The story thus far – 10 years after the Galbadian war, Garden is host to a new cast of youths. When Headmaster Squall Leonheart returns from an assignment, he informs the students of the intense political climate around the world; such as Dollet's return to a Monarchy-based government, and Galbadia's steady Military up scaling. At the end of his speech, he informs the students that the candidates for SeeD will be selected the following day, their first exam set to begin only days after the selection.

Cast –


Mathias Delfast– An intuitive young man with something of a devil-may-care disposition, easily the most laid back ( and irresponsible ) of his other two friends. He lacked any real motivation until he met Dietrich at a young age, since then his friend's passions seemed to of become contagious with him.

Dietrich Reinhart – A Dollet native who was orphaned during the Galbadian war, where as Mathias is intuitive and composed, Dietrich is much more passionate and short tempered. His biggest aspiration is to become a SeeD, something that has rubbed off on his friend Mathias.

Kaira Baid – A pretty girl whose disposition betrays a strong will and talented fightingprowess. She tends to serve as a balance between Mathias and Dietrich, often keeping both of them in line.

Barth Bildroy – Leader of Garden's "Delinquent Squad", he's made the disciplinary committee his target of bullying. With an enormous frame that emits quite a bit of intimidation, Barth is regarded as little more than the school bully, but there's more to him than that.

Chapter 3 – Selection

Garden 2nd Floor

It'd been his passion since before he could really remember, to become a member of SeeD. No, that wasn't right, it hadn't really been that long. He could still remember the day he'd wanted to become an elite member of the mercenary unit, part of him just wish he didn't have to remember. Dollet had been invaded, Galbadia had set foot upon the nation's soil, but there was little Dollet's inferior Military could do against the likes of Galbadia.

Initially, the fighting was restricted to the beaches, but it was doomed to spill over into the residential areas, the fastest route to the communication's tower was through town. Galbadia took just that route, pushing Dollet's forces back with little trouble, collateral damage was astounding, civilian causalities were numerous. Dietrich was certain he'd share his family's fate and die, but to his surprise the battle came to an abrupt end. Teenagers in odd uniforms, people he'd never seen before, they'd arrived out of nowhere. It wasn't until after the battles had died down, that he heard survivors mention 'SeeD, and how they'd come to Dollet's aide, though for a price.

He envied that sort of strength, one Dollet's own Military lacked. Though later he came to blame Galbadia and Sorceress Edea for what had occurred, he also felt the nation of Dollet itself had failed him and his family. It was the degree of strength that SeeD possessed, that was what he wanted.

"Bildroy, Barth. "

Dietrich snapped out of his daze, it had been nearly half an hour since the last name had been called, and young Reinhart had yet to be selected, the process itself drove him mad, he had resorted to reclining against the nearest wall and counting backward from a thousand. Mathias and Kaira, who also had yet to be selected, spoke amongst themselves, obviously not as nervous as Dietrich was. They did stop speaking when Barth's name was called, Kaira in particular stopped, though only to cringe as the large teenager shot her a wink.

Dietrich's lips formed an austere expression, his eyes were pasted on Bildroy as he took the elevator up to the Headmaster's office, oh, and how he envied the brute at that very moment. When the blonde glanced over to Mathias and Kaira, whom had resumed their conversation, he pushed himself off the wall and gave the pair a disapproving look.

"Good to see you two are cool as cucumbers; I guess I'm the only one who really wants this. What about you, Mathias, I thought you wanted this as bad as I did too. "

The pair stopped conversing, Kaira shot Die a menacing glance that only a girl could pull off over her shoulder, while the half of Mathias' face that wasn't covered by lengthy bangs lit up in mild shock.

