a/n: Well, Chapter Four is here. Nothing to say. From now on, though, the story will mainly be focused on the plot line and there won't be any Angst for a while. (I think).

Italics – Past , Flashbacks , Thoughts , GFs

Chapter Four
Into The Lion's Den
…and her new life started to truly begin

"Kira?"

I snapped my head up at Seifer's voice, who was looking curiously at me. Smiling guiltily, I brought my head up from where I was hitting it on the wooden desk and coughed, sitting up straight.

"Sorry." When he was still giving me a 'what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you?' look I gave him a slight glare to which he shrugged and turned to the front of the class, watching as Squall and Quistis walked in, Squall trudging to his desk and Quistis settling herself behind her professor one.

"Good morning class!" She announced cheerily. "Let's start with today's schedule. There seems to be some rumors flying around since yesterday…" The students start to whisper and I have a good idea of what it is. Quistis clears her throat and the class turns quiet again.

"Yes," she continues. "The field exam for SeeD candidates will begin later this afternoon. Those not participating and those who failed last week's test are to remain here in study hall. Field exam participants will have free time until the exam. Just be sure you're in top condition. Meet in the hall at 1600 hours. I'll announce the team assignments there. Any questions?" She pauses, but when no hands go up, she stands up and gives a cold look towards where Seifer and I are sitting. Specifically, right at my partner.

"Oh, and Seifer! Do NOT injure your partner while training. Be careful from now on."

I stifle a chuckle as Seifer takes one look at the brooding Squall across the aisle from us and slams his hand down on the table. "You were bound to get it sooner or later," I murmur to him, watching as students return to mingling at Quistis's dismissal.

"But you guys really shouldn't have done that," I continue, watching out of the corner of my eyes as he shrugs and turns to leave.

"You'll be trying out as well, won't you?" He asks casually, but I can see that he is waiting for an answer. My eyes narrow at the hidden clue as to what happened the week before at the Training Center.

"Yes," I answer as emotionlessly as I can. "Becoming SeeD is one of the few reasons why I am still at Garden." It's true, too. I could have refused the offer and went to live with some foster family, couldn't I?

He shrugs and raises his hand in a small wave. "Good luck and don't get yourself killed, then."

He follows some of the students out past Quistis, whose eyes trail between Squall and me. "Squall, Kira, I need to talk to you."

Already knowing what she's going to be discussing, I stand up calmly and join the brunette teenager as he walks down to the front of the classroom, stopping in front of our instructor as she observes us with a slight frown.

"You two haven't been to the Fire Carven yet, have you?" She asks and we shake our heads. "You won't be able to take part in today's SeeD exam if you don't pass this prerequisite." I shrug. I was going to take it, but…

"Hm? Do you have a good excuse?"

No, not really. I don't believe 'I want to follow the video game's plotline' is a sane enough answer.

"…Not really." Squall replies from beside me, crossing his arms across his chest, sending me a curious glance. I roll my eyes at him and raise and lower one shoulder in answer.

Quistis notices our little exchange and chuckles behind her hand. "Well, then let's get going. I'll be waiting by the Front Gate when you are ready." She's about to walk out, but then seems to remember something. "Oh, and the school has provided you with some GFs. You can take them out from your study panel at your seat."

Squall ignores the suggestion and walks out after her, so I'm guessing he already has his. I, on the other hand, still need to get mine.

Rushing back to my desk, I quickly type in my student ID and password, to which the computer hums for a few seconds before white text shows up.

'Student Name : Kira Lanning

Password :

GFs Registered :

Shiva

Take Out?'

Blinking dumbly at the screen, I choose the 'Yes' option and watch as a little stone of ice-blue color pops out from underneath the computer.

"Huh," I murmur, taking it and observing it from different angles. "I guess Squall's only getting Quetzacoatl."

That's correct.

I give a small 'eep' at the voice in my head. When I find nobody in the classroom and since I know that Shiva is female at the voice talking to me is male, I try communicating with it.

…Huh?

The voice chuckles in an oddly familiar way, and I can feel him withdrawing.

