Kaleila awoke just as the sun was rising up to announce the beginning of a new day. A few other women in the barracks were preparing themselves for whatever life had in store for them. Elma had shown up to make sure that Kaleila was getting ready as well and could see that something was amiss.
"Kaleila, did something happen?" she asked, showing great concern for the new recruit.
"Oh, I'm fine. I just had a bad dream. That's all. A really bad dream."
"Well, I hope it doesn't affect your performance today. It's going to be tough, but Lucille and I have a lot of confidence in you."
"I wish you didn't. Puts a lot of pressure on me, and I never have been one to work well under pressure." This got a good laugh out of both of them.
Once they finished getting ready, they headed to the mess hall together to get breakfast. There weren't very many places to sit in the mess hall. Most preferred to take their meals and eat elsewhere. This was allowed as long as HQ was kept spotless and trash free. Elma and Kaleila got their food and found a seat next to Lucille who was waiting for them. She was drinking a cup of coffee while she contemplated the day ahead.
"Good to see you this morning, Kaleila. I hope you slept well last night," Lucille said, greeting the two women.
"As well as can be expected," Kaleila responded, looking at her food to see what she wanted to eat first. She loved fruit; they had plenty of it.
"I know what you mean. The barrack beds aren't the most comfortable."
"Well, that wasn't really the problem."
"She had a nightmare," Elma informed.
"Oh, I see. It wasn't about your test today, was it?" Lucille asked, taking another sip of her coffee while looking Kaleila in the eyes.
"No, nothing like that," Kaleila said, freezing as she looked over to her left to see Beclem sitting at a table not far from them. He was facing her directly and she could tell that he was watching her.
"In any case, you should do well today," Lucille said, taking a bite of a piece of bread.
"Is there any chance you could tell me what I'll be doing, or will I have to wait?"
"I'm afraid you won't find out until it's time, but don't worry about it. It should be a breeze for you."
"As I said to Elma, I wish you two didn't have so much confidence in my abilities."
Kaleila wasn't sure if she was more nervous about the task ahead of her, or the fact that Beclem had been keeping an eye on her since he had arrived at the mess hall. In either case, what was important was proving to herself that she was Youth League material. The three women remained at the table for a short while to let their food settle. Beclem remained as well; a tray of food sat in front of him, but it was greatly ignored. Finally, Lucille rose from her chair, signaling that the time was drawing nearer. The three of them proceeded outside; Beclem following shortly after. Lucille led the way to the lift and down to the path. Nooj was waiting for them there.
"Hello, Kaleila, ready for your test?" Nooj asked, sounding somewhat amused.
"Let's just get this over with," Kaleila said nervously. "What do I have to do?" Beclem was there as well, but nobody seemed to pay him any mind until Lucille stepped forward to explain what Kaleila's task was.
"You must descend down into the ravine. Hidden within is a fiend and with it, an item. Slay the fiend and bring the item back here," Lucille said tersely.
Kaleila looked somewhat puzzled. "That's it?" Nooj nodded.
"Beclem will be accompanying you down there so don't worry about a thing," Nooj said, but it just intensified Kaleila anxiety. "You may begin when you are ready."
Kaleila took off jogging down the path with Beclem following close behind. Along one of the turns they encountered a fiend, but Kaleila evaded it; she wanted to waste no time in fighting worthless fiends. They descended into the ravine, Kaleila pausing to listen for a moment. It was unusually quiet out were they were. Whatever fiend she had to kill probably scared the other ones away. Sword drawn, she quietly began to search for the target, wondering what kind of fiend it would be. She suspected a tonberry, since those were the toughest fiends around that area. As she neared a corner, she could hear movements and growling. She could sense that the prize was around that corner, but she could also sense that whatever fiend was guarding it was bigger than a tonberry. Mustering up all her courage, she stepped out and to face her opponent.
"OHHH! What the hell?!" Kaleila exclaimed as she stared a claret dragon in the eye. This particular fiend had an HP of over seventeen thousand and absorbed all forms of magic. Flames erupted from its mouth with every breath it took as it stared Kaleila down. 'Where did they find this thing?' she thought to herself and as the dragon lunged forth in attack. She dodged it, casting shell and protect on herself as the beast tried to turn itself around. There wasn't much room for it to very freely, so Kaleila had somewhat of an advantage. Before it could attack again, Kaleila struck it with a power break attack to reduce the amount of damage it could do to her.
