Disclaimer:I don't own Final Fantasy VIII… my New Year's resolution? To own it someday…

Chapter 10 – A Blast from the Past


"Hey, Zanya!"

The blonde girl choked on a mini hot-dog when the young man's voice reached her ears, startling her and deviating her focus from the task at hand. Cleaning out yet another plate filled with the most variant types of appetizers.

Sorphan stepped to her side just as she recovered the ability to breathe, still coughing slightly as she downed a glass of what appeared to be orange juice. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"You ok?" He asked as she regained some color on her cheeks.

She just nodded, finishing her plate before she set her attention back on the brunette boy.

"Say, I was just…"

"No!" She immediately cut him off, not letting him say another word, already suspecting what he was gonna say. Sorphan had been stalking just about anyone he could find, trying to coerce them to join the Garden Festival Committee. She had been watching him wonder the ballroom all night, praying to Hyne he wouldn't come near her.

"What!?" He asked, a bit confused she'd stop him before he could say anything.

"I have no interest whatsoever in joining the Garden Festival Committee, so don't even bother asking!" She clarified, looking at him sideways and already attacking another plate of mini-food.

"Oh, right! That… your strength in moving stuff would actually be a great addition…" He stopped as she glared at him and couldn't prevent a smile creeping into his features. That wasn't what he was going to talk about, really, but since they were on the subject. "Why don't you wanna join, anyway?"

"Because it's boring, and a complete waste of time…" She said between bites, gaining a slightly hurt look from him. "And, you said it yourself, I'd only been moving stuff… really, I have better things to do with my time!"

Sorphan frowned, he could act offended but truth was, he had been taking that attitude from most people all night. However, there was one thing he mentioned that usually changed that.

"Well… Schala joined…" He said calmly, trying to disguise a smug smile.

His amusement turned to worry as the blonde girl was caught up in a horrible coughing stream. She banged her chest repeatedly, trying to force the offensive piece of food out of her airway, either up or down. It was when her color gained a concerning shade of purple that Sorphan started to get really worried. He hurried behind her, his hand rising back and then he launched it forward, hitting her… hard. Zanya was propelled forward, her stomach hitting the rim of the table as her form was thrown over it sending the remaining contents over the table crashing on the floor. The sudden and violent motion caused her to spit out her malady, releasing her from her dire predicament.

She took in deep breaths, sitting back on her chair and calming herself and regaining some color. After a few minutes in which Sorphan kept a tight watch on her, as well as some people that were around and heard the commotion, checking that she was ok, he picked up a chair that had fell, and sat on the table next to her sending her a glare of"Don't scare me like that again!".

She recovered enough to remember what had originated such a breath taking reaction, and as she recalled his last words, her head turned abruptly to face him, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"No way!" She cried out, in a slightly coarse voice, in utter disbelieve.

"Huh!?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression. It took him several moments to connect the dots and realize what she was talking about. "Oh… Yes way." He grinned at her, and had to suppress a laugh at her bewildered face. He'd been seeing that reaction, minus the near death experience, everytime he said that to someone. Was it that hard to believe?

The girl started mumbling to herself, refusing to believe that the Ice Queen could possibly have joined a group whose main function was to organize social gatherings. It was unconceivable, it was as likely as a live, hungry T-Rexaur allow little children to pat him without biting their heads off. Or that Hyne himself would come down to earth and shake her hand. The world as she knew it was over… anything could happen now.

"Huh… Zanya!?" The girl was starting to worry Sorphan again. She seemed catatonic, not reacting as he waved a hand in front of her face. He gave up, sighing and leaning on his seat.

His eyes strayed around the ballroom, and a sad smile played on his lips. He saw the happy couples dancing and several groups of people talking cheerfully, and couldn't stop wondering about his friends back in Trabia.

He noticed one familiar couple leaving the dance floor. That blonde instructor and the dark haired SeeD that had accompanied them on the vessel back were talking to the headmaster. He saw them nodding and saluting before he walked away. The two SeeDs looked around and locked their gazes in their direction just as they started heading their way.

Sorphan straightened up in his chair, shaking Zanya outta her trance.

"Hey, snap out of it!" She raised her head in recognition just as the other SeeDs reached the table.

"Hello there, you two. Having fun?" Quentin smiled as the two new SeeDs nodded their yes, Xu waving and calling someone at the distance. "Headmaster Cid has asked me to deliver these to you." He added as he gave the, now standing teens, one keycard each. They looked down at its inscription, SeeD Quarters.