It's starting. Meet me in your room.

"It's starting?" I question nobody, then realize what they must be talking about. But there's only one other person—

Oh. Right. Eriol.

Wonderful.

Sighing, I continue to examine the stone, wondering what I'm supposed to do with it. "So, what now?" I question it, and to my surprise it pulses with blue light and I get the feeling it's laughing.

Something tells me that I'm supposed to bring it up to my head and I do so, wincing when the stone disappears in a small flash and a feeling of something moving around appears in my brain.

"Well, this is gonna get some time to get used to," I mutter, wondering if I can communicate with the ice queen.

Well, this is quite comfortable. The voice chuckles in my mind as I jump slightly in surprise. What can I do for you, dear?

Um, I'd like to be able summon you? I reply weakly, but shake my head and decide on a new approach. You're Shiva, correct? Well, then, hi! I'm Kira! It's a pleasure to meet you.

I get a feeling that Shiva is cooing in my head, if her giggles are anything to go by. Aw, you're a polite one! Well, Kira, it's wonderful to meet you as well. If you need anything, just call me. I'll be making myself comfortable here, then.

I walk out of the classroom and towards the dormitories, giggling when I see Squall explaining something tirelessly to a girl with curled brunette hair at the lobby.

If you don't mind me asking, I continue in my head, But how are you Guardian Forces able to live in peoples' heads? I mean, I've never heard of a special place in a human's brain or anything…

Shiva giggles again, but then sighs. To be truthful, I'm not even sure of things like that. But it's become quite natural to us GFs. We actually enjoy the stay, too. I can see her mentally grinning, and I must say, I'm pretty sure I'll like her. She was awesome in the games, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Games? …Ah, I see. I freeze slightly in my steps, paling by the second. I can feel Shiva mentally patting me on the hand. Don't worry, dear. I'm not going to tell anyone.

I continue on, but slightly slower this time. So… you know what happened? I ask cautiously.

I can see some of your memories right now, and I have the base of it, but I won't go any deeper if you don't want me to… She sighs in my head, and I can feel my body temperature drop slightly. You've had it tough, haven't you? She asks sympathetically.

Eh, I'll manage to live through it. Somehow. Shiva chuckles in my head.

I can see that you can be quite weak mentally sometimes, she assures me and I flinch. But you're stubborn enough to get through this.

Ah, thanks, I think? She laughs at my reply as I turn the key in my door.

"You're finally here."

"So nice to see you, too." I reply sarcastically, ignoring Eriol sitting by my window and going towards my closet. "What did you need?" I ask, trying to find something suitable for battle.

"Oh, just checking up on you," he replies casually, and I snort.

"No, really."

He sighs and starts playing with the white curtains beside him. "The story of the game has officially begun, and I can see that you are somewhat eager to join it." He pauses, and I get the feeling he's watching me. "I've decided to help out."

I turn to look at him abruptly. "Help out with what, exactly?" I ask suspiciously, crossing my arms and leaning against the closet doors. Eriol shrugs and snaps his fingers. I follow his eyes and mine widen at the items I see on my bed.

"Holy… shit." I manage, observing my new clothes and weapons.

"I thought you might like those!" He exclaims, grinning. "As on other things, I will be messing around with the system here a little, so don't be surprised if something changes."

I look back at him as he gives me a mock-salute. "Wait, what things?" The smile on his face widens and he disappears in a flash of shiny sparkles.

Leaving me alone wondering whether I'll be facing something that definitely shouldn't be in the game. I swear, if he decides to bring a Darkside here for me to battle or something, I'll throttle him the next time I see him.

Oh, those might prove useful! I look at what Shiva is pointing out, and I am thoroughly surprised to find a whole bag of items. Items, as in Potions, Remedies, and such.

Examining it further proves that I now have fifteen potions, 2 hi-potions (which I don't know where he got from), five remedies, and three of echo herbs, antitodes, and holy waters.

