Alas the fierce pain

A savage snake-like slashing

Furthers the fury

The hot pain was throbbing his temples and heating up around the left side of his nose. He tried hard to think, but his brain had gone numb for an insurmountable amount of time. He was currently in the infirmary, he reasoned after momentarily lapsing into consciousness before falling back into the black depths of incapacity. The pain circled him like a thousand harpies all screaming their merciless chant and laughing as he swam in his own murky demise. The doctors were pumping fluids in him, and from time to time he felt little bursts of energy pulsating in his veins keeping him alive. Over several hours, he gradually recalled the events prior to his extraordinary wound and finally saw Seifer once again bring the blade down and crush his skull with one deft move.

He awoke and saw a glaring flourescent lightbulb on the ceiling. Somebody pushed it away, after noticing Squall blink furiously into it. The needles were out of him, and parts of his head were bandaged; he stiffly reached up and instinctively touched the afflicted area of his face. A slight soreness and pain reacted to his pressing finger, and he slowly poked and traced the slick edge of the scar. Once his eyes adjusted to the intensely bright room, he noticed he was wearing a hospital gown and that it was mighty drafty inside the room. An annoying blue tag was on his right wrist reading his name: Squall Leonhart. and his code number: SeeD candidate A No.41269. He wriggled his wrist, watching the band loosely follow his movements, and he smiled to know that he was still alive and aware of his faculties.

"How are you feeling?" A soft, caring voice spoke up.

He looked up at the voice and saw that it belonged to Dr. Kadowaki, the head medic. She was a sweet elder of the academy, always looking to make the Balamb residents feel a little more at peace with the rest of the world. With never a bad remark to make, she was always good for pouring out your life worries to. At this present moment, though, Squall was ready to leave and maybe have a talk with the psychotic bastard who ruined his face. He could see it in the mirror on the side. Ignoring her inquiry, he instead focused on his face and saw that the scar was permanent. It was so deep and penetrating from the brow down almost to his upper lip that no amount of his lifetime could fully heal the mark. He suspected Seifer had the same result and probably felt the same way. He also was angry and appalled by his appearance. The doctor's hand touched his shoulder and he flinched.

Dr. Kadowaki sighed and shook her head. She returned to her inquiry with her hands on her hips. "How are you feeling?"

Not looking at her, he replied, "Ok, I guess."

"I'm sure." Cupping his chin in her hand, she forced him to look at her. Studying his scar up and down, brows furling as she studied, she slowly loosened the bandages and allowed his skin to breathe. Applying a wet towel she gently cooled his sweaty forehead and the back of his scalp. "Take it easy next time, you hear? Your face was all bloody and sandy when the Guardians brought you in here."

Squall didn't reply, except for a small grunt. He didn't want her sweetness to get to him.

She withdrew her hand and allowed him to sit up with his back against the propped-up bed. "It seems as if your eyes are focusing back to normal," she said taking another study of him. Finally, she nodded, and smiled. "You should be fine. Say your name for me."

Squall leaned back and raised an eyebrow. "You know that, already."

"Maybe I'm a new doctor. Never seen you before."

"Leonhart. Squall Leonhart."

Her hands still on her hips like an old matron, she nodded. "That's good. You know, Squall, you really should take it easy in training. Next time you won't be so lucky."

"Tell that to Seifer."

She nodded and actually frowned in response. "That Seifer... he won't listen to anyone."

"How is he?"

"He recovered a little quicker than you, but you left him a nasty little mark, too. On the opposite side, but just as brutal. He refused to rest for a couple more days, saying that it was against his conscious to be cooped up in a dank hospital room. I certainly don't think these rooms are 'dank', but he left. He didn't ask about you."

"Didn't expect him to."

"The Guardians are not pressing charges, and the Headmaster was actually rather pleased saying it's the most fun he's seen out of you two in a while."

"Fun times."

"Why don't you just ignore him, Squall. Seifer's an instigator. He should be a SeeD cadet now. I just don't understand it sometimes. He's going for his third try when you do your first in the next two months."

"I can't just run away, doctor."

Her frown increased, and she dropped her hands to her side. "You want to be cool? Don't get hurt in the process, then."

Squall blinked and then lowered his head. "I didn't mean it like that, doctor, but it's my personal problem and nobody else's."

"Be that as it may then." She suddenly thought of something and cocked her head to one side. "Let's see, your instructor is..." she thought a little bit "Quistis! Quistis Trepe." She heard him groan a few seconds and then continued. "She's been actually contacting this place for quite a while."

I bet she has. She's into me a little bit. He thought. Quistis had been the other child back in his Stryke Team Alpha squad that he had thought was familiar. She was a year older than him, like Seifer, and she had progressed a little more faster in the book work than he had allowing her to take and pass the SeeD exam as well as the SeeD instructorship. Now, as one of the youngest Balamb instructors, she was in charge of gearing up possible graduating cadets like Squall, Seifer, and Zell to take the exam assuming they were prepared to do it. All Squall had left to do was to take the final written exam, the final field exam, and then the Final Exam-- that's a shitload of finals.

"I'll call her now," Dr. Kadowaki said, breaking his thoughts, "just wait here a minute. She's got your clothes, so you don't have to walk around in that outfit if you don't want to."

"I think the wind feels nice."

