((Still accepting, OOC final-fantasy-viii-the-seed-exam-ooc-t14313.html ))


A man crept through the forest with hesitation. His head peering over in each direction, he moved slowly towards the garden, armed and ready for combat. His feet carried him over several tripwires which were left out for him. He sighed in relief crossing the visible wires. Balamb garden was now a mile a way, and nobody had confronted him yet.

“Freeze!” A Young girl yelled at the top of her voice. A gun pointing at the intruder although his eyes were expecting her, he sighed in frustration.

“Clever Eliza…” He smiled. “Putting trip wires visible all around me to trap me in a zone rigged with bombs so I can’t possibly escape. Meanwhile you’re waiting to capture me, knowing if I made a run for it then I’d die.”

Eliza erupted into a large grin and lowered her weapon. “Well, when you have a brilliant instructor such as yourself, Balin, what can you expect.”

“Oh, stop trying to butter me up…” He said, stepping over the separate trip-wires carefully.

“Don’t bother, there’s no explosives around here…, like you’re worth the blasts.” She smiled.

“Y’know, I’m a little surprised that you decided to train this morning, you know, now that your written exam is on in an hour.” He said, picking up the pace and walking quickly.

“Well, I haven’t got any magical abilities so I sort of need to know how to--”

“Not what I meant.” He paused, beginning to clean his glasses. “You of all people suggesting we train is very, very rare.”

“Um, well… I, uh--” Suddenly a large swoosh was heard, interrupting Eliza. Instructor Balin was taken from his feet and lifted up in the air against his will.

He hung off a tree, swinging as his ankle was tied tightly to a strong rope, he no less had stood in one of his students traps. He groaned in frustration as he dropped his glasses on the ground hearing them crack. Eliza kept herself from laughing. “The tripwires were fake, Balin, but I did manage to set a good few nets and ankle traps around here…”

“Arggh, cut me down Eliza.” He ordered, his vision blurry he could only just about make out her figure. He swung his arms around crazily trying to get a hold of a tree to steady himself.

“I’d love to, Instructor. But like you said, I have a written exam in less than an hour and need to get a move on. I’ll do it later if I don’t forget about you over the stress of my exams…” She smiled, walking off on her instructor leaving him to hang from a tree.

“For fuck sake Eliza, cut me down this instance…!” He groaned the blood rushing to his head. It was no use, Eliza had carried on to a sprint towards Balamb Garden. “ She’s energetic when she wants to be.” Balin sighed in frustration, continuing to swing towards the branch opposite him.

Xanthe paced in front of the room in which he was about to take the written exam, again. He hadn't studied, and even stayed up late the night before, just like he'd done the first time. He knew he'd pass it with ease this time, too. His brains, magic, and Odium were the best thing about him. Sure, he was great with a gunblade, but with people like Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy who were once so much better, not to mention famous, how was he supposed to get attention that way?

Now that Odium was confinscated, it added to his irritation, making him a bit less-than-social. Not that he was particularly social to begin with, anyway. How wasn't it fair that he got to keep his GF, anyway? Why'd he even have to retake all of that, too? After all, he'd only failed the last test, and that was because of that girl's own stupidity. Glaring at nothing certain, he leaned up against the wall and waited for them to open the exam room doors. Pale green eyes ceased their glower as the official came to wait with him. Damn, the test wasn't for another hour, too. "Xanthe? Why are you here so early?"

Chatting with a teacher and starting rumors was not the way he wanted to start his fresh set of exams, so he just shrugged, ignoring the guy as politely as he usually did.

I hate tests just let me slash or steal something thought Sevick as he walked toward the school. Sevick looked around where he was and saw trip wires and other traps. Being a thief he easily avoided the traps then he saw a teacher named Balin hang from a tree.

"Hey Sevick get me down" he yelled
"oh i might if you change that grade on my last test" answered Sevick
"No never"
"fine then bye then"
Sevick walked off heading toward the school
"Ok, I'll do it" said Balin
Sevick smiled and cut him down then helping him spoke. "now lets have a little walk to your office"

Eliza reached the academy, her heart pounding from running so fast . She was unable to draw her weapon in an area of the garden besides the training ground, unless of course it was the worst case scenario. Eliza remembered one of her instructors lecturing her about the second Sorceress War, where the very place she stood was a battleground. That was over 50 years ago, and the war had ended with the fragile broken relationships of nearly all countries involved.

Tensions were high with the two countries of Galbadia and Esthar, but through diplomatic reasons things remained peaceful. Both countries were at their prime strength, which both countries feared. The chances of that war resurfacing was slim, now that a lot of time had passed.