"Really, where does he get all that stuff?" I ask, moving on to examine the guns lying next to them. They are not too different from the ones I have, only slightly larger and instead of being all black, have some red and gold on it. Shrugging, I take them and place them at my holsters, taking out the ones I've trained with for four years.

The clothes he gave me make me pause and squeal loudly.

I'm not too much of a clothes person, so I usually wear my uniform or some jeans and shirt I find lying around in my small room. But even I know good clothes when I see them.

There, lying on my bed, are quite the weirdest things I'll probably ever wear. The top consists of a sleeveless bright red shirt that stretches to my hips, with little designs on the bottom. There's also a funky necklace lying on top of it; a black and silver swirl that reminds me of a seashell. It's quite big, but I'm going to wear it anyway.

The bottom consists of these awesome black jeans that stretch all the way down with some more designs on the side, and to top it off, a bright, yellow skirt with a large black belt at the bottom of it is positioned on top of them.

Was Eriol a fashion designer or something in his past life?

Anyways, the last piece of clothing (other than the shoes, which are nothing more than ankle-length black boots with a silver buckle of some sort) is a cloak. A black, high-collar leather cloak with a small orange belt going around the center to keep it from flying out behind me.

That boy sure knows how to accessorize! Shiva's squeals make me giggle, but I can't help but agree with her. Damn, Eriol's respect points have just gone up by a whole bunch!

Ooh, try them on! Encourages my GF and I do so gladly, coming out to examine myself.

"Damn, I look hot!" I exclaim, twirling around and striking a foolish pose. I run back to the bathroom and quickly change into the uniform with the ever-annoying skirt I have to wear for the exam before going back out again. Deciding to do something with my hair to get it out of the way, I grab two random scrunchies from my bedside table and tie my hair back in low ponytails.

"Much better!" I say to myself, brushing my bangs behind my ears.

"Hey, you're gonna be late for your test!"

I turn at the sound of my roommate's voice, who's standing at the doorway to my room grinning, her black hair in a high ponytail and green eyes sparkling in humor behind her glasses. I grin at her and give the peace sign, grabbing my sword and attaching it to my back in its sheath on the way before giving her a hug.

"Wish me luck!" I call as I run down the hall, waving to her. Karen laughs and waves back before disappearing from my eyesight.

By the time I arrive by the Front Gate, Squall is already there. I wave sheepishly at him when he gives me an accusing look, but otherwise shrug it off when Quistis smiles.

"I believe you two know about taking care of your GF and Junctioning, correct?" She asks to which we both nod, even though I have no idea how to do it in real life.

Hm… let me try something, okay? Shiva asks and I nod to her through our connection. I can feel her doing something to my mind, and I wait curiously until I can hear her give a small cheer.

There! All done! Your strength has increased a little, but that's all, since you don't have much spells in stock. Shiva explains as our party heads out of Garden. I give a small nod, trying to follow her words. So, when you receive more magic, I'll try to apply the best to your status, alright?

That's great! Thanks! I reply back, grinning fully both on the outside and inside. But just out of curiosity, what are my stats right now?

Shiva does something to my brain again (I think she's exploring it or something; better not think about it) before replying back to me. Your evasion and speed are quite good, your strength is average, but your health is something we need to work on.

Oh, okay.

We continue walking for a few minutes, avoiding the forest in fear of a T-Rexaur attacking us. It's only when we are halfway to the Fire Cavern that we get attacked.

Our enemies are not much, just two Bite Bugs that I've fought plenty before. But, of course, since I now have a GF and need to Draw some spells, I pause in my attacking.

Just concentrate on the enemy, Shiva explains, seeing as how I've never done this much before since I couldn't use magic. And focus on the spells you want to draw. Don't worry, this will become automatic in time.

I do as she says, and watch as the bug on the left flashes a pale white and I have a feeling I'm flashing as well, but then it's over. I feel strangely stronger.

Well done! Shiva congratulates. You've managed to stock 6 Fires and 7 Cures.

My eyes widen. Whoa! That much?

