This story was started ages ago in a time where I didn't really have much time or inspiration on my hands. Three years later, I'm finally ready to do this story as much justice as I can.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, nor will I ever do so.


"Wake up, slacker. We're almost there and you managed to sleep through the whole trip besides the briefing. How you could ever sleep on an assault ship, on your way to our field exam, no less, I'll never know."

Halin Rishmur groaned as he shifted in his uncomfortable chair. He didn't want to be woken up, not now, not after that wonderful dream. But he had to, there was no other choice. Without opening his eyes, the teenager reached up and scratched his neck under the collar of his blue and silver cadet uniform, which had been left unbuttoned halfway up his chest. His other hand instinctively went to his gun, stationed in a holster at his hip. It would be near impossible to draw the short, double-barreled shotgun from his sitting position, but simply resting his hand on it made him feel better. At least, it did until he opened his eyes, and then his heart jumped into his throat as he saw his squad leader towering over him.

"Are you awake now? Or do I need to give you a wake-up slap for good measure?" Standing above him, arms crossed and with Ifrit's fury written clearly on her face, was his Squad Leader, Aya... Actually, he wasn't quite sure what her last name was. He did know, however, that she preferred to Junction for strength before anything else.

"No, no. I'm awake, perfectly awake. Wouldn't've fallen asleep if it wasn't for the gentle rocking of the ship." Halin responded, making a great show of yawning, though he was eying her to see if he was, in fact, in serious danger. She was fit, trim, with sharp features. He supposed some would call her attractive in a striking kind of way. Those who were able to stare into those piercing brown eyes without flinching could, anyways.

"Hydrofoils... Do not... Rock..." Aya twitched, her hand balling into a fist. With more willpower than Halin would have thought possible from her, she lowered her hand and turned to the third member of their squad. "Chel, what are we going to do with him?"

"He's not hurting anyone, Aya." Chel said quietly, not even looking up from the book she was reading. Rachel Liebman, Chel for short. She was on the Library Committee and had tutored him a few times in the past. Where Aya would be considered "striking," Chel would be dubbed "cute." She was on the shorter side, lacking a curvy figure, but her cool blue eyes were full of warmth.

"Thanks Chel," Halin said with a grin before glancing at the SeeD who had been assigned to their squad. Irvine Kinneas, one of the heroes of the Second Sorceress War and defeater of Ultimecia. How someone like him was put on a job like this, Halin would never know, but he wasn't going to complain about it; Kinneas was the one who inspired him to pick up the shotgun. The cowboy was studiously examining his gun (Exeter; the boy mentally grinned at the mere thought of it), seemingly paying them no attention whatsoever.

"Ugh, whatever. We're almost there anyways." As if Aya's words were its cue, the assault boat started slowing down. It decelerated so quickly that she nearly fell into Halin's lap, but managed to catch herself on the wall behind him. She pushed away with a scowl of disgust at being thrown off balance and returned to her seat to polish her scythe. She was nervous, and rightfully so. This would be her last chance to make SeeD, she HAD to pass.

Halin almost felt sorry that she had a slacker like him in her squad. "So let's see if I remember this right," he said in a slow drawl to make sure he had everyone's attention. By this time Chel was putting her book away and taking hold of her mace, so he figured he did. "In order to pass this exam, we gotta find and subdue a low level, out of control GF. Simple as that?"

"I wouldn't call subduing a GF simple anything," Aya said with a snort. "Are you two Junctioned properly? Take a moment to make sure."

Halin watched his Squad Leader for a moment as she closed her eyes, and then did the same. He fished through his mind, letting a tranquil peace settle over him. His own GF, Sphinx, waited for him in all her earthy glory. Balamb Garden knew that these beings would someday destroy the early memories of those who house them, but it also knew that they were the safest way to keep its students alive. He smiled as he mentally reached out for Sphinx, and it turned into a grin when she reached back, uniting them in a warm glow. He had come to rely on the Guardian Force over his years as a student. She was intelligent, moreso than he was, and always managed to Junction his magic just right. Not that he couldn't do it all on his own, she was just more efficient at it.