"We get new rooms?" Sorphan asked, not accustomed to these facility's proceedings.

"Yeah! Alright! New single rooms, baby!" Zanya said, excitedly. Not that my roommate ever gave me trouble. She thought, smiling.

The dark haired young man that Xu was calling out for, approached them and she placed his keycard on his awaiting hands. "And here's yours, Nida." She said with a smile that made him lower his head to hide his blushing cheeks.

"Now, you're to move in to your new rooms as soon as possible." Quentin told them, regaining their attention. "You're to surrender your old keycards to the main desk as soon as the rooms are vacant… Hmm…" He looked down at the envelope he carried. There were still two cards inside. He raised his eyes and scanned the room, not finding what, or more specifically, who he was looking for, he turned back at the others. "Where are Schala and Seifer?"

Zanya shrugged, she hadn't seen her since she brought her in. And, considering her willingness to come in the first place, she wouldn't be surprised if she had already left by now.

"She was standing around there about an hour ago, but now…" Sorphan pointed out the place where he had cornered her a while back, but indeed, she was gone now and he had no idea where she might be.

"She was dancing with a guy…" Nida raised his eyes from his keycard to find four pairs of eyes looking back at him with the most stunned expressions he had ever seen, eyes wide as saucers and jaws hanging like in the cartoons. Luckily for Zanya, she wasn't eating at the moment, 'cause that would have killed her for sure.

Schala dancing with a guy!? Could it be…Seifer?! Quentin mused over the possibility that the blond teenager would have found the courage to make his move, but even if he had asked, would've she said yes? That was unlikely considering their relationship at the moment, still…

"With who?" His voice made most jump outta their thoughts and focus again on Nida.

"Don't know, never seen him before." He answered them, his face serene, though, at the time, he had been as surprised as they were now.

Not Seifer then. Who could he be, I wonder… An image flashed into his mind. I hope Seifer didn't see that…

As no one said anything, Nida continued. "I haven't seen her after the fireworks, but I heard someone say she left a bit after that."

Quentin nodded, thanking him for the information. "And Seifer, anyone seen him?" The rest shook their heads.

Xu tugged gently on his vest. "There's Rajin, he might know."

"Great, thanks… hmm, Zanya! Would you mind giving this to Schala? You're in the same dorm, right?" The girl nodded as Quentin gave her the other girl's card and, waving back at them, both him and Xu walked over at the bulky, dark skinned teenager.

Nida took his leave, heading for the dorms leaving Sorphan and Zanya near the table.

"Well, I guess I'll have to move my stuff around. I didn't even have time to unpack my things, moving should be easy." The brunette said, stretching a bit and looking back at the blond martial artist, that didn't appear hungry anymore. Seemed like all that shocking information made her loose her appetite. So, they both walked out of the ballroom towards the dorms.

OOOOOOOOOO

Schala entered her dorm and headed for her room, closing the door behind her. She removed the SeeD uniform, jacket, skirt and boots, and let herself fall on the bed, eyes focused on the ceiling. An hour before she would have given everything to be able to lay there and sleep till morning… however it was different now. She had spent the entire walk back from the ballroom trying to shove unwanted thoughts and memories of the last minutes onto inaccessible corners of her brain, but everytime she closed her eyes, intense sea green eyes looked back at her.

Seifer had eyed her before. She was somewhat used to his behavior, though it still grated on her nerves. That night had been different. That night he seemed out of control, whatever restrains he had set onto himself before were gone and all his raw emotions were flaring out. Sure, he was drunk, but still… she was so confused.

Damn you! She cursed inward, unable to ease her mind. She didn't even feel tired anymore, almost like she'd been zapped and an electrical current was coursing through her veins preventing her rest.

She sat up on the bed. This was getting her nowhere, she needed blow some steam and knew just the place to do it.

She got off her bed and walked towards a chair where she had laid the clothes from earlier that day. She got dressed and went to her dresser. Her hand passed over her gunblade case, her fingers caressing the raised Griever pardon embossed on its cover. She smiled softly and closed her eyes, lingering onto a warm familiar feeling she wasn't sure where it came from.

Sea green eyes flashed in her mind the second she closed her eyes, making her open them instantly locking her gaze in the mirror ahead of her. She frowned as she stared at her reflection, at the mark between her eyes. Glaring at herself, she took hold of her gunblade and stormed outta the room, slamming both doors behind her.