Shiva replies but I don't really listen, seeing as how Squall has just used Renzokuken on the bug he was killing, and I must say, it looks awesome! He gets surrounded by this flashy light, and then runs forward towards the poor fiend, slashing and using his trigger option like mad. The bug falls dead by the time Squall is half-way, and we collect some of the items it dropped.

"A card?" He asks, picking up a little square piece of paper, looking at it disdainfully. Quistis nods.

"Enemies have a chance of dropping Triple Raid cards, so it might prove useful to battle if you need some of them," she explains, putting away her whip.

"…But where do they keep the cards?" I ask absentmindedly, to which my companions give me odd looks. I chuckle and continue on.

By the time we arrive at the entrance of the Fire Carven, we've managed to kill quite a few bugs and stock a number of spells, including some Waters which Squall was sure would be useful by using one of his GF's abilities to turn these annoying spiky things called Fish's Fin into them.

We approach two of the Garden Faculty, who are standing in front of the cave, barring our entrance. One steps up in front of us.

"Objective: To obtain a low-level GF. A SeeD member must support," he speaks up. "Are you ready?"

Squall and I nod, and Quistis steps up. "I'm their support. Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe."

The Faculty step away, giving us the once over. The other one speaks up dryly.

"Select a time limit. Choose one suited to your abilities. Challenging yet reasonable."

Squall chooses for us, without my consent, to which I pout and cross my arms. "Twenty minutes," he says, ignoring my glares coming at his back. The Faculty nod their hooded heads and we step in, immediately wincing at the heat we feel. There's fire licking at the walls out of the pools of lava around us, and I'm currently hoping that I won't be stepping in there any time soon.

Here, Shiva offers, and I breath out a sigh of relief as my body temperature goes down a bit, letting me breathe a little more evenly.

Thanks, I reply back, to which Shiva just shakes her head and gives a small smile.

I believe Ifrit is located around here somewhere, she says after a few minutes of us walking and battling. If you take into account our surroundings, it's the best guess that he's a GF of fire.

I nod, agreeing with her, looking out for any Bombs that might attack us. There's none so far, so it's all good.

"Kira! Watch out!" Quistis's yell startles me out of my thoughts, and for a good reason, too. I dodge out of the way of the incoming Bomb, who looks mighty pissed off at having its target avoid it.

"Ooh! I just had to jinx it!" I cry, dodging another barrel roll.

Cast Blizzard on it! Physical attacks will only make it explode! Shiva yells in my head, and I do so, drawing from the part of my brain Shiva told me had the spells stocked.

"Guys!" I call to my comrades, who are busy dodging Fire spells. "Cast Blizzard on it! Shiva says physical attacks won't do us any good!"

Squall follows my advice, and the Bomb is soon bombarded with ice magic. After a few consecutive hits it gives a slight roar and falls to the ground motionless, the flames on its head cooling down.

Quistis nods in my direction. "Good idea, Kira. There are many elemental monsters who are only weak to magic, and only magic. You should use Scan if you're not sure." She lectures in her 'instructor' mode, and I give her a weird look then a huge smile.

"Aw, Quisty!" I call, ignoring her flinch at the mention of her nickname. "You don't have to be all profferssory around us!" She sighs and puts a hand to the side of her head, but I can see her smiling slightly.

Squall gives an impatient look towards us from where he is at the front of the group, but I wave at him and he turns back to walking, gunblade glinting on his shoulder. Quistis and I exchanged small grins before going after our leader.

"So… how far do you think we'll be going?" I question after more walking.

"Not far now!" Quistis announces as we stop at a three-way cross-road. Recognizing it, I turn to my two companions, who are just about to go finish the last stretch towards Ifrit.

"Are you guys ready? Who knows; we might not have time to prepare before battle," I suggest, mentally checking over my junctions with Shiva.

You're all done! She calls cheerily to me, giving the go-ahead sign. After a few silent minutes, Quistis and Squall both nod and we set off.

We're off to see the wonderful wizard of Oz! I hummed silently to myself, suddenly feeling giddy. After all, this was my first major fight; what's not to be excited about?