Her smile came back a little, but she was still peeved at him. Turning she picked up the phone and dialed some numbers, and he leaned back farther, put a hand on his forehead, and closed his eyes. He heard her talk to Quistis, "Quistis, come get your student.... Yes, yes... His injury's not serious, it'll probably leave a scar..... Right. Now please come get him. Thanks, bye."

He started to zone out a little bit, as she brought the phone down and left the room over to her office. His fist tightened up as he thought about Seifer and how much he hated the motherfucker. He loosened it, though, for he felt a presence watching him. He took his hand from his face and turned to his right.

"Squall.... so we meet again." A pretty girl with short brown hair, a calm face, and white flowing dress greeted him through the glass window of the adjacent room. She wore a dark green shawl over her dress, and her smile was radiant causing her pretty brown eyes to sparkle. Before he could reply, she turned and headed out the door, not saying anything else. Her voice and face struck a nagging, familiar chord to him, but maybe because of his pain and soreness he could not distinguish who she was.

Yet, he couldn't think longer for the door opened and in walked the blond goddess. Or so she and her throng of admirers liked to be called. She was a beautiful eighteen-year old, with long blonde hair fashioned in an eye-catching ponytail. She wore thin-framed glasses over grayish-blue eyes, and her pale white skin shone a good contrast to her blond hair. The mark of the female SeeD uniform looked great on her, too. Male SeeDs wore form-fitting three-piece suits that were a navy blue coat over a light blue vest, navy blue pants, and charcoal gray shoes polished to perfection. Female SeeDs wore a form-fitting navy blue jacket with gold trimming and a navy blue skirt that allowed them to show off either nylons or skin covered by knee-high high heel boots. Now that's a sexy look, if you think about it. At this moment, though, Squall wasn't thinking about that. In fact, he hardly ever thought about things like that. Semantics and observations were secondary studies for him, which gave him the dubious distinction of being an anti-social member of society. He smiled when people called him that.

As the doors closed behind her, Quistis looked at him, looked at his scar, and shook her head with a knowing attitude. Walking slowly to his bed, she sighed, "I knew it'd be either you or Seifer." In her hands were his clothes, and the scabbard containing his sword was on a purse around her shoulder. She dumped his things on his chest and forced him up. "Come on, you big lummox, you've wasted a full week."

His eyes widened. "A whole week?"

"That's what the calendar says."

"Any way you can turn it back."

"Oh, I'd so love to. Go into the bathroom and put these on. Homeroom starts in less than an hour."

He sighed, grabbed his things, and changed in the other room. She folded her arms, waited until he was changed, and then got ready to nag. "You know how much trouble a regular cadet here would be in by this point."

He grabbed the hilt of his gunblade and pulled the sword out a little bit. The dried blood from Seifer's face still tinged the silver metal. He had a lot of cleaning to do.

"Headmaster Cid," she continued as if he cared to listen, "is the one who pulled out the stops. You should really be thanking him."

He closed the hilt in the scabbard. "Didn't you say homeroom starts soon."

"Yes, it does." She pouted and brought her lip up to sneer. Standing, she walked out the door briskly, and he followed.

Yet, she couldn't stay pouting with him for long. He fascinated her too much. They walked down the length of the infirmary walkway, heading for the main island of the academy where the headmaster's office and the classrooms were located, and she started to stray back behind him cautiously admiring him as he walked completely forward-- mind wrapped in innumerable things. She, like him to her earlier, seemed to recognize him all those years ago but she couldn't trace the reasons for that feeling. As she matured and developed biologically, she thought it was an easy thing to recognize because of his superior skills in combat and training. He wasn't as reckless as Seifer, far from it. The quickness he had always amazed her, and she knew his studies were far superior to most. His personality, though, bothered her but made her ever more curious each day.

They walked in silence, but like an annoying biting fly, his silence and the obvious mind-crunching ideas buzzing in his brain made her question him. She knew what would be the end result, for it wasn't the first time she pestered him. "Is there something on your mind?"

Her voice was too sweet for him. He tensed up a little bit and refused to reply. They walked some more in silence, passing some students who gawked at the sight of Squall's scar. The sounds of his and her footsteps in the covered walkway got to him eventually. "Not r-"

"Not really." She replied over him, making him stop in his tracks. He turned to see her laughing several feet behind him. Tensing up a little more, he asked, "What's so funny?"

"I'm just a little happy," she said. She cocked her head and added, "I just feel like I'm beginning to understand my student a little. A guy bent on one particular goal in mind. You have to appreciate someone who focuses all his energies on one thing in life, right?"

He loosened up a bit. "I'm more complex than you think."

"Hmmph. Then tell me. Tell me more about yourself." Her face was stern for a moment, making his tense up again. As she walked toward him though he loosened again and replied, "It's none of your--"

"--business?" she finished. Laughing, she walked past him and headed for the homeroom.

Shaking his head, he followed and passed by more gawking kids who apparantly had never seen someone with a battlescar before. The day was going perfectly well for him, it seemed.

He was nearing the end of his schooling, and the final written exam was close at hand allowing him the prerequisite of entering the Fire Cavern test. Homeroom was a standard lecture hall stuck up on the second floor of the massive ivory tower in the center of Balamb Garden. The campus commons had not changed in the seven years he had been here; the same manicured lawns and clean decks of the walkways were as fresh and nuanced as they were when he was even more fresh-faced than he was now. He had seen new squads being recruited in, and he had seen old squads depart. He couldn't recall how many times he saw old Chief Stryker strutt his way out in front of a group of thirty-forty recruits and cadets during his time here, and he was certainly glad to have been a part of it. The same could be said for Quistis, for she even perfected the memories by advancing far quickly than most girls did at the academy.

