"Congratulations, all of you."

The five cadets who had graduated to full SeeD stood at attention in front of Commander Leonhart in his third floor office. To his right was Administrator Xu, the woman responsible for handling Balamb Garden's day-to-day internal operations. To his left was Headmaster Cid Kramer, the man who founded Garden and ran the military academy for years before Commander Leonhart was hand-picked as Garden's new leader. Nowadays, Headmaster Cid focused more on maintaining the relationships with Trabia and Galbadia Gardens as well as serve as Garden's ambassador.

Cyrus was standing in the center of the SeeD cadet line, flanked on either side by Kyra and Taizen. Despite his shoulder still throbbing with pain, Cyrus stood up straight with his arms crossed behind him, mimicking his fellow graduates. Commander Leonhart cleared his throat and continued,

"As of today, you five are now members of SeeD. From here on out, you will be deployed across the world as various nations and factions hire us to complete missions and deal with issues that normal militaries can't. Remember your training and complete your assignments with efficiency and professionalism."

"Keep in mind that as SeeDs, you now represent the very cream of the crop," Administrator Xu chimed in. "As representatives of Balamb Garden, the prestige and honor of Garden rests squarely on your shoulders."

Headmaster Cid then spoke up, "SeeD Special Forces carry a great responsibility to the world. Yes, you are mercenaries by trade, but SeeD's purpose is and always will be the preservation of innocent lives. The time may come again that the world needs SeeD and Garden to come to its aid…and if and when that happens, SeeD will answer the call."

All the SeeD cadets saluted as Headmaster Cid handed out the SeeD Rank Reports. The older man handed out the reports and took a few seconds to whisper something in each cadet's ear. When it was Cyrus's turn, he took the report in his left hand and shook the headmaster's hand with his right as Cid whispered, "I know it was hard to lose someone today, but I think you'll make a great leader someday."

Cyrus nodded and whispered, "Thank you, sir," as Cid continued down the line. Once all the reports had been handed out, Commander Leonhart and Administrator Xu saluted the new SeeDs as the five graduates returned the gesture before turning around and filing out.

Once they were outside of the Commander's office, the five former cadets opened their reports up to see how they were ranked. The first to see his rank was Rizo, who apparently wasn't pleased with his results.

"Aw, what the hell? Rank 5? And it says that 'shows remarkable combat abilities, but has issues with authority and possesses a generally disruptive attitude.' What a load of crap! Well, guess that just means I gotta prove the Commander wrong…"

"All right!" Kyra shouted. "Rank 7! How about you, Tai?"

"…8," Taizen simply replied.

"Sweet! Way to go!" Kyra said with a grin. She then turned to Mari and asked, "So, how'd you do, quiet girl?"

Mari meekly replied, "Um, it says Rank 5. I guess that's because I really stink at fighting."

"Don't let it bother you, Mari," Cyrus said. "With your brains, you'll probably be Rank 20 in two months."

Rizo cackled at Cyrus's praise of Mari. "The day she becomes Rank 20 is the day I take over as Garden Commander! So, how'd you do, Cy?"

Cyrus ignored the condescending way Rizo shortened his name as he took his first look at his SeeD report. He quickly perused the scores and comments as he searched for his rank:

Conduct: 70

Judgment: 70

Attack: 80

Spirit: 100

Attitude: 60

Comments: Cyrus Ranto possesses incredible leadership and combat abilities, as well as possessing near-instantaneous assessment skills. Despite facing a high-level monster along with the death of one of his teammates, he was able to overcome the obstacle and keep the rest of his team alive. Cyrus does take setbacks very hard and is somewhat unconventional in how he addresses those under his command, but he has proven that he has the ability to complete his tasks no matter what stands in his way.

SeeD Rank: 10

"No freaking way!" Rizo and Kyra shouted almost simultaneously.

"Rank 10," Taizen calmly remarked. "Very impressive. Few on these exams ever rank higher than 8. Congratulations, Cyrus."

"Thanks," Cyrus said as his shoulder continued to throb. He clenched it with his left hand as he turned to Kyra and said, "Listen, I…"

Kyra walked up to the scythe warrior and sucker punched him in the stomach. As Cyrus doubled over, Kyra simply said with a smile, "I'll be damned! Nice work, Cyrus! But don't think for one second that I'm not going to catch up to you. Hell, I'm planning on surpassing you the first chance I get. Got it, prick?"

Despite the pain in both his gut and shoulder, Cyrus had to laugh. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Kyra. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see Doctor Kadowaki. My shoulder hurts like hell."

Kyra nodded as Cyrus stood up straight and gave his fellow SeeDs a congratulatory salute, one that all but Rizo returned. After saluting, Cyrus turned and walked over to the elevator and pressed the down button. Before the doors closed, he took one final glance over at Rizo, who had a look of pure disdain on his face. Cyrus simply ignored it as the elevator doors sealed shut.