"I guess I was right," I turned my head at my blond friend's quiet voice as she stood talking with Squall a few feet off. "You and Seifer are in a class of your own. You both have amazing strength and potential."

Ooh, I don't think that was the right thing to say, commented Shiva as we watched Squall flinch, which somehow went unnoticed by Quistis.

Turning to watch the pool of lava before us as it started bubbling loudly, my eyes followed the rising shape as it towered above us.

"IMPUDENT HUMANS!" Ifrit roars above us, getting his fist ready for a punch. Thankfully, he's pretty slow, so we manage to jump out of the way just in time before his fist connects with the floor, leaving a large crater.

"So… how are we going to defeat this thing?" I murmur to Squall who's kneeling beside me, while Quistis stands on the side with a clipboard in her hand. She gives an encouraging smile and Squall shakes his head.

"Quetzacoatl says he is fire-based, so we should try using as much Blizzard magic as we can," he hisses to me, getting ready to blast a spell. I stand up with him, taking out my guns and walking back a few feet.

We already knew that, dummy. Shiva sighs in my mind and I smile slightly. Summon me; I'll help.

No, I want to see how much damage we can cause on him… We can't always rely on GFs to help us, now can we? Shiva rolls her eyes but stays silent.

"Blizzard!" I yell, sending a flurry of icicles towards Ifrit's face. He roars loudly as they hit their mark, and I jump to avoid his fists as they swing at me. "Damn, he's feisty!" I cry, watching as Squall avoids a particularly nasty Fire spell shot at him.

"Distract him!" He yells at me, and I can see his Renzokuken light surrounding him.

"Right!" I say back, jumping back a few paces. "HEY! YOU! UGLY OVER THERE!" Who said that verbal abuse didn't work? Ifrit turns towards me and his roar shakes the cavern, but I continue on jumping anyways. "You want some of this? Huh? Huh?"

As he wobbles closer to my form, I peek around him to see Squall quickly advancing. Breathing a sigh of relief, I put one of my guns in their holsters and put my free hand on the gun in my other, before hitting the trigger. I swear, my finger must be having some sort of spaz cause eight bullets fly out and hit Ifrit right on his chest, to which he topples over slightly, but looks back up at me with a growl.

"Squall, now!" I cry to my partner and he goes in for the kill, slashing Ifrit at his back multiple times. He ends it with what looks like to be Rough Divide, and Ifrit falls to the ground, lava bubbling around him.

"Did we finish him off?" I ask, edging closer towards Squall, cautiously putting a hand towards the hilt of my sword. I don't really want to use it, but if needed, I would.

"…No." I shot Squall a glare at the emotionless tone his voice was at as Ifrit stood up, looking more angry than ever.

"FOOLISH HUMANS," he growled at us, rising to his full height. Throwing his head back, he let out another mighty roar as the cave started shaking.

"Somehow, I don't think that's good." Squall deadpanned, to which I just nodded quickly, backing away slightly.

Um, Shiva, right now would be a great time to help, please! The ice-queen chuckled but agreed non-the-less.

I'll be right there.

"Squall!" I called, jumping away from a falling rock that would have undoubtedly squashed me into a nice, Kira-styled pancake. "I'm summoning Shiva! Get back!" I could see him nod and he ran back a few paces, calling up Blizzard spells.

"I'm going to run out soon, so you better hurry up!" He commanded, blasting icicles towards Ifrit's neck. He gave us a nasty scowl and attempted to swipe at the brunette, but Squall quickly blasted another spell at his feet, turning him immobile effectively.

A cold chill suddenly appeared throughout the small room, blowing through the cracks. Shiva appeared abruptly in her ice cocoon, snapping her eyes open as it broke into millions of tiny little icicles. She reared up, summoning a bright ball of energy in her hands and ice formed in a trail towards Ifrit, who was quickly covered in it as Shiva finished her Diamond Dust attack by sending the ball of energy traveling with the ice.

That was awesome! I all but yelled to Shiva as she returned to my head, chuckling in pleasure while I watched Ifrit sway on his feet and finally fall when Squall delivered the final slashes needed to finish him off.

