~Izzy~

Darkness, consuming and unmitigated, pressed in on her body, suffocating, trapping…

Izzy woke with a start, her eyelids like shutters.

Looming over her was the figure of a young man with curly brown hair and a wide, toothy grin.

Izzy gasped and sat up. She looked around the drab white room, taking in the scent of antiseptic with a violent cringe. Finally, she let her gaze settle on the man sitting in a chair next to her bed. He watched her warily and Izzy groaned, thinking of what had happened this time for her to end up in the infirmary.

The man spoke, "Natasha…" he threw his arms around her, drew her close, and whispered, "H-how are you feeling?"

Taken aback, Izzy sat stone-like, until common sense returned to her. She pushed him away. "Never mind that! Just tell me whether I passed or not."

The man's grin instantly vanished. "You could have died and you're asking me about school?"

"Oh no…" Izzy's heart sunk somewhere near her stomach. "I failed didn't I?" She covered her face in her hands, trembling at the thought that she'd failed the SeeD exam because of getting hurt by a Galbadian soldier. It was all Nida's fault! He'd been the one to send her after Tilmitt to find squad B.

Izzy immediately scrambled with the bedcovers to get out, yanking out the tubes attached to her arms. Geez, I didn't know they still used these.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice accompanied by a strong grip on her shoulders held her back from hurtling out of the bed.

Mustering a disdainful glare, Izzy shook out of his hands. "Who are you?" and why are you manhandling me?

At her words, the man stepped back, eyes wide and unblinking. "Whoa, calm down, N."

"CALM DOWN? I missed half of the exam! Do you know what that means? Where's Dr. Kadowski? I need to leave the infirmary so I can hunt down Nida and kill him!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Amiri, I'm afraid you'll have to put off killing until after we run some tests." A tall man in a white coat walked into the room, a clipboard in his hands and a broad grin on his face.

Izzy stared, then, realizing her mouth was hanging open, gulped and blinked several times. "Tests? There's no need. A Galbadian soldier stabbed me, that bastard, and then I blacked out. All it needed was a hi-potion and a couple of cure spells, and seeing as there's no wound," Izzy cast a glance at her chest and ran a finger over the smooth skin which betrayed no sign of puncture, then continued, "I would say I'm totally free to go. Dr. Kadowski would agree."

The white-coat man scratched the back of his head and looked to the younger man for an explanation, who just shrugged in response, not taking his searching, bewildered eyes off Izzy.

She took the moment of silence to push herself off the bed and straighten up her awful floral-patterned gown.

"Natasha," the young one said.

Izzy continued to fix her hospital gown. Oh, how she hated these exposing, ugly things.

"Natasha," the boy repeated.

Izzy looked at him, confused as to why he kept saying that word. "What are you still doing here? Are you a student at Garden? I've never seen you around."

His eyes narrowed into a searching glare. "Are you feeling okay?"

Izzy raised an eyebrow, "…yes. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to fix myself up before I go back to my room." She turned to the doctor. "Is there a bathroom I could use?"

Wordlessly, the doctor pointed to a door to Izzy's right.

Izzy thanked him and promptly hauled herself into the room. She flicked the light on, only to illuminate the figure of a shocked, young woman.

Blushing from embarrassment, Izzy immediately left the room, head bowed. "There's someone in there," she mumbled dryly, and proceeded to push herself out of the infirmary room. She'd have to sneak into her dorm room without letting anyone see her. The thought of getting caught by the so called "disciplinary committee" made her shudder; Fujjin would never let her live it down if she saw her walking around like this.

She shook the thought away as the realization of unfamiliarity hit her like a speeding Chocobo. Where in Garden is this? Izzy looked around at the brightly-lit hallway, which stretched way longer than the infirmary. Taking a tentative step forward, Izzy wracked her brain to try and make sense of it. She'd been in the infirmary many times, but never had it looked like this.

"Watch out, miss."

Izzy jumped out of the way as a stout nurse pushing a wheelchair passed her. If I'm not in the infirmary, then where am I? She took a quick look around and her breath caught in her throat.

There, in the large, uncovered window in front of her, was a girl looking in from the darkness of the night! My God! Clutching her thumping chest, Izzy sprang to the window and slid it open.

Nothing. Taking a few deep breaths, Izzy slowly started to slide the window closed. "Pull yourself together. You're losing it," she told herself.

There she was again! Izzy glared at the girl, and the girl glared persistently back. "No…" Izzy muttered, and reached out to the window. The window girl reached out for Izzy. Izzy snapped the window open once more.