The halls were completely deserted and the silence and peacefulness calmed her slightly as she walked towards the only area opened after curfew, the Training Center.

She stepped over the green covered floor, already seeing the heavy blast (Jurassic Park like) doors at the end of the corridor. The doors were open and she stepped inside. The wide enclosure resembled a tropical forest in every way, the dense vegetation surrounding the few man made paths that allowed a deeper penetration into the wild domain.

She looked around, unsheathing her weapon and growing alert of her surroundings. If there were something she could go without, it was a monster sneaking up on her. She left the secondary safe zone, the small area directly in front of the entrance that was covered in motion detectors allowing the activation of security measures in case of a monster outbreak, and headed deep into the jungle.

OOOOOOOOOO

The small door screeched open revealing a small balcony like area. There were a few people, a few couples, sitting and enjoying each other's warmth, fighting the coldness of the dark night.

"I haven't been here in a while." The blonde instructor sighed out as he entered the 'secret area' feeling the cold air on his face.

All of the other occupants of the small division looked at the newcomer, many shifting uncomfortably and some even fearsome of some disciplinary action against them for breaking curfew. Quentin smiled reassuringly at them, raising a finger to his mouth in a silence sign. "I won't tell if you don't" it meant, and all of them breathed in relief.

He stepped to the side, allowing entrance to his companion. The woman wore a grey sleeveless bodysuit that covered her lower neck and left her shoulders bare. She had low waist, beige short shorts that had straps holding grey leggings going from her thighs over at her dark brown boots. She also had dark grey cloth sleeves covering her arms from above the elbows to her hands held by silver bracers. Her dual silver sais were sheathed on loose straps on her shorts. The more casual attire seemed more practical for battle than the SeeD uniform she usually sported.

Several heads turned to the unexpected couple. Xu smiled as she approached the railings with Quentin by her side. She leaned over, gazing at the Garden's lightened structure. The facility looked magnificent in the day, but splendorous at night.

"What time is it?" She absented mindedly asked.

"It's after midnight…" He replied after a quick glance at his watch.

She leaned further, supporting her elbows in the railings and smiling as she closed her eyes. "It's been a long day… but everything turned out alright."

"Yeah…" He sighed.

Xu raised her eyes to his face. "Is that all you're gonna say? You're kidding, right? I can't remember the last time a whole squad made it to SeeD in one go!" She stared at him intently, detecting the smile he was unsuccessfully trying to hide and sporting a smile of her own.

"I must confess I was rather surprised. Especially by Seifer's promotion… I still don't understand how or why he made it! I mean, he disobeyed orders, put his team at risk, caused serious damage to half of Dollet…" He stopped as a soft hand caressed his face gently recalling his attention to the woman beside him. He looked down at her, her expression between amusement and annoyance.

"You didn't bring me here to talk about Seifer, I hope…"

Quentin stared down at her almost pouting face and was hypnotized by her deep chocolate eyes. He leaned closer, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.

"Most definitely not."

"… Good!"

OOOOOOOOOO

Schala rushed over the wooden bridge over the large lake on the Training Center Southeast corner, leaving a trail of dead Grats behind her as several other plant-like monsters gave chase. She half-turned, sending a few fire spells their way. The flames irrupted over two of them, their screeches filling in the silent surroundings.

She reached the shore, stopping and turning fully. The beasts quickly surrounded her, waving their long tentacles menacingly. Her eyes darted from one to another, she counted six around her and readied herself. Grats weren't exactly though opponents, but they could become somewhat troublesome in large numbers. She wasn't gonna let them corner her.

She launched her arms to the sides, each casting a fire spell and hitting two Grats on opposite sides of the small circle they'd made around her. The second the spells hit, she charged forward evading four tentacles from the two monsters' ahead of her. She dodged and rolled around them getting closer and slashed clean through one of them bringing her gunblade back in time to parry the other Grat's attack. She pushed its tentacles away, stepping closer and stabbing her blade straight through the beast's mouth. The tentacles, that were about to strike at her again, lowered, falling limply on the hard ground as the green sap oozed outta its owner's body.

Schala turned and ducked just in time to avoid another assault from the remaining monsters. She jumped to the side and sent one more spell at one of them, making it irrupt in flames while bringing her weapon up to defend against the last one's dangerous vines. One tentacle wrapped around her gunblade, limiting her movements as its other kept trying to hit her. She moved around and, twisting her blade, she managed to cut its restraint, catching both vines in one swing.

