Well chapter 11 has finally been posted. I apologize for the lateness of this post. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I love reading your comments

Kaidia stood at the door to the elevator with ten minutes to go on the predetermined time Instructor Bane had stated when they landed.

She had returned back to her dorm room, a simple and sparsely decorated white walled room with a set of bunk beds, and a desk sitting at the side. It hadn't taken her long to shower. As she had stood under the cleansing stream of hot water, she had felt some of her concerns begin to ebb down the drain, following the path of the water. She had watched the liquid, when she first entered the powerful stream of water, as it had turned a murky red tone; at all the blood that had been spilt on her today, and all the blood she had spilt on her own. After a moment, the water had turned clear once more.

Kaidia had wondered, while watching the swirling water, on whether time was similar. On if enough time could pass on this incident that it would no longer send shivers down her spine when she recalled the look in the dying boy's eye. Or if, in time, she could close her eyes once more and not recall watching helplessly as the infection ate away at his living body and mentally recoil at the screams that seemed to have recorded themselves into her memories. 'There are some wounds that time doesn't heal.' She had thought to herself as she exited the shower.

Once completely done with all the tasks that took time in her dorm, she left with Bast following quickly on her heels. After a quick run to awaken her dozing mind, as well as allow Bast a chance to stretch and attend his own business, she had arrived at the door, and was surprised to see Kayden standing there, waiting for her. Of the two, she was usually the extremely chronically early one, but in this he had won. As she joined him, she could see all the emotion swirling around in his eyes. To distract himself from thinking too much, Kayden had leaned over and made a show of stroking her 'dog's'' head, not that said dog minded the attention.

Bast might be a Guardian Force, but he still had some tendencies of an animal that had grown up on the receiving end of such interest, and, as Kayden concentrated on Bast, he responded by wagging his long and bushy tail. She had smiled softly at the scene.

The two had stood in silence and, without thought, she linked his hand with him as the last member of their team approached, following in his wake, just a few steps behind the dark-blond haired boy was their Instructor. Bane's expression was neutral, not showing any form of emotion that she could read in order to judge what was about to occur in the upcoming debrief. 'This will be my first debriefing too…' She realized in a start. 'About a topic that I don't want to remember, but will now be forced to recall in detail. I have to though. Suzu deserves to have his story told, so he won't be forgotten.'

As far as she remembered, this would only be the third time she had been up to the Headmaster's office; once when she and Kayden had been caught during one of their absconding adventures; once when she had gone to him with concerns over the Commander's favouritism, and now.

Kayden, Ryu and herself waited in silence as the dark-haired man opened the elevator for them and held the door. With the same growing silence, each member waited as the door slid shut and the elevator moved, heading up to the third floor, where the main offices were, as well as where the Headmaster was waiting for a report from the Squad affected by the murderous infection. Time seemed to slow as the elevator came to a stop and all four exited into the large waiting area that was meant to house high up officials, from cities or from other Gardens. She had heard from rumours circulated around the largest Garden that, only a few months before she transferred from Trabia, that this had been a meeting ground for all three Garden officials and that Squall Leonhart himself had been in this room.

Instructor Bane had left their side and had entered a room directly ahead of them, vanishing as the door shut behind him. If she was right in her assumption, then she would be the first interviewed; having the most to do with the issue that had caused so much trouble within the Garden. There was still silence as all three members of Squad A stood and watched the door. A moment later, Bane returned to the three and up to her side.

He nodded at her once and she left, walking towards the door and before she knew it, she stood at the Headmaster's desk, in attention and saluting him. Bast had, somehow, gotten in with her and was sitting with his chest puffed out once more. She was almost sure her dog did that to be funny, but right now the humour in the situation was lost on her.

"At ease," the soft spoken Headmaster said; sending a welcoming smile in her direction and glanced once at the dog at her side.

She nodded and relaxed her pose as Bast did too, and she took a second to gaze around. There was no one else in the room; just the two of them. The last thing she needed was to be stuck doing this with an audience. There was a camera mounted in the corner, focusing on the two; recording everything that took place. This testimony she gave would then be used to determine Garden's position on the 'crime' she had committed.