No one outside. Feeling stupid, Izzy shut the glass forcefully and stared the reflection that wasn't hers. Is this some kind of trick? Izzy grabbed a lock of her hair, watching the reflection copy her. She drew a few ink-black strands in front of her face with numb fingers. What the hell's going on?

"Natasha!"

Izzy spun around to face the curly-haired man from earlier; the doctor looming behind him. Feeling her heart race, she raised an accusing finger at him. "Who did this?" she shrieked.

"Nat-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Without waiting for him to say another word, Izzy sprang away and broke into a sprint down the hall. Adrenaline pumped through her body, blinding her from reason. She had to get away; get back to Garden. They would be able to help her; to figure out what kind of sinister magic this was.

She glanced back to see if she was being followed. Mistake. Something hard slammed into her knees and-

Crash!

Izzy went tumbling to the ground with a cartful of bedpans falling over and beside her. Groaning, she pushed herself into sitting position and pushed away the darned objects.

Her face was mere inches from the back of one stray bedpan, and instead of pulling herself off the ground; Izzy stared at the image of an unfamiliar face that stared fearfully back. Her shoulders heaved as sobs escaped her throat. What was going on?

She barely responded as she felt the sting of a needle on her arm. Her body became limp and her eyes closed with lethargy, leaving the thought what's happening to me? reeling in her mind.

~Natasha~

"Whose perfect idea was it to forget extra fuel?" Zell roared, punching the hood of the rental car in fury.

Squall gave him a reproachful look. "We have no choice but to walk." He looked at his watch. "We have at least an hour to get back, we should be fine." He stepped around the car onto the dirt path by the side of the road and turned to us expectantly.

The car had run out of fuel, leaving us stranded in the middle of the road. The nearest gas station was in Balamb Garden, and since that was our destination, walking was the only way to get there. We stood around in the stale summer air. The car had been air conditioned, and the heat was starting to reach blistering levels. After Zell's unproductive attempts to push the car into gear, he had taken to complaining and kicking it, which probably added to the heat.

"Well?" Squall crossed his arms and looked at the rest of us expectantly.

Zell sent a longing look towards the car. " Tch! Guess we really don't have a choice," he grumbled.

The girl named Selphie rolled her eyes. "Come on! It'll be great exercise!" She marched in front of Squall and led the group off the road. "Wait!" She turned around, "Does everyone have their GFs equipped?"

Zell and Squall reached in their pockets.

GF? Equip?

Nida caught my confused expression. "What's wrong?"

"Um… I don't have a GF"

"Where's Quezacotl?"

I shrugged. I hadn't heard his voice since I'd called upon him earlier and he'd flown off.

"Did he get knocked out?"

I shrugged again, feeling stupid.

"Oh," he looked around at everyone. "Does anyone have a G-Returner?"

They shook their heads.

"Here," Selphie pulled something out of her pocket. She walked over and deposited a palm-sized stone into my hands. It was shaped like a tiny ball encapsulated in a pair of pale golden wings. I looked at Selphie's smiling face. "It's Siren. I found her when we were fighting the X-ATM092."

"…Thanks." How is a stone going to help me?

"You're welcome!" She proceeded to pull out an electric yellow stone out of her pocket. Closing her eyes, she gently stroked the stone and it started to emit a strange, unnatural glow. The stone sparkled and disappeared. Selphie opened her eyes, and I noticed that they now had a yellowish spark in the irises. I gaped at her. Did she absorb the stone?

"Aren't you going to equip Siren?" Nida whispered from beside me. I looked at him and noticed that his light brown eyes tinged with a bluish glow.

I averted my gaze to the stone in my hands. Guess I have no choice. Rubbing the smooth surface, I imitated Selphie and closed my eyes. The stone started to vibrate gently in my hands. A tingling sensation overtook my fingers and spread through my arms, slowly reverberating to the rest of my body. It was like being doused in a container of soda, as if tiny bubbles were popping all over my body. I inhaled deeply and felt a heightened sense of smell. My eyes snapped open, and could see the scene in front of me more clearly than before.

'Hello, I am Siren,' proclaimed a soft female voice. I looked around, but somehow it felt as if the voice was just in my head.

"Hi Siren," I whispered tentatively. The others had started walking down the path already, as if unaware of what they had all gone through. I shrugged and followed them.