She stared as a green thick fluid flowed from the Grat's severed tendrils. The monster screeched, waving the damaged members aimlessly. She cast one more fire spell, placing the aching creature out of its misery.

Schala straightened up, looking around her in search of any possible hidden threat. Satisfied that it was safe for now, she cleaned the green sap from her blade stepping away from the fresh corpses. Two steps out and she stopped, growing alert. She felt the earth shaking slightly, then again and again, whatever it was it was getting closer. From experience she could only assume that what was coming was a… her eyes widened as realization struck and she rushed forward, toward the rock formation ahead.

As she was just a few meters away, a massive T-Rexaur burst through the tree line, throwing vegetation all around the clearing. The pre-historic beast scanned the area, seeing all the dead monsters and something else moving away. It felt the thrill of the hunt rising and growled, the chilling sound echoed throughout the dome, only making her run faster.

The beast started its chase and it covered the distance between them in the time it took her to reach the rocks. She jumped and rolled just as the T-Rexaur's mouth came crashing down, getting stuck in the small gap. The beast trashed at the rocks, unable to reach the girl who remained sitting on the ground, catching her breath, the monster's impressive sharp teeth centimeters away from her.

Resigned that it could not reach its prey, the T-Rexaur turned and with one last growl, returned to the forest.

Schala took a deep breath, calming herself as she rose to her feet. She saw carefully as the monster fell outta sight but it would take several minutes before she left the relative safety of that small rocky area. Examining her surroundings, her eyes fell upon a metallic door on the east corner.

The Secret Area… Truth was she had never gone inside it. When she came to the Training Center it was to kill stuff not to go into a secluded hidden room, which everybody knew about, to make out. At least that was what she'd unwillingly heard from the other students around Garden.

She sighed and stretched, the tiredness was finally starting to make itself feel again. Time to go back. She decided, but as she was turning to leave, the door she'd noticed earlier opened with a screech. She looked at it sideways as two figures exited the room.

"I really thought I heard something…" A somewhat familiar female voice reached her ears.

"I didn't hear anything. Still, we should go anyway, it's getting rather late." An also familiar, this time male, voice made itself hear. The couple stepped out into the artificial light still engrossed in conversation and it didn't seem like they had noticed her yet.

"You're right, we should go ba…" The dark haired woman's eyes widened considerably as she had finally acknowledge the other brunette's presence.

"Xu? What's wro…" Quentin asked when he saw her surprised expression. Following her line of sight, his eyes quickly found what had stunned his companion.

They were busted, caught in the act. The only reason they didn't make their relationship public was that it was discouraged between SeeD members to have a personal bond, so as to avoid hesitation and personal feelings to come in the way in a mission. That and the Trepies would have a fit!

Upon recognizing the couple, Schala only raised an eyebrow at who they were. She was a bit surprised, but it really was none of her business so she got ready to leave when a voice stopped her,

"Schala!" She turned, her eyes resting in the face of the caller. "It's not what you think! We… ahmm… we were…" Xu stuttered slightly, looking at the taller SeeD and asking for help to devise a decent enough excuse for both their presence there.

"Curfew! Yeah, we were checking if anyone had sneaked into the Secret Area after curfew." He hastily responded, Xu nodding her head beside him.

The brunette girl in front of them just stared, eyebrow raised, at their obvious attempt at hiding their little outing. She really didn't care…

"Yeah!" Xu added, still nervously nodding her head. "This is a place were couple come to cuddle after curfew and we were just acting on defense of Garden's regulations." That sounded lame even for her.

"Right! We…" Quentin was about to continue their silly charade, but he noticed her bored and annoyed expression looking back. For a moment back there, in the confusion of being caught red-handed, he forgot who he was talking to. "… You don't really care, do you?"

The look he got in return said it all. Nopes, she couldn't care less that they were together as sure as the sun would rise again tomorrow. Both SeeDs finally allowed to ease their hearts, Xu letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. They looked at each other and smiled but their attention changed back at the other girl as she was starting to leave.

"Schala, wait!" And she stopped again at Quentin's call, half turning to see them. He looked down at Xu who smiled and nodded, silently agreeing with him. He smiled, she always seemed to know what he was thinking. "We'll walk back with you."

She rolled her blue eyes, muttering a "Do as you wish", and resumed her walk without even checking they were behind her.