"Have you ever been debriefed before Cadet?" The elderly Headmaster asked.

"No, Sir. Although I'm aware of how the process works. I'm supposed to tell you of the situation in a comprehensible and concise manner as it progressed around me, and if you have questions, I am to answer them as clearly as possible, Sir."

"Good. When you're ready, begin."

'He's making this easy for me… or trying to." Kaidia realized. 'He knows how bad it was out there…'

"Yes, Sir." She spoke.

"State your name and ID for the record."

"Kaidia Dos Santos, SeeD Cadet Number #70983, Sir."

"State the Squad you were in and the names of the members of your Squad."

"Squad A. Suzu Higa, Kayden Trepe, Ryu Dincht and myself."

"Good. State the objective of your Squad."

"We were to neutralize any messages leaving or arriving from a pre-picked small section of the enemy army, while the SeeD and Dollet soldiers surrounded each of the larger groups. When the individual larger groups were completely cut off we were to withdraw."

"Do you think your Squad accomplished this objective?"

'What kind of question is that!' She thought to herself before speaking. "We did not allow any messages to get past, Sir. We accomplished that part of the order."

"I see. Tell me in your own words what happened, from the beginning Cadet."

"Yes Sir."

Kaidia stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts, thinking on every detail that had occurred within the hours they were in the cavern and organizing it into a flow that made logistical sense.

"Cadet Higa organized us into a group order and we entered the cave experiencing no difficulties or enemy traps. We then set out 45 degrees west of our location and, with his lead, started trekking through the caves."

"What do you think of the orders your leader gave at that moment."

'Why is he asking me this? This doesn't have anything to do with what happened.' Kaidia mused to herself.

"I… would have given a different positional order for the group, Sir."

"In which way?"

"I would have had moved Cadet Trepe or myself directly behind Cadet Higa, and Cadet Dincht to the back row with whoever was left over."

"Good, continue."

"We continued, following Cadet Higa's directions. Our Squad moved as quickly and as quietly as possible, avoiding as many fights as we could and only engaged if necessary. Also, we were told not to use loud weapons if there was a chance it would echo. We continued, onwards before, and we encountered Anacondaurs in the cavern. We also encountered a pack of Funguars and dealt with them swiftly."

"That's odd…" The Headmaster commented. "I'll have that information looked into. Anacondaurs usually migrate around the mountain region rather than within it. You may continue."

'At least he's listening to me.' Kaidia thought before proceeding. "Yes Sir. It was a short while later, we moved out, following the same order as before. It wasn't long before Cadet Higa called a halt and informed us that there were five enemy soldiers moving towards our location. We attacked as he planned, but, with all due respect to Cadet Higa's memory, he hesitated after killing the first of the soldiers. Dincht hesitated as well, and only aimed for extremities rather than vitals."

"And how did the battle make you feel?"

'How am I supposed to answer that! I felt so many things, but they all seem numb now; drowned out by the last.'

'Answer as honestly as possible.' Bast coached.

"It made me feel ill, Sir. Those two were the first humans I killed… and I guess I was confused and a little afraid. There didn't seem to be that much separating us, just different perspectives on the same thing."

"And how did you find the strength to recover?"

"There was a mission to complete, and our Squad was in bad enough shape that if another panicked it would not do well for the entire SeeD and Dollet army. I recovered because I remembered in that moment that if we failed then there was a chance that the whole army would fail. I made myself look at them, Sir. They could have been my age."

"I see. Please continue."

"Cadet Trepe and I cleaned up; Cadets Higa and Dincht were too shaken up to help. I tried to get Cadet Higa to continue as the leader but he did not seem ready to, so I sent Cadet Trepe ahead with the second tracking device, to search the cavern for the enemy soldiers, and to see where our final location was while I dealt with the last body. When he returned, I tried again, but Cadet Higa still wasn't responding."

"Do you blame him for his freezing like that?" Martine asked suddenly.