"I do, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give myself a stroke over it. Whatever happens, happens. If I'm not selected, I'll try again next year. I want this too, but I'm not going to punish myself over it. "

"He's got a point, Die. You need to calm down, everyone here's nervous, you're the only one treating it like life and death. Hell, if that lug was selected, we're practically shoe-ins. "

Kaira's last comment withdrew a light huff out of Dietrich, to him it was life or death. This is what he lived for, he couldn't stand to wait another year here. SeeD candidacy was only offered amongst students who were 17 years or older, he intended to not only become a candidate his first year of eligibility, but to advance past Candidacy and earn a slot as a member of SeeD.

"Oh, fine, give yourself a heart attack, see if I care. "

Just as Kaira opted to abandon hope on calming Dietrich down, the PA overhead came to life.

"Reinhart, Dietrich."

While Mathias wore a grin at Dietrich's chocobo-in-the-headlights expression, Kaira continued to glare, turning around to shove the blonde into action. It seemed to work as reality registered and he shot both Mathias and Kaira an almost sympathetic look. He'd be selected, but their fate remained to be seen, this wouldn't be the same if they weren't going to join him. Before he could say anything to the pair, Kaira turned to face Mathias again, at which point he'd wave Dietrich off.

"Go, we'll see you upstairs. "

Mathias' resumed his conversation with Kaira, his confidence seemed to put Dietrich's insecurity to shame, but it made him smile regardless. It was good to know just how confident they were, in a way, it was infectious. Heading to the elevator, the unkempt haired youth proceeded onward, abandoning his concerns the second he stepped into the elevator.

Headmaster's Office

"You've been selected, but let me make it clear to you that selection really, means nothing. "

The eight chosen ranged in ages, a few were returning candidates whom had failed the year prior, but for the most part, a good deal of them were roughly 17 or older. Amongst these 8, the enormous bodied Barth Bildroy; the ill-tempered Dietrich Reinhart; the proficient Kaira Baid, and the laid-back Mathias Delfast. All eyes were on Instructor Xu, but eyes every now and then switched to the other occupants; namely, Instructor's Trepe, Dincht, and the Headmaster.

Kaira, who'd felt herself become uncharacteristically giddy at the thought of a much more intimate speech from the Headmaster, was disappointed to find that the man wasn't much for words as rumored. He seemed content with letting Xu and the other instructor's do the talking, giving the group of candidates a thorough, scrutinizing gaze, one that nearly made her blush when it came time for him to analyze her. Xu continued on with what she was saying.

"As some of you may know, this process is only to judge who will make SeeD. Some of you may be repeats from last year, some of you may be first-timers, but you'll all be judged the same. There are eight of you, but for your two qualification exams, you will be split into teams of four. You four, come with me. Instructor Dincht and I will be your graders. "

Xu pointed to the first four students, taking them to a separate area of the office, it seemed both teams would be getting their briefings separately, Zell followed after the first team. This split left Barth, Dietrich, Kaira, and Mathias. Kaira cursed her luck, though she felt fortunate to be paired with her two best friends, winding up with the caveman certainly wasn't in her favor. She kept a straight face. With Xu gone, Instructor Trepe stepped forward, Squall still seemed to favor silent observation.

"So you've been split into two teams, of you four, only three of you will make it to SeeD. Who gets left behind, so to speak, will be decided upon several factors during your two exams. Your ability to take orders, lead, fight, make wise decisions in tight situations, and conduct will ultimately decide who will stay and who will go. "

Kaira couldn't help but look between her teammates, already deducing that it would and should be Bildroy who gets left in the dust. Barth, however, looked incredibly calm for someone who had a reputation as a ruffian. Maybe there was a professional side to the bully, and if there was ..well, Kaira didn't even want to think about one of them getting cut. The potential of Mathias, herself, or Dietrich getting left behind was a bit too painful. Kaira's thoughts came to a sudden stop the second she noticed Squall step forward, her heart skipped a couple of beats, whether it was out of nervousness or simple fan girl syndrome was uncertain.

"Do we have a Gunblade specialist here? "

Die's lips formed a tight smirk the second the Headmaster's question came through, though he tried to quell it when he raised his hand.