'Sleep to status attack, Silence and Blind to status defence... Blizzara to elemental attack, magic's good, twenty percent boost in place, move-find... Not like I'm going to need that here.' Halin paused as he opened his eyes, the cool feeling of the para-magic sliding around in his head causing him a moment of discomfort, especially compared to Sphinx's usual heat. Once the rather tedious activity was done he glanced at Chel and saw that she was already heading towards the door.

"Alright, folks,"Irvine spoke out for the first time since the briefing. "The ship'll be landin' here at Centra soon. I'll be watching ya'll carefully, making sure nothing happens to any of you that you can't handle on your own. If you have any questions, ask now." He looked over the squad with a careful, calculating eye, but no one spoke up. He paused before stating, "Meet up back here once ya'll are done, no pressure right?" The squad of students saluted the SeeD right as the boat slowed to a stop. "So like, get out there and show 'em what you're made of."

"Alright squad, let's get moving!" Aya said with gusto, immediately seizing the mantle of control. The door in the side of the assault boat opened and the trio jumped out onto the beach and the barren landscape of Centra. Chel's breath caught in her throat; reading about the broken continent that was Centra and seeing pictures of it was nothing like actually being there. Sensing her companion's discomfort, Aya wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "Just be glad it wasn't Balamb that got hit like this, alright?"

"Didn't Trabia get hit by the Lunar Cry, too? Why doesn't it look like this?" Halin spoke out, removing his shotgun from its holster and slinging it over a shoulder.

"You can ask that when we get back. For now, let's just get moving." Aya released Chel and swung her scythe backwards across her shoulder, resting it behind her neck with both arms hanging over the handle. It was uncomfortably close to her body, but she was used to the weapon, in total control.

"Yeah, but go where? We don't have a lot of information, this thing could be anywhere," Halin stated with a snort.

"How about over there?" Chel asked, gesturing to their right, away from the beach. Aya and Halin both turned and stared out into the distance. "I think that's the Centra Ruins." Far in the distance was a large, bloated tower that almost blended in with the backdrop of the mountains.

"Wow, you have good eyesight.." Aya said under her breath. "Yeah, if anything we could climb up the ruins and check out the area."

"Ugh, I was hoping we wouldn't have to walk that far," Halin sounded out of breath already, and they hadn't even started walking yet.

"Get it in gear, you're not here to complain," Aya said with a scowl as she started walking, Chel following quickly in her wake.

"Yeah yeah, doesn't mean I can't." He grumbled. This was going to be a long day.

"That's not a very becoming attitude for a SeeD candidate," Aya huffed. Normally she would cross her arms at this point, but with her scythe occupying both hands she had to settle for a dirty look. "I'm not going to start lecturing you, but if you seriously keep this attitude up, I'm going to have a chat with Irvine when we get back."

Halin looked skyward and rolled his eyes. "This is just how I blow off stress. Don't worry about it. Not like I'm gunna sit back in the middle of a battle or anything."

"You, stressed? From the way you were asleep on the ship I figured you had no worries in the world."

"You should see him when he wastes his tutor's time..." Chel added, as quiet as ever.

"I wouldn't put that past him, either."

"Hey now, I enjoy sleeping. Don't get enough of it, that's all." He crossed his arms defensively, sliding his gun back into its holster but not relinquishing it from his grip. "I'm sure one of you two probably didn't get that much sleep last night, either."

"Whatever," Aya muttered. "Start Scanning the area. There might be something close by that we can't see. We don't know enough about the GF to make an accurate analysis on its whereabouts, and I don't want any unpleasant surprises."

"Right away, Aya." Deciding that it wasn't worth facing the wrath of his squad leader, Halin quickly reached into his reserves of magic in order to pull out a Scan spell. It wasn't so much a physical feeling as the spell drifted lazily down his outstretched arm, palm up, but rather a mental one. Once the magic made it to his palm, it emerged as a white light that quickly morphed into a transparent rectangle.