"No Sir. I do not believe he had any control over how he reacted. When it was obvious that Cadet Higa was not ready to resume leadership, I directed the team into the chasm and had Cadet Trepe watch the way we came for returning messengers while I watched the encampment of runners for any messages leaving."

"Why in that order?"

"There was no difference in between which area Cadet Trepe and I surveyed, but Cadets Dincht and Higa were still shaken up, and sending one of them to watch may have caused some repercussion. Also, I was unsure if they would be ready to attack if need be. So I tried to keep them between Cadet Trepe and myself. It wasn't long after that when a second wave of five men came. This time, the attack went off fine, and the entire team pulled their weight; none were left alive.

"Cadet Trepe and I returned to watching the areas we were before, until the order to withdraw came. Cadet Higa took back control at that moment and reorganized the group and we withdrew from our location, Sir."

"What were you thinking as he ran, Kaidia?"

"I… thought Cadet Higa was moving too quickly, and too carelessly for the situation we were in, Sir. It was hard enough just to keep up with him at the pace he set, and Cadets Dincht, Trepe and myself fell behind. Cadet Dincht tried to get him to call a halt, but by the time he had it was too late. Cadet Higa had run into a small section of enemy soldiers; eight to be exact, and two had pinned him. Cadet Dincht was spotted, but Cadet Trepe and myself were not. I had Cadet Dincht keep shooting at them to lure them out towards us, and the attempt was successful. Cadet Dincht then moved behind us and we waited for them to emerge from the cavern. The surprise attack worked, and eventually the only remaining soldiers were the ones holding down Cadet Higa. They were neutralized, but not before one of them injected the substance that eventually killed Cadet Higa into him."

Kaidia paused there for a second, gathering her thoughts once more before swallowing and preparing to continue. So far, this interview had swallowed up forty minutes and it did not seem likely it would end soon. The recorder in the background kept a steady eye on her as she spoke.

"I felt like something was wrong immediately, and when approaching him, I saw something decaying his body while he was alive. It was eating all of his internal organs and he bled out into cavities in his body. Out his ears and his mouth; his eyes were blood red, Sir. He opened his mouth to scream and his tongue flew out and all he could to was shriek in pain. I… had Cadets Trepe and Dincht try both magical and medical treatments we had but nothing worked; even a remedy had no affect. I looked at him once more, right into his eyes as I cast sleep on him Sir. He was dead in under three minutes, and all that was left of him was skin stretched over bone. The smell was horrible. It's not something I'll ever forget, Sir."

"I expect not." Martine muttered in sympathy. "You were in a difficult situation."

"Sir, I know what I did would constitute voluntary manslaughter. I am willing to accept any consequence as it comes from Garden as well as the law. However, Cadet Trepe and Cadet Dincht were not aware of what I was planning on doing, and I would ask that they not be involved if there were any charges."

"Very noble, but I can't do that. They were both close enough to cast a spell to cancel the effects but chose not to."

"I am the one that cast the spell, Sir. It was not by their consent."

"None the less, they were involved and because neither did anything to stop the spell, they will be drawn in despite your intentions, though it is honourable that you would take responsibility for them. What were you thinking as you watched the progression of the infection?"

'I knew that was coming!'

"I was thinking about how it is possible that people would create such a vile substance to be used on other humans, and how they could take pleasure in their work. How it was possible that someone had created that thing just to have others suffer. I wasn't too sure what to think; I have never seen or heard of anything like that."

"And after Cadet Higa was dead?"

"I thought about his life in Garden; how similar our lives were, in what we did and who we knew. What our lives were like before the SeeD exam and how his death would affect his parents and friends. I thought about how many other people would die if this army that has the infection would use it on civilian targets and that a sample had to be brought to Garden to hopefully create an antidote. I guess I thought about getting out of there and being able to tell people what happened, so people would remember. That thought is what made me move in the end."

Kaidia took another breath, pausing to recall the exact order of events. "I looked to see where the phone was, but unfortunately, it was on Cadet Higa's body and I doubted it was safe to handle. After that, I had Cadet Trepe clean a potion bottle as well as he could and, using the smallest suction tool out of the lock picking set, I retrieved a sample of Cadet Higa's infected blood and carefully placed it in the bottle. After securing it, with the lid as well as with a towel, I convinced Cadet Dincht to carry it as well as be our guide to find the exit."