As the weeks leading up to the written exam passed, Squall met Seifer again once and was shocked by the degree of which his sword had made contact on Seifer. The scar on the right side of his nose was very deep, and it was obvious that Seifer did not like it. Yet, he was more than satisfied, though. He had finally broke even with his opponent; he was so happy that he declared himself King of the Disciplinary Committee-- a title that sounded important anyway. Their first meeting post-battle was somewhat anticlimactic, neither one of them willing to give in to each other's adeptness at blade skills. Gradually, though, they seemed to form an unspoken apology although it was clear the ceasefire was a temporary hold.

The day finally came when all the students began to quiver. The written exam knocked on everybody's (or every person involved in graduation) door, and Homeroom was a mess of anxiety. Squall sat in his seat and heard the worries and chattering teeth:

"What do you think the first question's gonna be?"

"I think it's gonna talk about the Sorceress War, or the crisis in Dollet, or something."

"You don't know, you putz!"

"Neither do you, you'll probably fail, Jenkins."

"I heard all the cute girls get ten extra points on their final score."

Squall shook his head and smiled. He recognized that he had a little bit of arrogance about him, since he felt more than a hundred percent confident that he would be not only the first person done but the only person with a perfect grade. The instructors burst through the doors, and everybody shut their mouths. The Guardians flanking the instructors took the stacks of exam papers and started filing out to each row of the auditorium. A hundred and twenty cadets were set to graduate, and almost all of them were biting their pencils like mad at the sight of the first hurdle. Once the papers slammed down in front of Squall's seat, he took one look and instantly felt good.

Question 1: How is it possible to junction magic to one's abilities?

a. By dreaming in your sleep

b. By appropriating the correct Guardian Force

c. By puchasing quantities at a local shoppe

Explain your answer. (Worth ten points total).

Squall had to wonder sometimes how incompetent someone had to be to not get this first question right. He reasoned that if you could somehow acquire and junction magic from your dreams in your sleep, why wouldn't you also acquire and junction some means of fighting world war, hunger, and poverty as well? He knew at least ten of his classmates would select option A. C was tricky, because you could buy some things at shoppes-- that were actually supplemental items to magic elements, not magic per se. Being already familiar with the Guardian Forces at an early age, he knew they were the ones that supplied the magic. His conflict with Leviathan at age nine proved beneficial to his training. He had since established contracts with two other gods-- the thunderous bird Quetzacotyl and the ice queen Shiva. Both had imbued him with great skill in the thunder and ice magicka. It seemed, though, that everytime he used them he felt a little sick afterwards-- as if a part of him was being drained. He appreciated their usages, and he felt that it was a good type of drug. If there ever was a good type.

Question 2: How many continents are on this planet, and what are theirnames?

a. 3: Deling, Centra, Esthar

b. 4: Deling, Centra, Esthar, Trabia

c. 5: Deling, Centra, Esthar, Trabia, Galbadia

Another trick question, because the western landmass had two. The answer was C.

Question 3: Name the commander-in-chief of Deling City, and describe his duties and his supposed recognition. (Worth twenty points total).

General Carroway was the commander-in-chief of Deling City-- a metropolis ruled under the autocratic control of the Deling Guard. A revolution had happened decades earlier that caused a schism to develop between big business elites of the aristocracy and the starving middle class. The Deling Guard was not Deling's military unit but rather a militia of the poor that brought up from the depths of its ranks Mr. Carroway, a charasmatic figure fluidly versed in the arts of war. He was recognized for splitting the wealth distribution equally from the rich few down to the swelling middle-to-lower class, and he was recognized for making a semi-loose ceasefire with the Galbadians. Carrowary was in charge of the Guard, and through inception became in charge of the Deling Army and the Dollet Dukedom Army. Carroway has made frequent meetings with Balamb Garden and the continent of Trabia.

Questions 4-9, Squall yawned on and finished within a minute. They had to concern with the functions of a SeeD ambassador and the mechanisms of working the Garden. Kid stuff, he thought.

Question 10: Why is Esthar unseen on radar maps? Extra bonus What was the main event that sparked the ambiguity? (Worth fifty points)

The big-daddy question, and the one that almost everybody missed in the practice session. This one even stumped Squall. The concept of the continent of Esthar was an enigma. Galbadian and Deling aircraft had flown over the reddish-purple desert looking for signs of the floating rumors of Esthar. Esthar was said to be the largest city on the planet with some ten million inhabitants and sprawling skyscrapers. Evidence of goods and products imported from Esthar had been found everywhere, though no trace of the source of that export could be found anywhere on that desert. The only sign of life were large man-eating plants and evil-looking black unicorns that roamed the desert feasting on copious amounts of dirt and rock and the occasional traveller who dared to find the city him or herself. The lost city of Esthar seemed to be a true ghost town. Puzzlingly, though, it used to be visible, and at that time long ago it was a much smaller city than recent reports cite it to currently be. Two decades ago, a large Sorceress War occurred between the Estharians and the prime she-devil of the pact Sorceress Adel. The president of the city was slain in a crowded marketplace along with tens of thousands of others. For several years, the war continued costing thousands of lives, until three men trapped Adel aboard the Ragnarok-- a dragon-shaped spaceship-- and jettisoned her into outer space. Once there, the great ship expelled her out of the cabin and suctioned her frozen body into a great cusping magnet surrounding the Moon. As her power and influence waned, her legions of creatures and subordinates dwindled and dissolved on the earth, and the great city of Esthar ruined by the tumultous carnage looked ahead for the future. Recognizing the bravery of the three men who saved them, the citizens unanimously made them heads of state and closed off all records and traces of their city's presence. The names of the men were never exposed, the traces of the city were cut off by unknown mechanisms, and Esthar vanished off the face of the earth. Any traveller who dares to enter the reddish-purple desert instantly witnesses flashes of lights, warbling sounds, and other haunting devices. The continent is a barren void, but it is extremely puzzling. No one can figure out where the goods come from and how the monetary payments get there. To Squall's mind, it truly was the enigma of his age.