She entered the elevator, noticing there was only several minutes before her written exam would be taken. She had just about passed last time, scoring a mark of 70%, however, Eliza failed to get past the Field Exam. Balin had been pretty strict with her after she failed, she was determined not to let him down again.

She walked down the large corridor and came to room 107. She opened it quickly, looking at the other eager and nervous students who had now filled most of the room. She sat at the nearest seat she could find, stealing a pencil off the person who sat infront of her.

7.51am...

Nine minutes left, another instructor strolled in the room as if he had only rolled out of bed moments ago. He threw down a briefcase frustrated with getting up so early. Eliza was certain she heard him mutter curses under his breath. She tapped her foot impatiently as she watched clock slowly tick.

Sevick left Balin's office a wicked smile on his face that was until he looked the clock. Oh, shit i'm going be late thought Sevick as he raced to the elevator. He got in right before the door closed and sighed in relief.

Sevick entered the test room right at the bell and looked around for a seat. He saw one right behind a girl who's name was Eliza. At least what he thought her name was. He was no good when it came to talking to girl he normaly said something stupid.

Sevick tried to remember everything as he pulled out his pencil and waited for the test he dreaded to be passed out.

Kaze was seat to the left of the girl who enter. He was ready, the written exam wasn't that bad considering it was mainly general knowledge about the Garden, GF, magic etc. He had seen both of the students who came in but never really talked to them, he prefered to keep quiet for now.

The Instructor passed out the paper as Kaze sat leaned back relaxed. It was easy if you didn't let the nerves kick in, opening the paper he answered the questions quickly trying to do the best he could.

This is what it looked like when he glanced at the paper.

SeeD Written Test Level 1:

1 )
Q. The Draw command extracts magic from enemies.
A.
2 )
Q. GF stands for Garden Fighter.
A.
3 )
Q. There are a total of 8 elemental attributes
A.
4 )
Q. In battle, a higher Strength stat causes more physical damage
A.
5 )
Q. HP-J is a junction ability.
A.
6 )
Q. You can't assign specific abilities for your GF to learn
A.
7 )
Q. Magic uses MP.
A.
8 )
Q. You can name your GF.
A.
9 )
Q. You can wear protective gear.
A.
10 )
Q. GF level up with AP.
A.

Tapping his pen lightly against the desk, Xanthe frowned, muttering to himself mentally. It's almost the same...Only it's mixed up this time, and the questions are worded differently.... Not very effective for the prevention of cheating.... Who knew? Maybe Garden was slowly beginning to go downhill; something he'd been noticing since he'd begun comparing it to the Garden thirty or so years ago. They changed constantly; sometimes the change was good, others not so much.

There were less people in the room than he'd thought there'd be, but that didn't mean there was any less competition. At that moment, he was sure, there were at least three other exam rooms with students taking the test inside them. He had to be sure to keep his focus in the final this time. No going back for other people.

With a small sigh, his pen began to move against the sheet of paper, making slow, easy marks across it as though he were in no hurry. This wasn't the part he was worried about, after all.

“Alright, this, like any other exam…” He paused, handing Eliza her exam paper. “If you’re found or accused of cheating, its an immediate expulsion. Do not open the exam paper until I say so…” He said in his usual dull voice. “Its 250 questions, about history -- of SeeD and both Sorceress Wars. Magic spells, Guardian forces, and much more. The test was designed to get the best students to pass in 3 hours. You may not think its enough time, which is the exact reason why we created it like that. Any person who gets 70% or over, will qualify for the next stage of the exam. If by some miracle you finish earlier than the given time you may leave quietly…” he smiled and collapsed down on his chair, his feet up on the desk as he barely paid attention to the students. This Instructor, Dr. Fray, was lazier than Eliza.

The Exam carried on and Eliza flicked through her exam pages. Smiling slightly as she quickly answered as many questions as she could as fast as she could write. She had barely studied, she got stuck at question 42. While thinking for the possible answer Eliza began to draw little stick figures on her test, she then scribbled them out, remembering she was in the middle of an exam.

Question 50: What was the date Sorceress Adel was submerged into outer space? How did they seal her?

Question 108: Where was the powerful Lunatic Pandora weapon sealed before its attack on Esthar in the Second Sorceress War?

The questions went on, challenging every fibre of Eliza’s intelligence. The clock had quickly skipped a few minutes since Eliza last looked at it. The exam was half over and Eliza wasn’t even halfway through yet. She moaned in frustration, skipping whichever question she couldn’t comprehend or didn’t have time to explain.


Pencils down!” Instructor Fray bellowed, causing some of the students to gasp.