A strength I never knew I possessed had overtaken me, kind of like I'd suddenly chugged several cans if Redbull. Inhaling deeply, I realized that I could smell the dust around me as if an invisible hand was holding it straight against my nose. Is this what a GF does?

'Get used to it,' said the same female voice.

"Siren?" It was strange talking to a voice inside my head.

'You don't need to talk to me out loud'

I scratched my head. 'Uh…can you hear me?'

'Yes. Nice to meet you, Natasha.'

'You know my real name?'

There was a pause. 'Shouldn't I?' She giggled, a soft tinkling sound. 'I'm your first Guardian Force, aren't I?'

Finally, something I wouldn't have to lie about. 'Yes.'

'I am honored to be of assistance. Just call me when you need my help in battle.' It sounded like she was smiling.

'Thanks' I grinned.

There was no reply. I shrugged and jogged to catch up to the group. I fell into step beside Nida, who gave me a small smile that caused my heart to clutch.

"I thought you got lost," he said.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Lost? Me?"

"Don't cover it up. You get lost going from the library to the dorm!" His smile widened and his eyes sparkled.

Scratching the back of my neck, I looked away. Whether he was exaggerating or not, I didn't know. The rest of the group walked on in silence a little distance ahead. Now that I thought about it, Nida was the quietest one of the group, usually following along at a distance. Squall, I noticed, was pretty quiet too, but the Zell and Selphie seemed to gravitate towards him. Even when we had been walking through Balamb, Nida had been quiet and distant, talking only to me. The others seemed fine with his distance; maybe Nida wasn't even friends with them.

"Hey," Nida brought a hand on my shoulder and I met his gaze. "look, whatever it is, you can tell me."

I gulped. Could I trust him? How did I know that they weren't in league with the sorceress? He'd saved my life, why would he have done that if he was working for her? But then again, he was saving Izzy's life, not mine. My stomach churned. What if Nida could help me find the sorceress? What if he can't and he tells everyone and they leave you to fend for yourself?

Nida reached over and pulled away the strand of hair from my hands; I'd been yanking on it without realizing. I looked up at his concerned face; maybe I can tell him, maybe he can help me. I opened my mouth, thinking of how to even begin, when-

Buzz buzz.

"What is that?" I turned around to be met with the sight of a pale blue insect with shimmering violet wings, except it was the size of a cat and at the moment zooming towards me! I stepped back as four more of the bugs came flying towards us.

Click, BANG! Nida had pulled out a gun, and one of the insects fell to the ground, dead. Zell ran past us towards one of the larger bugs and started pummeling it with his fists. I turned around and saw Selphie with closed eyes and a pair of nunchucks – actual nunchucks – held out in front of her. She muttered under her breath and snapped her eyes open. The insect in front of her erupted in flames, and with a pathetic squeal, fell to the ground.

BUZZ BUZZ. I reacted too late, and one of the bugs dug its pincers into my face. Pain shot into my cheeks and on instinct I shoved its hairy body. I'll show you! I punched it hard in what looked like a face. It recoiled a little, its body sagging away from me. I felt tingling on my face, and was instantly surrounded by a pale blue glow. This looks awfully familiar. Nida had been the one to cure me. I smiled in appreciation, but not for long, as the bug came flying at me again, buzzing furiously. Adrenaline took over, and I put all my focus on the creature.

'Come on, Natasha! You can kill it.' Siren coaxed.

Wham! Bam! Hiyaah! I jumped and dug my heel into the giant insect's face, and it fell, screeching, to the ground. Blind rage overtook me and I stomped on the creature until thick maroon liquid seeped out of every crevice of its hairy body. Die, you nasty bug!

The back of my neck prickled and I looked back to see Zell watching at me with amusement.

"Uh… I think it's dead."

I blushed and looked down at the mass of blue and purple fuzz seeped in maroon that was the creature's carcass.

Selphie and Nida stared at me with identical amused looks. Squall gazed, seeming rather bored with everything. I wiped my feet on the grass and cleared my throat. "Just making sure." My voice came out squeaky.

Zell snorted, barely holding in a laugh. I rolled my eyes. "How was I supposed to know when exactly it died?"

"Because it stopped moving?" Selphie burst out in a fit of giggles, with Zell and Nida snickering along. Even Squall cracked a smile; well, more like a very small smirk.

I turned my back to the group. "Let's just go!" I could barely contain a grin.

'It was overkill, and we could have done without the corny sound effects, but you did pretty well for your first time.'