Beclem had backed away from the scene, but he watched the battle, resisting the urge to jump in and help. He had been told not to interfere unless her life depended upon it. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, beating faster every time its fierce jaws came too close to her. He was impressed though; she had managed in a few hits without getting hurt. She moved with great swiftness and agility, but he could tell she was struggling.
Kaleila wasn't sure who was more exhausted: herself or the claret dragon. It was barely able to hold itself up, and she felt ready to fall over. The creature readied itself for one last attack as Kaleila caught her breath. It swung its tail at her; she rolled onto the ground to dodge it. Her blade began to glow as she summoned the last bit of strength to deal the finishing blow. She jumped high into the air, coming back down with great force as the blade made contact one last time. Fatigued, she stumbled over as the claret dragon vanished. All that was left behind was a sphere that it had been guarding.
Beclem approached Kaleila, eying her incredulously. "I must say I am very impressed."
"What the hell what that?" said Kaleila, feeling slightly bitter. Sure, she had won, but a claret dragon still seemed to be an unreasonable challenge. Even tonberries were slightly challenging, but they didn't compare to the fiend she had just fought.
"What are you talking about?" Beclem asked, somewhat confused now.
"A claret dragon. Honestly. I should have quit and gone home." Kaleila grabbed the sphere and headed back to where Nooj, Elma, and Lucille were waiting. She handed the sphere to Nooj without a word and stood by to see what they had to say.
"Well done. I hope the claret dragon was a good match for you," Nooj said. Kaleila was ready to retort with a sarcastic remark, but decided not to say anything at all.
"So, what now?" Kaleila asked, wondering if she would receive some special rank.
"We've decided to partner you and Beclem together. You will aide him with drills, and whatever he needs you to do. We will also send you out on missions together to recruit new members. Beclem still has unfinished business in Besaid. I'm going to let you both get used to the system before sending you there, though. Any questions?"
Kaleila stood dumbfounded, not really believing what she had just heard. Elma had said that she wouldn't have him for a drill sergeant, but then again, being his partner was entirely different. She felt her stomach wrapping itself into a knot. Out the corner of her eye, Beclem was gazing intently at her. 'I wonder if he had anything to do with this.'
"Well, if no one has any questions, let's get back to headquarters." Nooj led the way back with Elma and Lucille following closely. Kaleila and Beclem lagged behind, pondering something to say to the other, but they could think of nothing. As they made it to an area just outside the main part of the headquarters, Beclem finally broke the silence.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked. They had been left alone and he felt the need to see what kind of information he could get from her. Kaleila did not respond immediately. She was still trying to take in everything that she had been told. She was now stuck with Beclem, and there was nothing that could be done about it.
"Various people. My uncle was the kind of person who thought everyone should be able to fight. He taught me basic combat skills, someone else taught me magic and so on. I even had to learn about all of the fiends, their strengths and weaknesses, and the best way to attack them. I had to go through rigorous training ever since I was six." She didn't feel like telling him more. She was exhausted and confused by the way things were turning out. "It wasn't really the best training anyone could have received."
"I beg to differ. You handled that claret dragon like it was nothing," Beclem said, completely honest.
"It may have seemed that way, but fighting that fiend was more challenging that growing up."
Beclem wanted to ask what she meant by it, but decided to save it for later. "Well, it's time we get down to business. You won't really have to do anything, but try and observe how I do things."
"That shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is yell at and insult everyone," Kaleila replied with a chuckle.
"Hey!" said Beclem in mock annoyance.
There was a group of men already waiting for them when it was time to begin. Beclem had informed her that most of their training included building their endurance and strength. "On some days though, I take them down to the road and let them fight fiends all day."
"Sounds like you stay pretty busy around here. It must be very tiring work."
"You'll get used to it after a while. It won't be that bad."
From a distance, Nooj and Lucille were watching the two with intense curiosity.
"Are you sure it was wise to pair them together?" Lucille asked, wondering if Beclem's attitude would be too much for Kaleila.
"Believe or not, but it was all Beclem's idea. He approached me last night and begged me to make Kaleila work with him. I didn't understand it at first, but he was so persistent. I thought of declining his requests since her skills could have been used else where, but I was more curious to find out why he was so interested in her," Nooj explained.
"Maybe he's just attracted to her," Lucille stated flatly, thinking that all men only wanted one thing.
"I doubt it, but it wouldn't be such a bad thing if he was. She could do wonders for him."