He was the first one done with the test, and as he gave the head instructor his test he noticed a few glares and admiring looks. The instructor paused him, and Squall watched as the instructor graded the test right then and there. He held a green and red pen-- the green marks meant correct answers and red meant incorrect answers. It seemed very childish, but it made the academy elites feel better. Before Squall's eyes, the instructor made ten green marks and rubber-stamped an ink press that said: PASSED. Squall forced himself not to smile, saluted the instructor, and left the classroom. Out of a hundred and twenty students, he expected maybe forty of them to pass along with him. Just a third.

He was slightly wrong in his calculations. The following week, he eventually learned that fifty passed the written exam. The other seventy were forced to wait another month before they could retake it. The new fifty now sat in a smaller auditorium, and all of them listened intently as the Guardians began informing them of their next task.

The chief Guardian (what a title!) spoke up first. "Congratulations, candidates, you are a third of the way through your finals. I trust you all are deeply excited about advancing your careers as SeeD representatives, I am sure."

He seemed to relish in the responses lower people in the heirarchical chain gave him. He straightened up and let the enormous yellow hat on his head fall to the side to expose his brow. "For the next fifty days, in alphabetical order for all last names, you will individually take the cave exam. The monster you face at the end of the trial is determined by your inherent magical weakness. If your training has consisted being constantly hit by ice elements, you'll face a terrible ice beast. Same thing with fire, and likewise with water and poison. It would seem from an outsider's viewpoint that the first person to undertake the task is the unlucky person. Yet, that view is repugnant in my thinking. Every single one of you could be wiped out in this test, so what good is that view then?

"You will have help, as I'm sure you've heard the rumors. One of ten of our instructors will be your so-called 'support' in this task. Each of the ten will take five of you one-at-a-time to conquer the second final. They will not be doing anything except saving you from death. This isn't the stage yet, where death is an issue-- that comes in the last final, so don't be worried about that yet. Your task is to brave the Fire Cavern and storm into the Elemental Lair. Defeat the creature and either take it as a Guardian Force or soak it in the rind. The choice is yours. Are there any questions?"

All fifty confirmed in the negative, and the enthusiastic Guardians assigned them their instructors. Squall's stomach flopped. His support was none other than Quistis. She beamed at the luck, and he rolled his eyes in response. Because his last name was an "L", he was deemed to go on the twenty-third day. The only thing that bothered him was that he would have the blond goddess watching his every move.

One test completed

Two more, more interesting.

First the cave of flame

The twenty-third day arrived, and Quistis caught him at the Homeroom at noon. "Meet me down at the front gate in an hour. We'll complete the test a little early to save some time at the end. Alright?"

"Sure whatever suits you."

She grunted. "Well, after my first three failures, and a disappointing fourth of which I am extremely surprised that she passed, I am looking forward to supporting you. I don't have any worries."

"The front gate in an hour?"

"Yes," she sighed, "the front gate in an hour." She left, escorted by her throng of admirers whom Squall had earlier found out had named themselves the Trepies. He didn't know what to think about that.

As he left the classroom, he reminisced the many disastrous results the previous twenty-two days consisted of. Fifteen out of the twenty-two students failed miserably; one also died in the final room, causing his instructor to be terminated and replaced on the spot. The god Ifrit had charred the student's body to oblivion, because of a careless mistake the SeeD candidate made. Why emit a fireball when your enemy consumes fire for breakfast? The other seven either made lucky manuevers or completely overwhelmed the final opponent. The talk of the town buzzed around the entire school as they found out who was preparing that day to take the challenge. The Trepies were a little annoyed that the school's best student was going to be cavorting with their beloved goddess. The head honcho had pulled him aside earlier and warned him not to let Quistis take any falls. Squall only shrugged at that useless concern; he also thought the honcho underestimated Quistis in battle anyway-- she was really good with her chain whip.

He walked down the hall, and his thoughts were broken by frantic running coming up the adjacent hall and before he could react he collided with a petite and pretty brunette. She gasped in surprise and fell on her back.

Surprised himself, Squall stood dumbly where he was and flatly asked, "Are you Ok?"

Daintily, she got up, hopped on one foot forward, and sort of made a prissy gesture straightening out her miniskirt and jacket. "There," she said as if she were dressed for drill inspection, "tee-hee, I'm fine thanks." She looked up at Squall, and he thought she was pretty, but her voice was agonizing to him. Too cutesy and bubbly. She didn't wait for a reply, instantly looking around, and fretting a little bit. "Sorry, I was kinda in a hurry." She pointed behind him. "Did you just come from that class?"

He nodded.

"Is homeroom over?" she asked, a simple mock fear entering her tone.

"Oh.. about ten minutes ago."