"Better luck next time, Rizo," Cyrus said under his breath as the elevator began its descent.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After some much-needed time in the Infirmary and a pair of Cure spells, Cyrus's shoulder finally was starting to feel normal again. The wound left a scar that neither medicine nor magic could heal, but the pain was gone and the scythe-wielding SeeD's shoulder had regained its former mobility and strength. Having finished his healing, Cyrus spent the rest of the afternoon in his room, helping some of the junior classmen pack up his belongings and move them to his new room: a large, spacious living space with all the comforts of home and no roommate that Cyrus had to share it with. Once he was completely settled, Cyrus took a nice long shower as the hot water washed away all of his aches and pains. Once finished and dressed in a pair of boxers and a black T-shirt, he went to his new bedroom and admired the SeeD uniform that now hung in his closet.

Cyrus could already tell that this uniform was superior in every way to the cadet uniform. Soft black cloth made up the majority of the SeeD uniform as the cuffs and seams were lined with gold and maroon-colored lines. The shoulders were especially accentuated with ceremonial silver-colored shoulder guards connected to the rest of the outfit by a center strap and a belt. Cyrus could tell right away that, if needed, fighting in this uniform would be much more comfortable than doing the same in his old cadet uniform.

A few hours later, Cyrus emerged from his new room, fully decked-out in his SeeD uniform. The new SeeD walked proudly to the Quad, where the SeeD inauguration ball was being held. Several minutes of walking later, and Cyrus found himself in the middle of the most extravagant party he had ever been to.

Hundreds of SeeDs and various other guests were everywhere, chatting and drinking and dancing. The band was playing a medley of classical waltzes as SeeDs followed the music almost perfectly on the dance floor. Cyrus's smile grew wider as he made his way to the bar for champagne.

He dodged his way through the crowd before bumping into a beautiful raven-haired woman wearing a very elegant white dress. Cyrus quickly started to apologize before he realized who he had just run into.

"Counselor Heartilly," Cyrus said, almost in shock. Counselor Rinoa Heartilly, the wife of Commander Leonhart, was one of the first people that Cyrus had been introduced to when he first arrived at Balamb Garden. She was the one who calmed the once-nervous Cyrus and made him feel welcome, and she was always there with a smile and friendly advice whenever a student or SeeD needed it. There were some in Garden that were a little leery of her due to her being a sorceress, but those that actually tried to do something about it all ended up answering to her "knight."

Cyrus went into full-blown apologetic mode as he blurted, "Counselor, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

"Relax, Cyrus. It was an honest mistake. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you, ma'am. It's a real honor. So, what brings you here?"

"The ball, of course!" Counselor Heartilly responded with a chuckle. "I've made it a tradition to dance with Squall at every one of these inauguration parties. After all, it was at his inauguration that we first met!"

"I see…" Cyrus started to say when he was interrupted by the sight of Commander Leonhart walking up and wrapping his arms around his wife's shoulders. He looked at Cyrus with a serious face and asked, "Is something wrong, Ranto?"

"No sir!" Cyrus said as he saluted. "Just catching up with Counselor Heartilly."

"Oh, Squall," Counselor Heartilly said with a huff, "You're intimidating the poor guy. Would it kill you to relax for once?"

"Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me! Wow, four years of marriage and you still can't loosen up…"

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but I think one of my friends is waving at me. If you'd excuse me..."

Cyrus quickly left the couple as he made his way to the bar. Despite their bickering, Cyrus knew full well that they loved each other deeply and always had one another's back. This was proven when, seconds later, Commader Leonhart locked lips with Counselor Heartilly and led her onto the dance floor. Cyrus smiled and shook his head as he ordered a glass of champagne.

"Nice to see you made it," a familiar voice shouted over the crowds. Cyrus turned in the direction of the voice as Kyra pushed past the other partygoers on her way to the bar. Like Cyrus, she too was decked out in her SeeD uniform. Much like the female cadet uniform, Kyra's outfit also came with a skirt…albeit a longer and more elegant one. She also wore a maroon tie and the SeeD emblem on the tie's knot. To Cyrus's surprise, Kyra had her long red hair done up in a very elegant bun, giving the normally-crazy fighter a somewhat alluring look.

"Whoa..." Cyrus thought as he said, "Kyra, you're looking great tonight."

"And I don't normally?" Kyra sarcastically replied.

"No comment," Cyrus simply answered with a smirk. Kyra laughed at that as she ordered and received her own glass of champagne.

The two SeeDs then held up their glasses as Cyrus said, "Here's to a couple of maniacs who are living the dream."

"I'll drink to that," Kyra said as she and Cyrus clinked glasses and drank down their champagne. The bartender got them a refill as the two started talking.

"So, where's the rest of our graduating class?" Cyrus asked in between sips.

"Rizo's over in the corner sulking with some of his groupies. That arrogant bastard's so full of himself that I'm surprised he hasn't already exploded and spewed his ego all over Garden. Both Taizen and Mari are talking with their parents. Apparently, both of them are originally from Esthar. Weird coincidence, huh?"