“But Instructor Fray, I haven’t finished!” A girl shouted at the end of the room.

“Tough luck, now, not another word spoken until I collect all exams…” He ordered strictly, approaching the tables and collecting their exams. He approached Eliza collecting her Exam paper, still muttering under his breath. He then he took the paper from the person behind her.

It was over, nothing else could be done. When Fray had finished collecting the final exam paper, he stood at the top of the class, seizing all of the students attention. “Now, one week from now you will get your results. You will get the grade you deserve. Some of you have already passed the written exam before… but failed somewhere along the way. I wish you all the luck in the rest of your exams.” He gave a pleasant grin, revealing his golden teeth. “You may leave.”

Eliza waited until the crowd tinned down and the room was almost empty before approaching the doorway. Outside she saw Balin with a new pair of dorkier glasses than she had left him with.

“Oh, so you got cut down…” She smiled approaching him.

“No thanks to you,” He sighed beginning to walk with her. “How’d it go?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll get over 50%.” She smiled, seeing his reaction she immediately stopped.

“Eliza…” He sighed, they stopped in front of the open elevator. “You’re too carefree. This could be the major flaw in your exams. If I reported what you did to me out there--”

“It was a joke--”

“I don’t care! You asked for my help for private lessons, made me give that…” He pointed towards Sevick roughly. “A pass in his last exams.”

“How did I--”

“He cut me down.” Balin straightened his glasses avoiding eye contact with his student. “You need to take your exams more seriously.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” She shrugged stepping into the elevator, ignoring his gawping mouth. “You’re a pushover. You’re supposed to be a role model, but instead you take orders from your own students. Such as Sevick this morning. Grow a spine and be able to stand up to people.”

“So, you want me to tell Headmaster Weldon, that you assaulted an Instructor?” The young instructor asked raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t care.” The elevator closed leaving her instructor on the opposite side.

As the girl worked with her exam, confident that she would pass this time, the only sound aside from the scratching of her writing utensil upon paper had been her leather gloves. The occasional groan would emit from the material as Elle worked, for she would at times ball a fist to let her knuckles crack a bit, for she greatly disliked the feeling of having stiff fingers. She had studied long and hard for this third chance at the exam, the first two attempts at passing it obviously failures if she was still here. She had never even gotten past the written section those two times. Despite this, she had sometimes heard others say that if she could get past the written section, she had a good chance of going all the way and passing.

From time to time, she had stopped when a question stumped her, yet she tried to answer a majority of them, finding a few of them a bit too difficult to remember to even attempt. It paid that she was quiet by nature, though for some it probably was not the best of times to have a male's tendency to sneak peeks. She hadn't bothered to wear anything more than her regular attire, the tight white jacket and the baggy pants of the same color quite noticeable in and of itself, yet the cut of her jacket was likely to draw a few eyes, as well. She didn't mind all that much, though...the fewer who passed this portion, the fewer she would have to compete with. When time was called, she cursed silently, for she had a bit to go before finishing, but not enough so that it would automatically fail her.

Tough shit for you. I don't think many people fully finished.

Those were the first thoughts to pop into her head as a female near the back of the class had shouted, Elle merely crossing her arms over her ample bosom, eyes of brilliant green closing. She huffs behind her high collar, shaking her head once to clear it of all the junk she had been forced to dredge up from the depths for this test, her trio of braids whipped from side to side before settling once more. She paid little attention as the test was collected from her, toes tapping the floor as she lets a tune she was familiar with play inside her skull, unable to listen to it here, though she was planning to head back to her room unless something came up first. Only when addressed by the teacher do her eyes open once more, scanning over the man with a quiet dislike, just as she regarded many.

Inhaling a slow breath, she kept her seat until the room had thinned to a scant few people, not wanting to have to shove through a throng of idiotic males and air-headed females. She could have put more effort into thinking a bit better of her peers, yet she had never needed to think better of anyone and no one had proved her wrong yet. She had to admit that she didn't know everyone, but she had found out enough about most to know that quite a few of them fit the stereotype, even here in this place. Pushing up out of her seat, her straw sandals make little noise as she steps away from where she had sat and moves towards the door, arms still crossed at the moment. Giving little attention to those she did pass, she seemed to exude an aura of coolness and not in a way that most people would admire. Her form of cool was the type that usually left one with frostbite if one were to stay around her for too long, as she didn't think it worth her time to get to know anyone...and so far, she'd been right, for they truly didn't want to be a friend if they didn't bother to push past the initial wall of indifference.