"Wha--- oh no!" she exclaimed, drawing her hands to her face. "This place is so much bigger than my last Garden!" Still keeping her hands on her face, she seemed to think of something. "Oh, hey. I just transferred here. Do you think you could give me a quick tour of this Garden?"

Squall blinked. This wasn't the perfect time for this crap. Her cutesyness was starting to make him think of old milk duds the cafeteria made on Fridays. Unfortunately, he figured this girl was so bubbly enough that if she made instant friends at this Garden she would condemn him for "being so mean to me" over and over and over again. "Sure," he said, "I've got a little bit of time."

"Woo-hoo!" she cheered, jumping up and down and creating a little bounce for his amusement. "Let's go."

"You already know that this is the classrooms building, right?"

"Right, I've got that one."

He started walking towards the elevator, her in tow. "Upstairs is the Headmaster's office. Cid's his name, and he rarely comes out to talk. Down below us is the basement and generator room. This elevator over here takes us down to the main walkway area, but we'll go up to the top floor and head out on the balcony so we can see the whole thing in a panoramic view."

"Cool, that sounds awesome!"

"I guess it is."

They went up to the top floor, walked out the ornate double doors, and headed across the balcony. The sky was cloudless and deep blue with the Sun shining bright overhead. The golden halo surrounding the steeple atop the Headmaster's office above them glinted in the rays. Down below them all the massive crystalline buildings sparkled and shimmered in the heat. An occasional breeze cooled them down enough to enjoy the day.

Squall leaned against the railing, and she did the same. Stretching out his hand, he declared, "Well, this is it. Balamb Garden is pretty big compared to most."

"Yeah, I from Trabia. You wouldn't believe how cold it can get up there."

"You're a candidate from Trabia?"

"Yeah, I just need to take the Final Exam. I've passed all my written and field tests. They were a cinch."

"Hmm. Lucky you, I've got my field test today."

"Oh, wow, you should find it interesting."

"Somewhat."

His terseness threw her off a little bit. Not waiting for a response, he swept his hand through the air again, indicating the whole academy. "Let me give you a quick overview of the various facilities."

She raised her eyebrows. "Yes, sir!"

He flinched a little, but continued. "The dormitories are to the north. The majority of the students live here. I haven't personally seen anybody who commutes."

"I live in the dorms, too," she bubbled, as if that fact was important.

"I figured as much. West of the North block is the cafeteria. There's always a big rush for the hotdogs. You'd better get used to waiting in line."

"Why hotdogs?"

"Because they're filled with grease, hair, and the tears of children."

"Wha--?"

"Nah, I really don't know. They just taste good. East of the North block is the parking lot. We usually take the Garden car out on a practice mission or to trips to Balamb port or the like. If you become a SeeD, you get to utilize more of the vehicles. The front gate is further to the South..." He remembered suddenly that this little girl was stalling him from his preparations.

"Hm? What's the matter?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Farther west, we have the Quad. There's an event being planned there."

Her eyes lit up and she started jumping up and down again. "I know! I know! It's the Garden Festival. It's going to be great! I'm planning to be on the committee. You wanna help out, too?"

Squall cleared his throat. "Let's just continue. South of the Quad is the infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki will patch you up if you injure yourself enough. A lot of students just come there for advice, though." He smiled and indicated the eastern block. "This area is my personal favorite. This is the training center. It's the only facility open at night. They have real monsters roaming around there. If you don't take it seriously, you'll wind up dead. Just so you know."

"Crap, we never had that at my old school."

"This, from what I've heard, is a relatively new concept."

She looked at him. "Is that how you got that scar on your face?"

Instinctively touching it, he shrugged. "That was an accident. Nothing more."

She raised an eyebrow, but he continued on. "South of the East block is the library. There's a lot of material you can look up here, but the terminals in the classrooms are much more efficient." That was a lie, he thought. Both facilities had the same quality. He leaned off the railing. "Well, that's about it. You need anything else?"

"I like this campus. I think it's going to be a lot of fun!"

"It has its moments."

She leaned off the railing and looked at him. "Well, thanks for showing me the place. Good luck on your field exam. Maybe we'll see each other at the Final."

"Maybe so."

She waved a little bit, and he watched her exit the balcony to the elevators. He hadn't gotten her name, but he seemed to have a familiar feeling about her again. These occurrences were happening too often for him that it was starting to make him feel sick. Maybe it was the heat from the Sun.

He left the balcony and the central island and headed for the Front Gate. He figured he would skip any last minute preparation and just forge headlong into it. Lord knew it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Apparantly, Quistis didn't keep to timetables. There was still some time left on the clock, but she was standing right by the main gates with her arms folded across his chest and an impatient look on her face. He was amazed by her quickness in changing. She had ditched the SeeD uniform and now wore a tight-fitting red leather bodysuit. She had kept her boots, but she had let down her hair enough to showcase the radiant blondness. He thought the new wear was a bit excessive.

She looked up at him as he arrived. "I knew you wouldn't prepare."

"Don't put enough faith in me."

"Don't misconstrue. I do have a lot of faith in you. You just never open yourself up."

"Well, I'm here now. So, we might as well get going."

"Hold on," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I have a few things to say first before we depart."

"What could that possibly be?"

"Well, proper procedures dictate that I need to say these things. Remember, the Guardians spy on our conversations sometimes, you know that."

Squall made a little laugh. "Yeah, those bastards never put faith into anyone."