"A little, I guess," Cyrus replied. "Speaking of parents, where are yours?"

Kyra shrugged. "Beats me. I never knew my parents. I grew up with foster parents in Dollet. They were a fairly well-off couple and nice enough, but they had their own ideas on how I should live my life. And big surprise: they didn't think it was 'ladylike' to become a mercenary or learn how to fight. So I ran away from home and enrolled in Garden."

"Wow. Sorry, Kyra."

"For what? It was the best decision I ever made. But enough about me, what about you? Where are your folks?"

Cyrus took a deep breath as he explained, "Well, my mother died giving birth to me. My father raised me as best he could, but his job keeps him pretty busy."

"What is his job?"

"He's one of the Galbadian Army's lead engineers. He either designed or had a hand in developing most of the G-Army's robotic assault weapons. The GIM series battle droids, the X-ATM092, the Iron Clod…those were all his doing. Galbadia hired him back during the First Sorceress War to help design weapons to level the playing field against Esthar. And he did…"

"Wow. Impressive. So your dad's a scientist or something like that?"

Cyrus shook his head. "He may be an engineer, but he's also one hell of a fighter. Especially with a spear. In his free time, he'd teach me what he knew about using a staff in combat, along with a few engineering and chemistry tips. It's not what I'd call a traditional father-son relationship, but I did learn a lot from Dad. When I told him I wanted to attend Garden, he gave me the go-ahead…no questions asked."

"He sounds like a pretty cool guy," Kyra admitted. "So, is he here tonight?"

"I doubt it. He and I haven't talked a whole lot since I came to Garden. You know, my studies and his work. But I'd like to think I've made him proud."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Kyra asked. She then had an idea. "Hey, let's dance!"

"Say what now?" Cyrus said, almost choking on his champagne.

"Dance…you know, go out there and move with the music? I know you know how to dance since it's part of the curriculum."

"I skipped that class."

"Then I'm just going to have to teach you, aren't I? Now get off your ass and dance with me!" Kyra said as she grabbed a hold of Cyrus's wrist with a vice-like grip. Cyrus, unable to escape, finally relented and let Kyra lead him out to the dance floor. Despite what he had told Kyra earlier, he didn't skip his Ballroom Dancing class. With that in mind, he grabbed Kyra's right hand with his own and wrapped his left arm around her waist as the band started playing another waltz.

"So why are we doing this?" Cyrus whispered in Kyra's ear.

"Talking about the past is so overrated," Kyra whispered back. "Let's just enjoy tonight and look forward to the future. After all, we are SeeDs now. The whole world's just been opened up to us, and we're going to experience lots of new and exciting happenings and do things we'd never would've done had we never come to Garden. So, let's stop reminiscing and just enjoy the ride. All right?"

Cyrus was taken aback by Kyra's insightfulness, but he did agree with her. Being SeeDs was going to provide them with a lot of new memories and experiences, so why dwell on the past?

Cyrus smiled as he twirled Kyra away and back to him. "Whatever the lady wants."

"Keep that crap up and I'll break your neck," Kyra said half-threateningly, half-jokingly. Cyrus laughed anyway as the two continued to dance. Once the song was finished, the two of them looked up to admire the fireworks.

Cyrus was about to say something to Kyra when his attention was diverted toward the ballroom's balcony. There, standing out there and staring into the night, was a familiar figure wearing a white robe…

"You see that, Kyra?" Cyrus asked, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Yeah," Kyra replied with low snarl.

"Find Instructor Trepe or the Commander. I'm going to get some answers from our phantom."

Kyra nodded in acknowledgement. "Feel free to kick his ass for me."

Cyrus smirked as Kyra quickly left the dance floor. Cyrus's smirk was soon replaced by a determined frown as he walked with a purpose towards the balcony. Whoever this creep in white was, he had the nerve to crash the SeeD inauguration. And Cyrus was damn sure going to make sure that this party-crasher wasn't leaving without clearing some things up.

Deep in his mind, however, Ifrit was sensing some sort of strange energy coming from this man in white. He didn't recognize it as any energy belonging to one of his GF brethren, but it felt vaguely familiar.

"Who is this mortal?" Ifrit thought to himself as his summoner moved to confront this "phantom" face-to-face…

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Notes:

BestInInfluence...you continue to rock! Thanks for the continuing reviews, I appreciate it!

Nice long chapter (at least by my standards) with some character development and foreshadowing. Chapter 13 will feature the "man in white" and we'll get a glimpse of what he was blabbing about back in the forest with the caterchipillars. Cool?

By the way, with the crazy hours I'm working at my new job, my uploads are going to be a little less frequent. However, I will do my best to upload one to two new chapters every week. Hope my fans understand (of course they will, they're awesome!).

The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The quickest way to an Exile's heart? A honest review (or a knife, but I wouldn't recommend it).

See you on the Long and Winding Road,

"The Exile" Cyrus Truth