"See anything?" Aya asked, a little too quickly.

"Hold your chocobos! I haven't even looked yet." He kept pace with the two ladies but never focused on them; he didn't want to accidentally use it on them and waste a perfectly good spell. The Scan spell, though normally used to keep track of monsters, worked just as well on humans, but most considered it an unforgivable invasion of privacy. A quick scan of the area indicated nothing out of the ordinary. "Nothing," Halin muttered, "Absolutely nothing."

"I don't know, Halin, I have a bad feeling about this..." Chel said nervously, fidgeting with her mace. The tone of her voice caused Halin to give pause.

"... Aya, I think we should hang back for a few minutes," Halin reluctantly admitted. "I think we're safe, personally, but Chel's got a good intuition. Better than mine, anyways."

Their squad leader slowed to a halt and looked back at the two following her. She cast a critical eye on Halin, who she figured wanted to stop simply because he was lazy, but her gaze softened when she turned to Chel. "Halin, go scout up ahead. We haven't traveled very far, but I want to know what's coming next. Just over the next hill or so."

"Aye aye, captain." Tossing her a sloppy Garden salute, Halin took off. He realized as he walked that his nonchalant attitude hadn't done anything for their leader's self-esteem on this mission. He simply marched to the beat of a different drum. His own drum, to be exact, and he did enjoy peace and quiet more often than the actual drumbeat. At the top of the next barren hill he paused to cast another Scan spell. He stopped his preparation as he felt the ground shake beneath his feet. It was just a small tremor, but it was becoming more powerful by the second. He surged forward mentally, urging Sphinx to help him cast the spell, and the familiar rectangle emanated from his palm. He gazed through it, scanning the ground frantically, and then... "Dredger, level 44, weak against Wind, absorbs Earth." Halin froze out of fear and confusion; this was supposed to be a low level GF.

The ground started to bulge before two large drills, each the size of Halin's torso, broke through the hard Centran ground. The rotating spires soared into the air like fish jumping out of the water, and two slim, slimy brown limbs followed after. These limbs turned out to be arms, attached to a giant, slug-like creature that emerged after the drills. It was only airborne for a few seconds before belly-flopping onto the ground. It writhed there, reminding the student fully of a Geezard. It hadn't noticed him yet, and so he stood completely still, only taking small, shallow breaths. He knew it probably wouldn't help in the long run, but if it turned away from him long enough for him to...

"Halin! What was that!" Aya yelled from where she was conversing with Chel. Halin swore as the GF turned towards him. The two locked eyes and the boy could feel Sphinx recoil in his head as though something wasn't quite right. The creature reared back its head and tossed it forward again, letting loose a mighty roar before burrowing back underground. Halin turned and started running frantically back to the group.

"It's not a low level GF! We have to get out of here!" Halin grabbed the arms of both of the girls and started dragging them along, explaining as he ran. "It is a GF but it's too strong for a trio of students to take down. It's digging under the ground no-" He was cut off as the beast surged just under the earth beneath their feet.

"Jump!" Aya yelled, yanking her arm free from Halin's grip and leaping out of the way. Unfortunately, Halin still had a grip on Chel and it only got tighter when he lost his balance, having relied on Aya's support. Thinking quickly, he twisted on his heel so he would fall onto his back, but he wasn't about to let Chel suffer the same fate.

"Float!" Halin shouted. He shoved her away from him, into the air, and released the spell. Wings appeared from Chel's back as the Float spell activated and she hovered over the ground. Halin, of course, was not that lucky. He hit the ground hard, the force of the impact causing his head to whip back against the newly displaced earth. Halin let out a groan of pain as his hand instinctively shot to the back of his head. He felt blood.