"True. I don't have much to say, but it concerns the type of boss enemy you are about to meet. It's the same one that fried up that poor Stevens boy a week ago."

"Ifrit, huh? Figures as much. I'm still not that good at perfecting my fire skills. That was the main reason Seifer was able to best me."

"Well, you shouldn't have too much of a trouble. You do have Shiva, and historically fire and ice have always had damaging effects on each other."

Squall looked down to his pocket and pulled out two gems. The Guardian Forces, once they liked a certain mortal, would condense a part of themselves into gems. The user at anytime he or she felt threatened could speak an incantation while holding the gem in their palm, and the gods would answer the call with a vengeance against their opponents. Strangely enough, the GFs (an abbreviated form of Guardian Forces) behaved exactly like humans; they were fickle gods holding persons of all races in particular contempt. Experts have yet to find conclusive evidence on how and why a god could suddenly like some human and then banish others. These Guardian Forces also didn't seem to care about the horrors of the human world at all: war, famine, disease. They seemed pretty content with just aiding in small ways and letting the big problems disseminate across the earth. Such is the way of a higher being.

Quistis waved a hand in front of his face to snap him out of his reveries. An annoyed look was on her face. "GFs give us strength. The stronger the GF, the stronger we become."

"The more often we use them, the better skilled both of us become?"

"That sums it up. They're fickle enough, but constant usage of their services puts you in a special place in their hearts."

"Well, that's comforting to know."

She smiled again and stepped back. "Ready to go? The cavern is just east of here."

He nodded, and they exited the campus and ventured into the green grassy fields of the Alcauld Plains. The breezes were much more prevalent on the plains; a couple of clouds had buzzed up from the south and now hid the Sun a little in its glow. The island, called Alcauld for future reference, was a tranquil island that had huge bugs on it. Blue insects with huge bulbous heads and yellowish wings. They were as big as a grown man's hand, but were able to be squashed very easily. They clustered near the southern portion of Alcauld on the Rinauld Coast. The air was slightly more humid down there. The insects were a chore, but one could walk the entire length of the island without ever seeing a cluster of them-- for these irrelevant bugs would always come in clusters of up to a hundred stupidly flying around as if their lives were longer than a half a year. There were two big forests on either side of Alcauld that hosted a lot of deformed caterpillars that fed mostly on smaller caterpillars. Cannibalism was not too uncommon in this world, and the insects had a fun time devouring each other in bliss. The mountains laid north of the academy, blue in color with thin mists gracefully passing by. Mountain goats lived up there along with the occasionally nutty prophet who thinks he's seen the second coming of Eden. Balamb Port lay to the southwest utilizing the Rinauld Coast for fish harvesting. Cargo ships from Galbadia rested against the shore transporting goods to the academy every so often. The Port itself was a quaint small town filled mostly with resident Alcauldians and commuters from the academy and beyond the island. The Fire Cavern was on the eastern side and was a dirty little hole in the ground surrounded by two giant columns with a blue laser flashing between them. This was the source of the magicka controlling the caverns, allowing each trip down into its depths to be a different experience from the last.

The two made their way across the plains in silence without coming across a single cluster of blue bite bugs. They both seemed lost in thought and seemed content together to not ruin it.

Two Guardians, their enormous yellow hats plunged way down on their head, awaited their arrival without the least bit of cheeriness. It seemed as if they were tired of failing students and really just wanted to abandon their posts.

Quistis stopped him for a moment at the entrance. "You do know how to use your Gunblade properly right?"

He looked at her as if he just found out his mother died. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I'm just doing what I was told, Squall!"

"Yes, I know how to use this thing. You point, click, boom. That's how it goes."

"Then, that's all that needs to be said. You know the drill."

He sighed. "All too well."

Both of them shook their heads in unison and walked towards the two Guardians who seemed ready to leave right at that particular moment. Noticing Squall, they actually sighed and shuddered. The foremost one spoke up first. "Hi, and welcome to the Balamb Garden Field Test. I am sure you will do your very best."

Squall blinked.

The second Guardian spoke. "State your name, please."

Squall stood at attention and saluted. "No. 41269. Squall Leonhart, presiding."

"Your objective is to obtain a low-level GF. A SeeD member must support you in your illustrious endeavor. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes, I am ready."

"I am his support," Quistis declared, standing at attention and saluting as well. "Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe, presiding."

"Wonderful, at ease," the first Guardian chirped pathetically.

The second continued, "Select a time limit. Choose one suited to your abilities that is challenging, yet reasonable."

"You have the option of ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes, or forty minutes." The first Guardian seemed to be falling asleep.

Squall smirked. "Ten minutes is more than enough."

Quistis raised an eyebrow, and both of the Guardians seemed stuck for replies. Finally they made room for Squall and said together, "Good luck, sir."

With the moment passed, Squall and Quistis entered the cavern and the Guardians reblocked the entrance. The candidate and instructor proceeded down the gravelly path and noticed the air getting progressively warmer and warmer. Quistis spoke, a little cautiously, "You're the first to pick the shortest time. Feeling just a might bit overconfident?"

"Ifrit's a flamer, nothing more than that."

"Hmmph, I guess you can look at it that way. Doesn't really say much for poor Stevens."

"He fought fire with fire, Quistis. That guy was an idiot."

Against her principles, Quistis nodded her head in agreement and then immediately regretted the fact and changed the subject. "My job is to support you in battle. Everything else is up to you."

"Fine," he replied curtly.