"Gunblade specialists are on the rise, I hope you have something unique to contribute, because just using a Gunblade effectively doesn't cut it anymore. "

The smirk, if there was anything left of it, faded completely at that. Evidently, being the only Gunblade wielder in his team wasn't a good thing, it was logical really, that Squall would make sure to judge him harder than the others. Being a Gunblade master himself, he was bound to make life difficult for Dietrich. Still, he felt the challenge would be a welcome one. Squall paced over to Barth, unphased by the man's outstanding stature, obviously waiting for him to reveal his weapon.

"A hammer, Headmaster. "

"A hammer?"

Kaira felt herself stifle a chuckle, certainly that wasn't going to give Bildroy any points. Barth gave Squall a sly smirk, nodding.

"A very big hammer. "

"Impressive. I knew a man who used an anchor, he's not the sort of man you'd want to mess with. I suspect you'll prove to be just as dangerous. "

Kaira's inner chuckle turned into an inner groan, so Bildroy had impressed the Headmaster, it was alright, it was only a matter of time before the big goon blew it, making herself, Mathias and Die sure winners. She restrained the urge to smile sheepishly when Squall stepped in front of her, keeping a stern expression and rigid posture.

"Reavers, Headmaster. "

"Relax. Reavers? "

Relaxing was easier said than done, she maintained her rigid posture and tone.

" Um, it's what I call them. Dual arm blades. "

Kaira unhooked one of her Reavers, holding the hilt, the blade was parallel to her forearm, the tip of it jutting out near her elbow.

"That's a new one. I'll be interested to see them in action. "

When Squall headed to Mathias, he'd naturally skip over Dietrich, whom he'd already spoken to. Mathias had a fairly casual posture, his back wasn't so much slouched forward as it was slightly arched in that direction. He definitely didn't seem as nervous as Dietrich and Kaira.

"Sword. "

Squall arched a brow at the boy's plain response, but also at his supposed weapon of choice. Dietrich winced a little for his friend, he'd never understood why Mathias insisted on using such a plain, outdated weapon. There was a reason a lot of Galbadian grunts were given swords along with their firearms; because anyone could swing a sword. However, Mathias seemed to see something in the weapon he did not. Now more than ever, for his friend's sake, Dietrich wished he could have persuaded Mathias into using a Gunblade or something else besides a sword.

"A sword? Interesting, why a sword over a Gunblade? I think you're more capable than a Galbadian foot soldier, you wouldn't be here if you weren't. "

"I guess I'm just old fashioned, a traditionalist. Sure, a Gunblade has more power, especially when you pull that trigger. But I've never been one for brute strength, not like Mr. Hammer,"

A glance shot to Bildroy, giving the man a grin.

"Sword's are lighter, and if used right, a lot swifter and precise, but I'm sure you already knew that. "

"I just wanted to hear it from you. I'm impressed, but you've got your work cut out for you. Swords can have a good advantage over Gunblades, but only in the hands of someone incredibly talented. Swordsmanship is a lost art, replaced by Gunblade Dueling. I'll keep an eye on your progress. "

Stepping away from the group, Squall seemed to have felt content with his piece, and so Quistis stepped back out to resume the briefing.

"As you know, it's been not only Garden policy, but the policy of Galbadia to outlaw widespread use of Guardian Forces. About a decade ago, GFs were widely used, despite the fact they caused gradual memory loss, in fact, some of us used multiple GFs. However, it was discovered a few years ago that ordinary soldiers can no longer handle them, it seems Guardian Forces have been growing in strength, and in numbers. Now, even people like myself or the Headmaster can't use more than 2 without risking serious brain trauma. This is why will and mental aptitude will also be a factor in your exams, because if you're to become SeeD, you will be expected to master a Guardian Force. Your first exam will be in two days, we're going to Galbadia, you'll get an on-site briefing. I suggest you prepare until then, your futures in Garden depend on it. "