They followed her, keeping her pace just slightly distant. Quentin was beside himself, he had never been caught so off guard. I was trained to be sneaky and stuff and I'm like 'Hi! Curfew checking! Abide by Garden rules!…' Could we have been less convincing? He sighed inaudibly. I guess I should be relieved Schala was the one to see us like that…

Their return was calm and uneventful. As they were descending back to the entrance, on a path were several trees had been knocked out and half covered their way, a scream echoed all around them.

"Somebody help!!" The female voice sounded at a distance, and she seemed to be in trouble.

Schala froze for just a second, but it was one of the longest seconds in her life. Something snapped inside of her and she was consumed by this deep rage and concern. Her body moved on its own as she rushed down the path before the others could even register what was going on.

"Schala! Wait up!" But Quentin's yell never reached her. She didn't hear anything, the only thing on her mind was the need to save that person whose voice she didn't know, but recognized.

"What a…" He hesitated for a while, that wasn't like her to just rush in. Quentin looked down at Xu, both nodding their heads and followed after her.

Schala took a shortcut through the vegetation, arriving at the clearing from behind a fallen young woman. She jumped in just as a large insect-like monster dove for the kill. Her gunblade cut the air and the large creature, forcing it to back up.

She stood between the Granaldo and its victim, her eyes completely focused on her opponent she didn't even noticed the woman she was protecting. Short brown hair, blue shirt and white long skirt, brown eyes looking up in fright. Until she noticed the brunette girl standing in front of her, protectively. She remembered having their positions reversed, so long ago.

"Schala…" The woman whispered and she felt safe. Somehow she knew, she was going to be alright.

Hearing her name made Schala awake from her trance. Only then did she turn to see who the woman was and, her image along with her voice made her remember. In the infirmary? Who is she…

"Schala! Watch out!!"

The other SeeD's warning came just in time, making her turn and block the insect's vicious tail attack. The other two were soon by her side, standing their ground as three rock-like small monsters burst in from the tree line, positioning themselves below the other one.

The woman's eyes shifted to the newcomers, focusing on the long blond haired man. "Quentin?"

The instructor spared her a glance, frowning slightly. He didn't know this person, who could she be? And how did she know him? His musings would have to wait, the battle at hand requiring his full attention.

"Xu, take care of her." He said, signaling the girl behind them. The dark haired SeeD nodded her comply, stepping back to check up on her as Quentin stepped up to help the other girl defeat the monsters.

Xu kneeled down next to the woman, examining her for injuries. "Are you alright?" She asked as the woman didn't waver her eyes from the two teens striking at the winged beast ahead.

"Schala… Quentin…" She muttered slowly.

"They'll be fine!" The woman finally tore her eyes from the battle focusing them on the dark haired SeeD. "They do this all the time." She finished smiling.

The woman looked at her in doubt, but eyes did not lie and soon she was reassured by her words. She smiled as well, looking back at the others.

Meanwhile, Schala was fending off the Granaldo and two of the much smaller Raldos as the blonde instructor stepped by her side.

"Need a hand?" She didn't answer, making Quentin smile as he cracked his whip at the large bug, effectively attracting its attention.

The Granaldo shook its tail, screeching, and immediately one of the Raldos positioned itself directly bellow. Thrusting its tail, the flying insect hit the other creature at full force, sending it flying at the instructor's head. Quentin rolled outta the way just in time to avoid it, the beast landing near the two girls. Xu propelled herself to her feet, approaching it with a jump and stabbing her sai into its soft tissue. The beast grumbled and squirmed before dying and she immediately returned to the other woman.

After its throw, the Granaldo refocused on the gunblader, sending its long sharp claws out only to have them deflected by a swing of her blade. The remaining Raldos rolled around her, tripping her and making her fall to the ground. She rolled to the side, avoiding the bug's spike and as it was to attack again it was stopped by a black chain. Quentin kept his hold on the creature as Schala rose back to her feet, sending two fire spells at the smaller creature, damaging but not finishing them off.

The large insect almost made the blonde SeeD trip as it suddenly charged at him. With great agility, Quentin jumped to the side, releasing the whip and casting a fire on his opponent. The monster screamed and, having a Raldo beneath him, was ready to send it flying towards the blonde's head when something pierced its wing, throwing it off and pinning it to a nearby tree.