Sounds of bats fluttered above them. The gravelly walkway ventured further downward and then opened up into a giant cave with a sweltering red-hot lava pit flowing on both sides of the walkway. The air was incredibly dense and putrid; steam billowed everywhere making the visuals of the room twist, turn, and dissolve in the air. More bats flew everywhere, big purple bats with bright red bellies. The yellowness of their fangs glistened against the brightness of the flowing lava. Distant roaring sounds that no doubt belonged to Ifrit bellowed in the distance.

Squall had studied up a lot, and he was aware of the first trial before they even came upon it. Reaching into his pocket, he clasped his hand around the blue gem of Shiva's essence and muttered a short incantation. A tense feeling gripped his body, and his eyes shifted colors for several seconds. The Bombs came out of the blue, stumbling across the narrow red walkway ready to spew streams of liquid fire over him, but he was ready for them. He shot his hand out of his pocket and blasted a small iceberg spell straight into the gaping maw of the closest Bomb creature. The creature inhaled, and the ice shards cut its insides apart freezing its fiery organs and dissolving the creature in mist. Two more quick blasts of ice melted the next two Bomb creatures and the first trial was completed before Quistis could be ready to act as support.

"You certainly know what you're doing," she replied in amazement.

He didn't reply, but instead he unsheathed the Rough Divide and coated the blade with more of the essence of Shiva. He figured that would make defeating Ifrit that much quicker.

Quistis watched his every move, then grew a little disappointed. "You know the boys often choke on this test when I come with them." She saw him slowly pause in his work. Smiling mischievously, she continued, "I guess my charm makes them nervous."

He brought the gunblade down to his side and raised an eyebrow.

She laughed, unable to control herself. "I'm just kidding. Trying to keep you relaxed, that's all."

Whatever, woman. He kept the gunblade drawn, turned, and proceeded deeper into the cave. After a few moments, she caught up to him, and in the distance both of them saw their second trial. A golem sat in the middle of the walkway, and he wasn't ready to budge. Squall knew what he was. The golem was the guardian of the pass, a regenerating spectre that like to play tricks on people. He saw Quistis fondle the cusp holding tight her chain whip. This creature was not to be trusted.

The golem watched them come up, and he smiled a toothless nasty grin. "Ah," the sound was bone-crunching to hear, "another SeeD cadet come to trifle with the treacherous Caverns. You must be Squall Leonhart, I presume."

"You're good with names," Squall said, gunblade still drawn, face as composed as he could make it.

"I am an old thing of this world. I know too much for my own good. Miss Quistis, I am aware that this is our last time meeting each other, eh?"

"This is my final student, sir."

"Well, I hope he's better prepared than your last four, although Miss Julia was a determined lass." Regarding Squall for a little bit, he continued, "I haven't had fire duty for a while. This oughta be interesting. Since we're on a time crunch, I'll be brief. It's Riddle Time, Mr. Squall. Answer two riddles correctly, and you may pass. Answer wrong, and I kill you. Plain as that, no?"

"You can try."

"I can indeed. First one: Riddle me this, Squall,

For some I go fast

for others I'm slow.

To most people, I'm an obsession

relying on me is a well-practiced lesson.

What am I?"

Squall pondered the first two lines and then incorporated the third. "Some people go faster, while others go slower. Some people are obsessed with it, while others value it as a rich thing. Are you time?"

The golem sighed angrily. "That I am. I see your time is of the essence, so here's your second riddle: Riddle me this, Squall,

Late one evening, a man and his wife were driving at a very high speed down a country road. Their car spun out and hit a tree. The man decided to get help at the closest town; making sure his wife was safe, he rolled up the windows and locked all the doors. When he returned his wife was dead, and there was someone he had never seen before in his car. No physical damage was done to the car, but it was still locked. How did his wife die, and where did this stranger come from?"

The very thought of that riddle sent shivers down Squall's spine, and he heard Quistis shudder in disgust. The riddle at first didn't make any sense and that infuriated Squall. He started to tighten his hand a bit, and the creature eyed that movement hungrily. Then, a thought came to Squall: if no physical damage was done to the car, then the stranger had to belong to the woman. "The stranger in the car was her baby, and she died in childbirth."

The golem sputtered in disgust and brandished a knife. "I thought that was a stumper, you incessant tightwad." Quistis was right in her assertion, and she quickly unclasped her chain whip and flung the bladed whip around the creature's body, the blade penetrating both his stomach and his throat. Squall blinked in surprise and had to admire the quickness this girl exhibited with herself. The nasty abominable creature dropped his knife and made a peace sign. She plucked the bladed whip out, sending bits of his flesh everywhere and grunted in disgust. The golem applied pressure to his wounds and clumsily said, "Great, you passed your second trial. They say third time's the charm. I'm sure Ifrit will dispose of you two properly. You've got three minutes, Mr. Leonhart!" He slinkered off into the molten lava to regenerate for the twenty-fourth student to make his way into the caverns.

Squall looked at her in a momentary appreciation and then quickly hurried to the very back of the cave with her on his heels. They got to the massive doors, and she had to nag once more. "Are you ready?"