"FOR ME TO LOSE TO A HUMAN…" The fire beast groaned from where he was lying on the floor. He gave a hearty sigh. "VERY WELL. I WILL JOIN YOU."

Ifrit disappeared in a nice show of sparkly lights and in his place lay a bright red stone, glinting on the floor. Squall walked over to pick it up and looked towards me, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Nah, you keep him. I'll take the next one." I replied, returning my pistol to its place. Squall shrugged but held up the stone to his head, where it was absorbed into his mind.

So… who's the next Guardian? Shiva questioned, curious as to who she would be rooming with.

If we play our cards right and manage to defeat him, I believe it would be Diablos. Are you acquainted with him? I asked, gulping down one of the potions I stuffed in my pockets earlier for good measure.

Hm, Diablos? Shiva wrinkled her nose. I can't say I've met him.

Ah, well. You'll probably like him.

"Congratulations on a job well done!" I turned to where Quistis was clapping, a bright smile on her face. "It was just in time, too. The timer stopped when you defeated Ifrit with only two minutes left."

I paled slightly at the prospect of having failed the exam, but shook it off and grinned, sticking up a peace sign. Squall shook his head and just ignored the praise, turning to exit the cavern.

"Say, say, Squall. Are you nervous about our next exam?" I yelled after him, running to catch up. "I know I am. I mean, it'll be our first time on a real mission, won't it?" I continued rambling, falling into step beside him.

Squall gave a sigh and brought a hand to his face. "We'll do fine." He expressed tonelessly, already sighting another fiend to kill.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Kira." I watched as Quistis came up beside me. "If anything goes wrong, we'll have SeeDs stationed to get the job done." She encouraged, and I grinned slyly.

"Ooh, Quisty, do you know where will be going?"

The blond let out a laugh and patted my shoulder teasingly. "You won't be getting anything from me, cadet." She turned to call to Squall. "Let's go back. The team assignments should be starting soon."

---

---

We stopped at the Front Gates of our Garden, Quistis walking a few steps in front of us before turning back and going into her instructor mode. "Change into your uniform and assemble at the 1F Lobby." She nodded to us. "That is all."

She left with a small salute to us, and I turned to look curiously to Squall. "So… who do you think you'll be paired up with?" When he stayed silent, ignoring me, I let out a small grin.

"Won't it be funny if I get stuck with you and Zell, and Seifer's gonna be our captain?" I asked innocently, inwardly laughing alongside Shiva.

You shouldn't jinx it, she chided me after calming down. Look what happened with the Bomb.

I winced. Oh, good point. Buttt… hopefully everything's gonna go right.

I could see Shiva smile in amusement. Right, right.

"Hey!" I suddenly called to Squall, noticing him walking away. "Where're you going?" He shrugged slightly.

"We're to meet at the Lobby. I suggest you go change as well." I coughed into my hand.

"Right, right." Doing a 180-spin to face the gates where Squall and Quistis had just gone through, I let out a loud call.

"ONWARD, MY MINIONS!"

I won't even ask who you were referring to, cackled Shiva in my head. I tried sending her a wry look, which I think worked by the way her laughter went up.

Just wait until I get another GF. Hopefully he'll put you into place.

Right, of course. But do you really think anyone with the name 'Diablos' would help you? She asked as we started for the halls.

My eye twitched. "Oh, shut it, you." A ten-year-old kid passing by gave me a weird look before running off towards who-knows-where.

Oh, yeah. Go ahead and scare the little kids.

An ice-queen's cackles can really get on your nerves sometimes.

a/n: And finished.

Don't forget to Review please!

Short bio? Meh.

Name: Kira Lanning
Age : 17. Appeared at Garden at age 13.
Weapon : Guns and sword.
Personality : Cheeky, sarcastic, impatient, (unknown)
Quirks : Being ignored, (unknown)
Friends/Partners : Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe, Squall Leonheart, Seifer Almasy, Fuujin (last name unknown), Raijin (last name unknown), Karen Milard, (unknown)
GF(s) : Shiva
Specializes (unknown)