'Thanks.' It had to be Siren's effect. I wasn't usually so violent. 'I knew those karate classes I took a bazillion years ago had to be for something.'

'It's better to stay and fight than to run away' Siren lectured.

I nodded. 'Well, guess I have to get used to it here.'

'Yes.'

I waited for her to say more, but she didn't.

I let the others lead the way, and followed quietly. The sun was now a bright orange dome hanging low in the periwinkle sky. We walked in silence; the only sound our gentle footsteps on the ground. The air was starting to cool, providing relief from the heat of the afternoon.

In the distance, I could see a large structure. It looked like an inverted chandelier, with glass windows that glinted marvelously. Above the structure, seemingly suspended in mid-air, was a golden halo, adorned with filaments of silver and blue glass that reached out into the sky. A circle of trees served as gates of the building, as if to protect the beauty that must lie within. I could not take my eyes off it. That must be Balamb Garden.

"Wow," I sighed.

"Gets you every time, doesn't it?"

I turned to see that Zell had slowed down to walk next to me. "It's beautiful." I smiled.

He gave me a strange look that I couldn't quite read. "You're acting like it's the first time you've seen it." He chuckled and shook his head. "Anyway, you're quite the scrapper!"

I narrowed my eyes, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Where did you learn Martial Arts? I thought your specialty was the pinwheel?" he went on.

The what? "Um, well, I lost my, uh, pinwheel," I let out a nervous laugh. "So I had to make do." I scratched the back of my head and looked away from him.

"Oh…w-"

"We should hurry or we'll be late!" I interrupted, and quickened my pace to walk with Squall in front of the group. At least he won't ask me any questions. He glanced at me for a second, and then looked towards Balamb Garden again. Or acknowledge my presence for that matter.

Soon enough, we reached the structure known as Balamb Garden. It had looked beautiful from afar, but being closer to it was another thing entirely. It loomed over us invitingly. The golden gates stood apart to allow us entry. I stared in awe as we descended marble steps into the yard. It was spacious and open, with a grand staircase on top of which I could see a row of turnstiles over which hung an arched doorway leading into the building. We walked up the stairs, and I let everyone go ahead of me so I could look around and appreciate the building. A mustached gatekeeper greeted us warmly as we entered the main lobby. It narrowed as we walked towards an area where two hallways curved away from it. Shiny marble floors reflected my face as I gazed in amazement. The gentle sound of running water could be heard, although I couldn't see where it was coming from. I looked at the others, who showed no wonderment at the spectacle. I tried to mimic their nonchalant expressions, but it was difficult as I was in the most beautiful place I had ever seen.

We walked towards what looked like a signboard, in front of which stood the blonde instructor. She was talking to a middle-aged man, and a young black-haired girl in a SeeD uniform.

"Made it just in time," Selphie whispered.

Squall walked up to the instructor and said something I couldn't hear.

She nodded and turned to the rest of us. "You guys finally made it. The results will be announced soon, just stick around here." She smiled and turned back to the man. He must be Headmaster Cid. I vaguely remembered his name popping up during the conversation on the ship. Trying not to stare at him, I wondered how much he had spent on this Garden. He must be loaded. By the looks of it, SeeDs lived a life of luxury. I looked around, and now could see that the hallways curved around a moat of some sort. Ahead of us, there was a staircase leading up to a single elevator. Lush plants adorned the hallways in large vases. A few students walked around, looking relaxed and speaking in hushed tones.

"It's nice to see my squad back in one piece."

I snapped out of my thoughts to see the black-haired girl smiling at me. I noticed that Zell and Selphie had walked off, and Squall stood talking to the headmaster and Instructor.

"I hope we won't lose marks for withdrawing with another squad." Nida said from beside me. I looked between them in confusion. Then I realized something. This must be Xu!

Xu furrowed her brows. "I don't think they'll take marks off for that. The orders were to withdraw and that's what you did." She looked at us and smiled, then walked back towards the others.

Nida breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to me. "I hope we both pass."

I nodded.

He smiled weakly, his forehead glistening with sweat. He must be really nervous.

"Hey, let's go walk around," I said, trying to change the subject. I pulled him towards the right hallway, where Squall had already started walking.

"I'm just going to stay here for a while," Nida said, and nodded for me to go on ahead.

I followed Squall around the hallway, keeping a distance. The sound of flowing water became clearer as I walked. I looked up to see a fountain shaped like a giant fish made of stone with water pouring out of its mouth. There were more of them going around the moat, around which curved the hallway. There were pathways leading away from the hallway into separate rooms. It reminded me of the rims of a wheel; a circle with spokes leading away. I stared around, and barely noticing that Squall had stopped walking, slammed right into him.