"Why did you pick that order to travel in?" her Headmaster asked.

"Cadet Trepe is physically stronger than I am and I believed he would be best at countering a frontal attack. I am faster at evasion and magical offence and defence and would be best served holding up the back of the group to stop any surprise attacks. We started off slowly, letting Cadet Dincht pick the pace he was comfortable with."

"Why did you get Cadet Dincht to carry the sample?" Martine asked.

"He was badly shaken up by what he saw, more so than Cadet Trepe or myself. I knew he would not be able to help us if we were attacked by anything, and to protect him, as well as ensure the safe arrival of the sample and the relative safety of everyone in the group, I thought it would be best to have one person committed to carrying it while the remaining two served for his protection.

"We were nearing the exit when I heard something. I looked back and caught a flicker off the side wall, and guessed it to be flashlights. So, I got Cadet Trepe and Cadet Dincht to move out without me. By the time I warned them, I had already been spotted. At that moment, all that mattered was the safe delivery of the sample to Garden."

Martine nodded slowly as she paused for a second longer.

"What would you have done if the enemy had caught you?" Martine fired another question at her.

"I would have said nothing about my team or us having a sample of the substance that had killed Cadet Higa."

"And if they asked about Garden and its practices."

"I would not betray Garden, Sir." She answered with no hesitation.

'Garden's my home…'

"Very good. Go on."

"I managed to escape the enemy and as I was leaving, I noted that SeeDs and Dollet soldiers were heading towards the enemy soldiers. I met with SeeD Faclicon and his team escorted me out of the cavern and to a docked ship." She stopped there, and waited for more directions.

Martine stared at her and nodded, indicating that he was aware that her story had ended there. "Very good, Cadet. How do you feel about the entire day's exam?"

"I feel that too much responsibility was placed on the Cadet Squads Sir."

"Duly noted." Martine advised.

"But I don't think that contributed to our situation. I'm not exactly sure what to think about what happened, Sir."

He nodded with an understanding expression donning his features. "Is that all, Cadet?"

"Sir, about the sample?"

"It is being studied by our best and brightest as we speak."

"I see. Thank you, Sir. And what of Cadet Higa's family?"

"They have been informed, but are waiting for some time to pass before they decide on their course of action with the law. As it stands, you have no privileges removed and have until further notice, all the standing of Cadet in our Garden. Just don't try to run."

"I won't, Sir." She promised instantly.

"That was a joke, Cadet."

"I see, Sir." Kaidia answered without changing expression or tone.

"You sometimes remind me of a young SeeD I met a long time ago, Kaidia."

"May I enquire as to whom I remind you of?"

"Just an old friend, who had difficulty acknowledging that jokes existed too."

"I see, Sir." She echoed her last sentence.

"You are dismissed. I would suggest you return to your dorms and rest though."

"Yes Sir." She answered, snapping into the salute and turning on heel she walked out of the room.

By protocol, she was not allowed to discuss the course of the debrief with her comrades, so without a word she returned to the elevator. Despite her exhaustion, she was vaguely aware that Kayden had left his seat in the waiting room and was headed in the opposite direction to her. She was soon on her way down to the lower levels of Garden and heading, with Bast, to her room.

She didn't even bother changing and just collapsed into her bed, with her pet climbing up next to her and curling up like a stuffed animal. Taking the invitation, she curled around him and snuggled her face into his soft fur.

'You did well, Child, in such a difficult situation. I am proud of you.'

'I'm so confused…this isn't the end, is it? Something else is going on, that involves me. Why am I the leader?'

'Because you inspire; you are the light of many.'

'What do you mean?'

'It will become clear in time, sweet one. Rest now. Do not concern yourself with what will occur later, just rest.'

There was nothing after that; just the darkness surrounding her, followed with her drowsy recollections of her oldest friend singing lullabies as she sank into the safe realm of a dreamless sleep.