Squall Leonhart

The taciturn and reluctant hero.
The main character of this story and a cadet of the special combat unit SeeD from the Balamb Garden Military Academy. Judging from his anti-social behavior, he appears to be selfish and lacking a sense of team unity. An aloof character that dislikes having others invovled in his affairs, Squall is best described as a lone wolf.

If there is one character throughout the whole entire game that could be described as having the most influence on Quistis and who she is, I would say that Squall Leonhart would fit the role perfectly. Although a few months his senior, at the risk of crossing the Instructor-student line, and not heeding to his rather cold personality, Quistis seems to have formed some sort of feelings towards Squall. This is the most apparent once she takes him to the Secret Area in the Training Center during the first moments of the game and tries to get Squall to open up and listen to her after she had been demoted - she wanted a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to her insecurities, and apparently she thought that person should be Squall. Although the meeting did not have the end result she would've wished it to have, the encounter did start to convey to her why she might have lost her license.

Quistis: ...No leadership qualities... Failed instructor... Perhaps they're right...
Quistis' meeting with Squall and his reaction to their meeting did provide a rather rude awakening in the way that it enlightened her on the fact perhaps she didn't have a firm grip on her students that she thought she had and that she maybe really didn't understand her students as much as she thought she did. Nevertheless, after the Secret Area and being forced to work together to bring down the threat of Ultimecia, Quistis and Squall have a rather placid relationship afterwards, with a brief exception involving Rinoa at the Sorceress Memorial.

A lot of people seriously criticize Quistis for her crush, infatuation, or love with Squall, but her feelings were not unfounded: Quistis is probably one of the people in the game who knows Squall the best, perhaps the person who knows Squall the best in the beginning of the game. Granted, I don't think Squall is that incredibly hard to figure out (don't brick me!), but she was probably able to get to know him so well - maybe not incredibly well, but definitely better than anyone else in Garden (save Seifer, another person who I believe knows Squall well) - through much more interaction than any other SeeD, Instructor, or peer...of course being his Instructor does help. Aside from his "Whatever" and "..." type comments, Quistis is able to accurately predict his thoughts and dialogue before he even says anything.
Quistis: Squall. Is there something on your mind?
Squall: ...Not really.
Quistis: ...Not really. Hahaha!
Squall: What's so funny?
Quistis: Funny? No, no, it's not that! I'm just happy. I feel like I'm beginning to understand my student a little. That's all.
Squall: I'm more complex than you think.
Quistis: Then tell me. Tell me more about yourself.
Squall: It's none of your...
Quistis: ...Business!

Zell: Say somethin', will ya!? W-What's on your mind?
Squall: ...Nothing.
Quistis: ...Nothing.
It may seem incredibly stalker-ish, but Quistis has obviously been around him so much and has been able to put the pieces together with her prodigal mind. As the game progresses however, she starts to slowly back down and step aside from Squall - Rinoa Heartilly instead becomes the person who knows Squall best by the end of the game. Quistis learns to accept that she will not be able to fill the void in Squall's heart, and as soon as Irvine reveals at Trabia Garden that the whole group sans Rinoa had been in the same orphanage, she names her feelings for Squall as a "misunderstood love" - she states that her feelings were more of an elderly sister type who cares for her little brother.

Quistis and Squall's initial relationship might have been awkward, but as Squall's relationship with Rinoa begins to deepen, his personality begins to gradually change to a more open and accepting one. Because of this, Squall begins to appreciate the people and friends around him and to view Quistis - as well as the rest of the gang - as a close friend and someone he can depend on.

Return: Quistis