"Cura." Chel whispered, kneeling as close to Halin as the Float spell would let her. He gasped as the cold blue light enveloped his head, blocking out his vision and causing the wound to heal much quicker than it would have naturally. Cure spells were always cold and always a shock if you weren't prepared to be on the receiving end of one. Halin rubbed the back of his head with gritted teeth. The wound was still raw and the blood still warm and sticky. He would ignore it for now; they had to escape or, failing that, find a way to take this monster down. It wasn't going to be easy

"Thanks, Chel," Halin muttered as he wiped his hands off on his pants and got to his feet. He reached for his gun and quickly pulled it out of its holster, holding it with both hands as he glanced around. Aya was equally on guard, but nothing was moving. The wasteland was silent. Until...

"THERE IT IS!" Aya cried out. Dredger jumped into the air again, higher this time, before turning 180 degrees in mid-air and dive bombing the squad leader.

"Aero!" Chel yelled, and Halin's gun put an exclamation point on her spell. The two shotgun slugs collided with the GF's left appendage just as the magic mini-tornado rammed into it. Dredger was thrown off balance in the air and landed tail-first a mere five feet away from Aya. It screeched again, but the squad leader didn't give it time to recover. She raised her scythe and took a step forward. With a sharp slice she struck the beast only for it to emerge unharmed, hide too thick for her weapon to pierce. It counter-attacked with a swipe of its drills and knocked her off of her feet with such force that she tumbled away.

"Damnit Aya, don't get that close!" Halin hissed through gritted teeth. "Slow!" The Slow spell shot away as fast as the bullets and struck the GF between the eyes, but merely bounced off without doing any bit of harm. If anything, it only seemed to cause the beast to become even angrier.

"I'm a melee fighter, support me!" Aya ordered as she ran back in, scythe raised.

"Protect," Chel voiced with a tone of worry, and the next moment Aya's front was covered by a circular, glowing blue shield which receded into an invisible cushion, clinging to its target.

"Blind!" Halin roared from his spot between Chel and the beast. Once again the spell hit Dredger right between the eyes, but this time it stuck. A cloud of black smoke formed in front of the creature's face, hindering its vision. Knowing that this battle was going to be a lot easier now, he took the time to reload the simple two-shot shotgun.

And with a mighty battle cry, Aya jumped into the fray against the creature. She landed on its belly and sliced downwards at the GF's arms. Once again its thick hide stopped the sharp blade from slicing through, though this time she did manage to draw blood. Dredger screamed viciously and twisted, causing Aya to lose her balance and stumble forward. Just as quickly, it lashed out with both of its drill arms in a haymaker. She was so close that the Blind effect did nearly nothing to help her, and she was tossed to the side once more, this time taking a heavy hit to the ribs.

"Aya!" Chel was even more worried now, and the grip she had on her mace was causing her knuckles to go white.

"I'm fine! Concentrate on your spells!" Aya spat back, rising to a knee and wiping the trickle of blood away from her mouth.

"Aero!" Both Halin and Chel yelled out as they obeyed their leader, simultaneously casting the wind spell. Dredger's drills had started spinning wildly as it attempted to get back underground, but the double dose of magic caused it to soar into the air and slam back into the earth.

Aya ran forward again, though this time a red aura seeped through her skin, permeating the air around her. Halin couldn't help but grin; a Limit Break could be exactly what they needed to finish this thing off. His smile quickly disappeared when he realized the aura wasn't growing. In fact, it was receding! She was fighting it!

"Aya, what are you doing!" Halin screamed. "Use your Limit!"

"If you want to see a Limit Break so bad, use your own!" Aya yelled back as she dodged another swinging arm.

"Chel, Aura." Halin growled, turning to look at the girl expectantly.

"I... I don't have any magic that powerful, Halin." She said, her eyes wide.

Halin's grip on his gun became much like the one Chel had on her mace. "Cover me." Though he didn't usually have the tendency to be suicidal, he did feel the need to help his squad leader. He made sure his ammo pouch was sealed tight as he ran in. The effects of a Protect spell came over him but he ignored it.

