ago. The universe, and all of existence were safe, and the cosmic dusts have settled, so why did she feel that her life had made a turn for the worse? She should be rejoicing that she could still listen to Zell and Selfie bicker like the children they once were. So why was it that every morning, when she woke up in her very plain dormitory room, she wished to be somewhere else?

Maybe it's because after all the excitement of overcoming the most powerful force in all existence and saving the world, life seemed a little boring. The Garden really hasn't been the same since all these events had occurred. Everyone she knew, everyone she trained, had in their own way grown up. With Seifer no longer attending (mostly because he was just too much of a liability) Squall didn't nearly get into as much trouble as he once had. Actually, he never got into trouble anymore. He was too occupied with Rinoa. He didn't need his old instructor to look after him anymore. Zell didn't need defending from the verbal bullies any more, because he actually commended respect from students and SeeD members alike, so no one pushed him around. Selphie and Irvine were promoted to instructors, so they had no time to goof off any more (She even had to quit the Garden Committee, heaven forbid). As for Seifer, he and his loyal companions, Rajin and Fujin, seemed to have disappeared. Seifer had received full pardon from the Garden and President Lore on the defense that he acted only under the influence of the Sorceresses mind controlling magic. But the public wasn't so forgiving, and Seifer became a sort of an outcast. His whereabouts were unknown, and that still made some people uncomfortable.

Quistis had to admit; she wasn't really needed here anymore. She saw evidence of that fact every day when she walked through the facilities. Missions were accomplished without her guidance, classes were taught successfully with the new generation of instructors (Qustis never regained her instructors license on the basis from Headmaster Cid himself that she just didn't have the charisma of a truly good instructor). So why was she still there?

Quistis had been pondering this all day while she was in the training area. She had been spending quite a lot of time either in there or in the library alone. And she was always alone. She just couldn't relate to anyone at the Garden anymore. And it's not like she could strike up any new relationships. All the old instructors that she worked with left after The Garden Master died and the new instructors were all once her students and everyone else was just too young. She simply was just out of place.

Quistis was just about to take on a full-grown T-Rexaur, when she was interrupted by Zell who seemed to want her attention from the entrance of the compound. Not like being interrupted unless it was important, Quistis gave an annoyed sigh and made her way to him.

"Zell, this better be good." She was already in a bad mood.

"Sorry Trepe, but Headmaster Cid needs to see you now."

`Why can't people just call me by my first name?' She thought. She really didn't want to go right away, but she was never one to disobey orders and starting now would only raise unnecessary questions.

"Right away." She sighed.

Quistis trudged her way along the all too familiar path to Headmaster Cid's office. She stepped onto the elevator and typed in her security code that allowed access to the 3rd floor. As the elevator went up, Quistis leaned against the wall and wondered what tedious mission the Headmaster had in store for her this time. She used to enjoy missions because they had some purpose, but now all they were getting were trivial matters that could just as easily been solved by local authorities. At least she'd get away from the Garden for a while.

The elevator stopped at the 3rd floor, which consisted only of Cid's office. The doors slid open, and Quistis walked through the red-carpeted parlor, past the oak double doors and into Cid's office. The headmaster appeared to be at his desk, but with his leather chair turned so that you could only see the back.

Quistis cleared her throat to announce her presence. "You wished to see me, Sir?" she asked in a monotone voice.

The chair swiveled around revealing Cid reading some documents. Looking up he answered, "Yes, Ms. Trepe. Please sit down." He gestured to one of the chairs behind her.

"So, Quistis," he began "I've been noticing a bit of a change in your behavior. You seem a bit moody. Is their something wrong?"

"What do you mean by moody?" she asked as if she didn't already know.

"Well, according to other SeeD members, you've been, well, a bit restless, if not downright irritable. Also, you've been secluding yourself from others. That's not exactly the same Quistis Trepe I know."

Quistis just stared absently at the desk with a forlorn look on her face. A minute of silence passed before Cid prompted her again to tell him what's wrong.

"I don't know Sir…"

"Please, you've known me long enough to call me Cid." He interrupted.

"Cid, I just…" she struggled to find the right words "I just don't think I belong here anymore. It's like I have no purpose. I'm not an instructor, and we are at peace, so the missions are meaningless, and I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I'm wasting my life."

"Hmm." replied Cid as he scratched his chin. "So what do you purpose we do about it."

"Well, my 21st birthday is coming up, and according to Garden regulations that at the age of 21, a SeeD member is no longer a ward of the Garden. So what I think what I'm trying to say is…I want to leave SeeD."

This came as a shock to the Headmaster. He defiantly wasn't expecting this from one of his most loyal SeeDs.

"Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't surprised. What would you do if you left? Do you have some plan of what you would like to do? I'm not trying to detour you from leaving, I understand that life does not begin and end at the Garden. I'm just making sure if you would be ok on your own."

Quistis gave a heavy sigh and looked down at her folded hands in her lap.

"No, I can't say I have a plan. I think what I would like to do is actually explore the world for a while. Hyne knows that I've been around it 100 times over during missions, but I never really took the time to see what other possibilities lay out there."

"Hmm…" Cid scratched his chin again. "You know, I think I have just the solution for you." Cid began shuffling papers on his desk. "It's a mission." Quistis looked like she was about to protest. "Not your typical kind of mission. It requires much exploration and investigation. Something you sound interested in. Now, as you know, after Seifer has been pardoned, his whereabouts have been completely unknown. I believe that Seifer is no longer a threat, but several governments have asked me to send a SeeD to find out where he is and what he's up to."

Quistis gave the headmaster a look of confusion. "But why send me? I'm hardly the best-qualified person to track him down. Squall would know how to find him much better than I would."

"True, true. Squall and Seifer did tend to think alike, but Squall has his hands full by being my apprentice. And besides, this mission could take months of exploration, and I doubt that Rinoa could stand him to be away for such an uncertain amount of time."

Quistis began to ponder the idea. The fact that the mission could take a while, giving her limitless freedom to explore, was beginning to sound appealing to her.

"I'll accept the mission Sir. When do I leave?"

"As soon as your ready. And don't worry about provisions. The Garden will take care of money and transportation just like any other mission." He added.

"Thank you sir." She said. Quistis stood up and saluted Headmaster Cid and turned to leave but she remembered one more question she needed to ask. "Sir, when I find Seifer, what would you like me to do?"

"Just send a report on his behavior and any suspicious activities he might be displaying. The governments would be much more comfortable if they had a few months worth of data on him, so you'll have to covertly observe him for a while."

"Understood sir." With that she turned and left for her dorm to pack.

"Oh, and one more thing." Cid called out after her. Quistis stopped and turned to face him. "If Seifer does catch you, you are to report immediately so that the local government can take over your mission."

"Yes, Sir" She replied, then left.

What ya'll think of my story so far? Let me know and I'll continue.