Xu's silver sai glittered in the deficient lighting, effectively restricting the large insect's movements. Quentin turned, sending her a smile before turning back at the immobilized beast. He cast a fire spell not only at the beast, but the tree as well, creating an imposing bonfire. The Granaldo screeched and squirmed but it could not get free and soon it was gone, Quentin casting a blizzard to avoid the fire from spreading.

He turned to see that Schala had, easily, dispatched the other Raldos, watching the insect's end so as to make sure it was truly over. The brunette turned to check on the others while he retrieved the other SeeD's weapon and joined her.

They stepped closer and just as they were gonna say something, two figure in white uniforms, a male and a female, showed up outta nowhere, kneeling beside the unknown woman.

Xu rose and stepped back from the new arrivals, not sensing ill intentions from them, and joined the other SeeDs as they silently watched them helping the woman up.

"It is not safe here. Please, let's go." The woman in white said softly.

"… Alright." She sighed, resigned at the veracity of her statement.

They walked out, towards the entrance, the man in white nodding their thanks at the SeeDs as the strange woman stole one last glance, locking her eyes with Schala's. And then, they were gone. By the time they reached the safety area and the corridor after it, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Who was that…?" Quentin wondered as they stepped out of the green halls. Xu could only shrug, having no idea.

Schala didn't react, walking away and slowly returning to the dorm area. Quentin stepped up after her, calling out.

"Schala!" Suppressing a tired sigh, the girl half turned, catching the instructor's frame through the corners of her eye. "Zanya must still be looking for you, she has your new room's key. You'd do well to find her before you call it a day." And, wrapping an arm around the other SeeD's waist, they walked away passing by the brunette that was silently cursing her luck.

She reached the dorm area soon after that, and as she feared, the shorter blond brawler stood there waiting for her.

"Finally! There you are!" She cried out, louder than she should, as she approached the other girl. "Where the hell were you? I was lookin' all over the place." Realizing she might have been making too much noise for such a late hour, she brought her voice down a notch before she continued. Though her enthusiastic manner remained. "We're both now members of SeeD, right? Well, guess what!?..."

"We got new rooms." She said calmly, her frown ever so present on her face.

"We got our… Hey! Who told?" She cried out, again loudly, in indignation for not being the one to tell her. She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting in disappointment.

Rolling her eyes, the brunette stepped closer to the blonde, stretching her hand forward. "Can I have my new cardkey?"

Zanya broke out of her grumbling, starting to search her pockets for the elusive card. Smiling in triumph, she handed the taller girl her card. "The new room's number is right there, it's in a different hall but hard to miss. And don't worry, we already moved your stuff, not like you had much to move anyway…"

Schala narrowed her eyes, not daring to imagine the state she would find her things in once she entered her new room.

"We?" She inquired, remembering her words.

"Yeah, Sorphan helped me move my stuff. Then we figured, since I couldn't find you any sooner, might as well save you the trouble! Girl, it took me forever!" She fumbled around in her pockets, and remembering something, she added, waving a couple of keycards in her hand. "By the way, the old card is to be given at the main desk. If you gimme yours, I can drop them both there tomorrow."

The brunette girl shrugged, handing Zanya her old card. The other girl smiled, grabbing the card and stuffing it in her pocket.

"Ok, then. G'night!" Schala nodded, both in thanks and in response to her goodbye, and they headed toward their respective rooms.

Schala entered her new dorm. It wasn't much different from her last one. It lacked the small entrance area and was a bit bigger. It also had its own bathroom, no more would her annoying roommate steal her shampoo and toothpaste. Her things, it so happened, weren't as badly put away as she had feared. Even if they were, she was too tired to clean it up now.

She didn't even bothered to change, just took off her boots, belt and jacket and let herself drop on the bed, falling into a deep slumber soon after.

OOOOOOOOOO

AN.: First of all, I'm sorry people… I know I've said it since the beginning, a chapter per week, but my last week was chaotic, to say the least and I was unable to update… my deepest apologies. My New Year's resolution, try my best not to let that happen ever again!!

Anyway, here is chapter 10! Hope you liked it! Oh, and about Xu's clothes. The description isn't the best but it was the best I could do… it's much easier to draw it than describing it, so as to aid you in understanding her attire, I'll be posting her character sketch in my album in photobucket. Check my profile for the link or just search for irisa007.(BTW, her last name, tottally my fabrication...)

Again, thank you for reading and have a very happy New Year of 2008!!

Read ya later

Revir