"What are you doing! You're a caster, not a fighter, get out of here." Aya said, her voice thick with adrenaline, as she countered another wild swing. The blinded creature was doing nothing more than flailing about.

"Don't talk to me like I'm useless. I'm helping!" Halin shouted back. "Now shut up so it has a harder time pinpointing us!" To prove his point, he sidestepped a thrust from one of Dredger's rapidly spinning drills and fired into its arm. The force caused the beast to cry out in agony as the drill stopped spinning; he had caught the cone with one of the shots, causing it to crack, and no doubt causing the GF great pain. It roared into the sky and started thrashing about in the dirt, kicking up sand and rocks and causing even the air to shake. Halin, realizing what was happening, was once again quick to act. He turned to Aya and pointed at her, palm out. "Float!"

"Wha- Hey!" She cried as her attack missed by mere inches due to her levitation. White wings appeared on her back, just as they had to Chel and she started hovering up and down in the air.

Choosing once again to sacrifice his own safety, Halin was not able to get a second Float spell off. The earthquake Dredger was causing only got worse and Halin was tossed from his feet, landing face first onto the hard ground. He felt his nose break as he bounced off of the ground and landed again, but curled up into a ball. It was a Quake spell, and he was determined that it was not going to break all of the bones in his face.

"Halin! Cur-" Chel started to cast a Cura spell as soon as Quake was over and Dredger had calmed down for a moment, but she was cut off by Halin raising his hand.

It was a few seconds later that a red aura came up out of Halin's body. It quickly took over the battlefield, rushing away from him like the wind. Aya might have rejected hers, but Halin was embracing it. He loaded his shotgun with scattershot and took aim at the creature's face, holding the gun with one hand instead of the usual two. "Status Shot!" He roared, the adrenaline playing a frantic beat on his eardrums. Several balls of magic erupted from the palm of his hand and sped in front of his gun before lodging themselves into the barrel. At that time he rushed forward and stuck his gun directly in Dredger's face. BAM, he pulled the trigger. The scattershot absorbed the magic, spreading it out directly into the GF's head. It looked as though it was screaming in pain, but no sound was made. Blind, Silence, Poison, Berserk, Slow, Confuse and Vit 0 all afflicting the monster.

Seeing her chance Aya rushed forward and raised her scythe high. With Vit 0 in effect it only took one swing to slice through the belly of the beast. Dredger started flailing out of control and the two students jumped back as fast as they could. The GF didn't try to chase them, it didn't try to attack them, it was simply tossing in its death throes. Realizing that the beast's agony might be horrible for some to watch, Halin turned away and walked to Chel. "Don't look," He whispered to her and turned her around by her shoulders. Her face was bloodlessly white and her eyes were wider than he ever would have thought possible, and he couldn't blame her.

Halin stood there with his hands on Chel's shoulders for what seemed like hours, but were only minutes, until Aya spoke up. "I think... I think we killed it." Her voice cracked as she spoke, and Halin quickly turned around.

"What? That's impossible," Halin stated. "Guardian Forces don't die. When they're defeated they bond to the ones who they lost to."

"No, I'm afraid the lady's right. Ya'll did manage to kill this one. Though I'm going to have to say I think you did the right thing." The trio turned to see Irvine coming up behind them, Exeter out of its holster and aimed at the ground.

"What... What do you mean?" Chel asked with a touch of disbelief. "I've never heard anything like this happening to a Guardian Force, rogue or not. Not in books or in lectures, not even rumors!"

"You're right about that," Irvine said, reaching up to adjust his cowboy hat to keep the dropping sun out of his eyes. "But Cerberus here's saying that something's wrong with this one. We'll discuss it later. Rachel Leibman, Halin Rishmur, Aya Barrera, consider your exam complete. Head on back to the ship, I'll join you shortly."

In a daze over the implications of actually killing a GF, the trio gave Irvine the SeeD salute and started back towards the ship, leaving Irvine to ponder what exactly had happened to Dredger.