He shrugged, and she shrugged as well. They opened the doors, and a deep bellow greeted them. Squall and Quistis had just brandished their weapons when the massive horned demon barrelled out of his cave. Ifrit was nine feet tall and built with muscle. He was brown-skinned with bits of fiery jewels embedded in shoulders and hips. Two long curled horns penetrated his brain, and everytime he opened his mouth smoke and flame spewed out. It was impossible to distinguish his ramblings when he spoke, but you could tell what mood he was in by the changing color of his eyes. If they were yellow, he was able to collaborate with you, but if they were orange-- like they were now-- battle was imminent. He slammed his fist to the ground sending a great shockwave knocking the two humans down. Roaring triumphantly, he sprang in the air and hurled a large ball of flame directly at Squall. Quick reflexes saved him from a charred defeat; he brought the width of his blade across his body before the blast consumed him. Shiva's essence coated the sword and created a thick barrier emanating off it. The ball of flame instantly melted against it and only slightly warmed up Squall from its effects.

Quistis was up quicker, and she plunged her bladed whip into Ifrit's throat and sent him crashing down on his head. Black blood spewed out of both wounds, and his eyes grew more orange. He grabbed the hooked end of the whip and yanked Quistis's side down to the floor. He was meaning to crush her skull on the pavement, but Squall got to his feet and raised his sword above his head. The coated Rough Divide came down and tore off Ifrit's arm that held Quistis pinned to the floor. Acting quickly, Squall grasped the blue gem in his pocket, sung the incantation, and summoned Shiva into the battle. Ifrit howled in horror as the Ice Queen descended from a thick cloud of ice. She was a beautiful ethereal creature with long flowing blonde hair and pretty blue-green eyes. She was fully naked as well with ample breasts and perky nipples and a cleanly-shaven front. The fire prince was rightfully taken aback by her beauty, and that's what made her so powerful. Regarding her rival coyly, she summoned a huge ball of crystalline light that lit up the whole cave and sent shattering all over Ifrit's body. The brown demon was covered in snow shards, and his black blood oozed everywhere on the floor, his howling becoming fiercer and more pained. The Ice Queen left as soon as she appeared, happy to be employed into service once again.

Squall and Quistis fell back and watched the severely injured god stumble to his feet. He was almost finished. Twirling the gunblade in his hand, Squall gave a cocky look, ran to Ifrit, and somersaulted in the air slashing his blade at the same time. When he fell to the ground, Ifrit's head went one way, his torso went the other, and his legs plopped to the floor in a big pool of black blood.

With thirty seconds to spare.

Squall looked at Quistis and winked. She beamed in delight. For the first time, her training as an instructor had paid off.

Ifrit reformed himself and grew back to nine feet tall. Surprisingly, his ramblings became coherent. "Ah, you incessant mortal! You're quite stronger than I imagined. For me to lose to a human is almost unbearable to think of."

Squall rested the blackened Rough Divide by his leg and stood defiantly before the Fire Prince.

Ifrit asked grudgingly, "What is it that you want me to do?"

"Ally yourself with me. Your power is great in certain regards."

His eyes went yellow. "That sounds worthy enough. Call me when the time is right." He leaned back and sighed. Wounds appeared all over him, and he melted in his own black blood that ran like a whitewater rapid all down the walkway and into the molten lava. Where he formerly stood was a red jewel. Squall bent down, picked it up, and gave it to Quistis for safekeeping.

She seemed ecstatic. "I guess I was right. You and Seifer are in a class of your own. You both have amazing strength and potential."

"He just cannot pass the final."

"I think he's rather unwilling to finish it. Still, he's the second-best this school has to offer."

"He would hate to hear that."

"Sounds like you would, too, if it was reversed."

He grunted and headed for the exit. She stood again admiring him and thought that he would do excellent in the Final Exam come thirty days from now. They made their way across the fire lake that was rapidly cooling down into the traditional bland caverns that it normally was. Making way for the next cadet to descend the trials and tribulations.

The two Guardians had left, not taking too much consideration to the fact that he had won. He had always ran into conflicts of interests with them, including the many infractions caused between him and Seifer. They made their way across the plains without encountering clusters of bite bugs and arrived back at the school.

Quistis looked flushed from the test, and Squall himself felt a little tired. She finally spoke up, "Well done. You will certainly have passed most everybody's expectations."

"I aim to please."

"Well, I guess it's the waiting game for you, now."

"What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to be doing for the next month?"

"Waiting too. I'm supposed to be an information analyst and a support tech for the Final Exam."

"So, I guess we'll still be spending time with each other again, huh?"

She snorted. "You make it sound as if it's a bad thing."

"We just know each other too much."

"Right, well. In the meantime take care of your GFs. They may be fickle gods more powerful than us, but they're as needy as children. Use this next month to become more versed in the magical arts. I suppose that's what I'll be doing, too. If you don't mind we can share our GFs if you want."

"Whatever."

She smiled and shrugged. "Whatever. See ya, Squall."

They departed and went their separate ways, she to file the paperwork and he to his dorm. Zell's room was closed; no doubt he was sleeping. He had been one of the seven who had passed the exam, and he was itching to tackle the Final. Squall didn't realize how tired he was, for when he set his gunblade and took off his jacket and shoes, he fell instantly to sleep.

In his dreams, that girl from the infirmary crept into his mind. That short brown hair, that pale skin, and those clothes all seemed so familiar. He thought that being out of the harshly-lit hospital would cure his inability to conjure up the solution, but he failed again. He could not paint a name to a face. That irked him like no other. He tried again and again and finally got to a building with a heavy rainstorm hitting it hard. What was the significance of the rainstorm? What was this building? He couldn't answer for he fell into a deep, deep slumber and he had more pleasant dreams instead.