For the rest of the day Kaleila followed Beclem around, learning how he did things. Every so often he'd make a comment to her, but that was all the talking they did. By evening, Kaleila was tired and hungry. She sat alone in the mess hall; she spent more time contemplating her day than she did eating. She felt as if she should be feeling every emotion there was, but she felt nothing in particular, just exhaustion. The only person in Spira from her past that mattered didn't even remember her.
She pushed her tray aside, resting her head on the table. What if he did remember? What if he just didn't care? She would be working with him from now on and there was no way to avoid him unless she quit altogether. That didn't seem to be an option as she had nowhere to go. She was stuck there whether she liked it or not. She heard footsteps approaching; she thought it might have been Elma or Lucille coming to see how her day had gone. She reluctantly glanced over then abruptly sat up upon seeing Beclem standing in front of her. He sat down in the chair across from her, making no effort to even ask her if she minded.
"Not bad for your first day, huh?" he asked, looking more towards the table than he was at her.
"It was ok, I guess. I really had no idea how things would turn out, but I can't complain," she responded, relaxing a little despite the butterflies wreaking havoc in her gut.
"You've barely touch your food." He had taken notice of her dinner that she had neglected.
"I don't have much of an appetite right now." She looked over at the meal, somewhat wishing it would just vanish.
"Is there something bothering you?" he asked, feeling as if he already knew what it was.
"You could say that, but I don't feel at liberty to discuss it," she replied in a tone that let Beclem know he better leave it at that.
"I understand. If you don't mind, I wish to speak with you later this evening. Just meet me outside in about two hours. There is something I want to ask you."
Before Kaleila could respond, Beclem got up and left just as quickly as he came. Feeling somewhat defeated, she disposed of the rest of her dinner and headed back to the barracks to kill time before meeting with Beclem again. The other women there were sitting together in groups and paid little attention to her. It made her feel rather lonely as she sat down on her bed, watching her sphere over and over. The incident with the bug wasn't the only one on there. On a separate occasion, both families were taking a walk together through Bevelle. The young boy had Kaleila by the hand, keeping her close to his side and making sure she didn't wander off. It made Kaleila smile; she could remember that day vividly.
The time finally came; Kaleila found herself wandering outside. She had the sphere with her, but she was vaguely aware that she was still carrying it. The area was deserted with the only source of light coming from the moon. Waves could be heard breaking against the rocky shore as if to remind her of its existence. Another distinct sound could be heard as Kaleila turned around to see a familiar silhouette advancing towards her.
"I'm to see you decided to meet with me," he whispered, taking notice to the sphere clutched in her hand.
"It's nothing. What is it you wanted to ask me?" The moonlight made her eyes glimmer like precious jewels. Beclem found them captivating and struggled to look away from them.
"Before I ask you, do you mind if I take a look at that sphere?" he asked, almost positive he knew what he would see. Kaleila hesitated, but handed it to him without a single word. She fought off the butterflies in her stomach as Beclem observed the contents of the sphere. Silence ensued for the next fews moments, making the knot in her stomach worse.
"Where did you get this?" he asked after what seemed like an eternity.
"It was a gift from my mother. I've had it every since I was five," she responded, holding out her hand to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
"What a coincidence. I have one just like it, Kaleila." He handed it back to her without argument. "I thought there was a reason why you looked so familiar to me."
"You said there was something you wanted to ask me."
"Now that I know it's you there are lots of things I want to ask you. Why did you leave?" he asked, a trace of sorrow leaking into his voice. Kaleila felt a lump developing in her throat.
"I was taken away by my aunt. I didn't want to leave. I- I cried everyday for over a month until I just couldn't any more." She knew she would cry then and there, but did her best to hold back the tears.
"Why didn't you say anything to me earlier? You just ran off yesterday." Kaleila wondered why he was asking her these things. Maybe realizing it was her made him unhappy.
"I was afraid that it might not have been you. I came here just to see if I could find you," she said, no longer able to keep the tears from flowing.
"Why didn't you come sooner?" There was a bitterness to his voice, reminding Kaleila of the ache she felt in her heart growing up without her best friend.
"Beclem..." she whispered, almost sobbing. It was enough to make Beclem realize what he had been doing. He stepped forward, ready to take her in his arms just like when they were kids. Kaleila backed away, wiping away the tears before retreating back to the barracks where she would be safe until morning.