A scream involuntarily left me as I tumbled to the ground. Ow... I heard a dry chuckle as I sat up and looked up to see Seifer smirking at me. I glared daggers at him and could feel my cheeks getting hot. If only looks could kill.

"Are you okay?" asked Squall as he offered his hand. I grabbed it and he helped me get back on my feet.

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't realize you stopped walking." I answered, embarrassed that I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going.

He shook his head and turned back to Seifer, who now stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a rather sour expression on his face. He turned to Squall. "Did you hear about the communication tower in Dollet?" he asked.

Squall shook his head.

Seifer scoffed. "We would have been heroes if it weren't for that withdraw Order!" He looked dubious.

Squall shrugged, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of footsteps heading closer. I turned to see the instructor and Xu walk towards us. Instructor was looking at Seifer with a dubious expression to rival his own.

"You were only looking for a fight," she spat.

Seifer glared at her. "My dear instructor," he said in a mocking tone. "I'm hurt. Those are rather cruel words for an aspiring student." His face contorted in anger as he added, "a mediocre instructor like you will never understand." He smiled without humor.

That was unnecessarily harsh.I looked at Quistis. She stared at Seifer with wide eyes, too shocked to say anything. There was a heavy silence in the air, and I took the opportunity to step away inconspicuously.

I don't need to be a part of that. It had seemed like there was going to be another argument between Quistis and Seifer, and I didn't want to stick around to see how it would go.

I walked towards the nearest hallway, in front of which was a sign that said "Library" in bold blue letters. I walked into the arched, narrow hallway, at the end of which was a large wooden door.

As I walked towards it, it slammed open, and out came a robed man with a flat yellow hat that covered up his face. I stood rooted, staring, as he walked towards me, and passed right by. What in the world is he wearing? I shook my head, shrugged and made my way to the door.

"ALL STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN TODAY'S FIELD EXAM, REPORT TO THE SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY." blared the loudspeakers, making me jump.

I sighed. I guess that would include me.

I arrived at the lobby a couple of minutes later to find it empty. A robed man stood at the other end, blocking the left hallway. As I climbed up the stairs, I saw trench-coat guy getting into the elevator, and rushed to get in. I was pretty sure I would get lost without having anyone to follow.

Ding! The elevator doors closed in on my awkwardness.

"So..." I cleared my throat. "How do you think you did?"

"What's it to you, trying to find out if you were better than me?" he raised a blond eyebrow at me, but there was no hint of jest on his face.

"I was just making conversation," I blurted rather defensively, taken aback by his inexplicable disgust.

Ding. "How about you stop trying to be my friend and stay the hell away from me."

I stared after him as he sauntered out with a swish of his trench coat. I'd never met anyone so unpleasant.

Shaking my head, I followed him out, keeping a distance. But I didn't have far to go. The elevator opened up to a short bridge hanging over the first floor of Garden. It led straight into a corridor, where a crowd of about ten people was gathered.

I could see Zell pacing along the corridor, disappearing and reappearing from view. Spotting Nida leaning on the far side wall, I went over to him. He looked up from his shoes as he saw me approach, his face looking pale and clammy.

He gulped, then whispered, "I wish they would hurry up."

"I know! This tension is killing me!" squealed the flippy-haired girl from earlier whose name I'd forgotten. "Oh good, the faculty member is here."

There was a sudden noise like a cat coughing up a fur ball. We all turned to the figure of a robed man, who stood rigidly in the doorway. He seemed to be concentrating on a scroll in his abnormally large hands before looking up. "Please proceed to the Headmaster's office if I call your name," he spoke in a jarringly guttural voice, and I resisted the urge to stick my fingers in my ears.

"Tilmitt, Selphie," he continued.

The flippy girl jumped and clapped her hands before skipping out into the hallway.

Nida's name was called next. He looked around disbelievingly for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath and soberly walking out into the hallway.

When, "Dincht, Zell" was called, it was as if an explosion had taken place. Zell pumped a fist in the air enthusiastically, screamed, "Oh yeah!" and marched band-geek style out of the corridor.

Watching Zell go, the robed faculty member shook his head and cleared his throat again. "Squall Leonhart from Squad B. Please step forward."

I looked at Squall and smiled. He nodded, and walked off after Zell, a slight strut in his step. Seifer rolled his eyes.

After Squall had completely disappeared, the faculty member cleared his throat in that cat-coughing-up-fur-ball way. "Kou." He looked around. "Kou, Izzy."

"WHAT?" I yelled, drawing all eyes on me. I felt my face flush as I stared at the man in disbelief.

"Please step forward," he said rather sternly, staring at me pointedly.

This can't be right. I stepped out of the hallway and onto the bridge. There has to be a mistake. I followed Squall and Zell as they got into the elevator. Zell was absolutely beaming. Squall was composed, but there was a spark in his eyes that I hadn't yet seen. I'll just have to explain that I'm not Izzy, they'll understand.

We stepped out onto a lush scarlet rug when the elevator opened. In front of us stood open a double door through which stood Selphie and Nida. They faced away from us. We stepped inside the room, which was an office with an oak desk facing a floor-to-ceiling window. The sun had nearly set by now, shading the sky in hues of pink and violet. The Headmaster stood in front of his desk, with one of the robed men next to it. I stepped beside Nida, who, along with the others, was saluting. I looked ahead to see the Headmaster smiling at us, his eyes sparkling. I saluted him nervously. What have I gotten into?

"First of all, congratulations." He looked at each of us in turn. His gaze was warm, but it didn't erase the feeling of dread knowing at my stomach. "However," he continued, "From now on, as members of SeeD, you will be dispatched all over the world." He beamed. "We are proud to introduce SeeD, Balamb Garden's mercenary soldiers." He paused for effect. "SeeD soldiers are combat specialists. But, that is only one aspect of SeeD. When the time comes…"

The robed man standing next to him cut him off. "Headmaster. It's almost time for the meeting. Please make this short."

Headmaster Cid's smile faltered for a second. He cleared his throat to speak, but was cut off again.

"SeeD is a valuable asset to the Garden." We all turned towards the robed man. "Its reputation is solely dependant on each one of you. Handle your mission with care." His voice had a slight warning tone.

I gulped. Just tell the headmaster what your situation is.

"Here is your rank report." The man declared. He looked at Headmaster Cid expectantly. The Headmaster stepped up to Selphie and handed her a piece of paper. He whispered something to her and she smiled. Next he turned to Nida, handed him his report, and whispered, "Do your best, even if you don't stand out."

Not stand out? He looks like he descended from a freaking Greek god!

Cid walked in front of me. I looked up at him, feeling sweat prickling at my forehead. He smiled, the sides of his eyes crinkling. He handed me a report. "We thought we lost you out there, but you showed admirable perseverance," he whispered. I gave him a weak smile and he moved over to give Zell his report. I looked down at the piece of paper. There were marks based on various areas of battle.

After handing Squall his report, Headmaster Cid stood once more in the middle of the room. He beamed. "This ends the SeeD inauguration. Dismissed!"

The group broke up, and the others walked out of the room. I stood awkwardly. I have to tell him. My heart was pounding.

"Headmaster Cid must get to a meeting. Is there something of importance?" asked the robed man.

I gulped. How am I going to say it?

'Don't tell them.'

'Siren? You know?'

'Trust me, you shouldn't say anything.' Her voice sounded urgent and demanding.

"Well?"

I looked up at the robed man, still unable to see his face. Headmaster Cid looked at me expectantly. I felt my stomach sinking. "I, uh…"

'Don't do it'

"Um… I just wanted to thank you." I mumbled. I gave him a weak smile, and promptly turned around and jogged out of the room.

'Why did you stop me?' I asked Siren angrily. She didn't answer. 'Siren!'

'I read your brain frequencies. As time goes by, I understand more about you.'

'But why did you stop me? He could have helped me!'

'Look, I know you're angry, but just trust me, okay?' Her voice was commanding, but there was a subtle pleading tone to it.

I sighed. 'Are you going to tell me?'

I felt Siren's annoyance overtake my anger. 'You'll know in time. I can detect danger, and that's what I felt was coming.' Her tone had finality to it, and I didn't argue any further.

I sighed. "I hope I can trust you."

'Definitely!' She sounded cheery all of a sudden, but didn't say any more.

I sighed, trying to ignore that a new feeling of hopelessness that had accumulated itself around my chest. If I couldn't tell the Headmaster, where else would I get information about the sorceress?

A/N: Had to end it there. I hate changing canon, but for the purposes of this story, I needed Izzy to become a SeeD. And it doesn't horribly alter canon either, so no harm done :)

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