One brow perks as she steps out of the door, watching the exchange between what looked to be an instructor and what she recognized as one of the girls who had just taken the test, the girl moving one hand down to brush over her dark-skinned side. The leather slides smoothly over flesh, fingers curling to stop the itch that had formed itself just above the rim of her pants, going back to her usual indifference towards all. She could hear the occasional whispering about her behind her back, though it did little good. It wasn't like she actually paid attention to what others were saying about her, for she would know the truth of every lie being told about her if it got back around to her. A sigh passes hidden lips as she steps towards the closing doors of the elevator, already shut before she even walked halfway towards it. Bypassing the instructor, she moves to lean on the wall beside the elevator, stabbing at the button with one finger to wait for it to return.

Working through the paper was easier than he thought, the questions began easy and got harder and harder but Kazes pencil didn't stop writing. He continued as there was limited time, he missed out a few questions which took to much time and made do with the rest if it wasn't for the library he would probally fail.

Quickly writing the last answer as the instructor said "Pencils down." he stared out of the wind in a daydream as the papers were collected in. When he stood up straight he was considerably tall then walked to the door. He had noticed a few of the people who he had seen before yet he never really talked.
Since the exam was over he decided to change. Walking to the elevator he noticed the big breasted girl, he had heard she was tougher than most males but thought what I gotta lose then stood waiting for the elevator. He could not take his eyes off her assets, they were simply to good to be true, not sure if he was tredding on dangerous ground he removed his eyes before he found out.

The elevator seemed to take ages before Kaze spoke "Nice jacket you got." then "Im Kaze you are?" he asked casually holding out a hand to shake. He wasn't sure if this was the best idea so it was his left hand he put out incase anything happened like broken fingers, didn't want it to be his good hand if he was going on the field exam.

With a sigh, Xanthe continued to sit in his seat, filled exam before him as students here and there began to pick up their belongings and leave. Why was he sitting there? Of course, to see how many possible students he had to face on the final field exam. It was always good to see what you were up against. After all, only a handful of students could pass. If he didn't pass this round, he wasn't really sure if he wanted to take the exams again. But, in order to keep Odium, he had to pass it.

At five minutes 'til, he decided to go ahead and leave. Who knew how many of the students who left, left with a passing grade. At least he could be somewhat prepared. None of the other students looked like the type to focus on strategy at all. Stretching in his seat, he picked up his test and handed it to the instructor. Upon reaching the elevator, he quirked a brow at a frustrated teacher, pausing to wait for the doors to ping open. .....I have to get Odium back........Fucking pact.... The scar across his chest stung like a mother, but he'd slowly become accustomed to the contant searing since his Guardian Force unjunctioned.

Next was the field test, to acquire a GF, even though he already had one. What would happen to the second one? Weren't you allowed more than one? Honestly, he only had eyes for the interesting ones, but really, it sounded like a waste. One of the students nearby began speaking, and though he tried to drown it out, he realized the guy was going to hit on her. His eyes seemed to focus on the girl's chest, which was fairly well-endowed.

Sevick ran though the questions faster then he thought he would. but then he came to questions about the GFs and thier powers when he saw one name, Ryaia something flashed into his mind. The night before He had a dream of a dark fairy telling him all was ok that she would only chose him pass or fail. The Fairy's name was Ryaia.

Sevick then heard the teacher say it was time to stop and sighed with what he got done he would have to get a lot right. Sevick slowy passed his paper in then followed the crowd out of the room. But he held back a bit as he saw Balin speak to the girl that was in front of him.

Sevick waited till the Girl left before he walked up to the man bumped him and picked his pocket.
"Oh sorry" Sevick said as he vanished into the elevator.
"Hey come back here!" Balin said but it was too late.

As she waited for the elevator to ascend once more, she kept the tune playing in her head, but to keep her mind fresh, she also ran through some of her training routines. Jabs, kicks, feints, and even the occasional headbutt pop through her head, keeping in mind the opponents she had fought in those spars. Most of her work was done on a heavy bag, though when she could manage it, she did fight with a human partner, always multitasking even if it seemed she did nothing. It kept her mind fresh and stopped her from getting slow, the girl's logic stating that if she could keep her mind in top form, she could process things a bit faster in any given situation than someone who let their brains get slow and sluggish.

Someone's watching you...open your eyes.

She didn't truly know why her brain worked on such a path, but any time she was keeping herself busy, that small voice that would have been another's conscience seemed to keep watch on the outside world. When she was watched, she could feel a prickling at the back of her neck, no matter where the gaze came from. Green orbs open slowly, tracking to the nearest person, noting that their eyes weren't watching her face for a scant few seconds before they flick upwards. That immediately caused her to tense, her eyes narrowed as her hands clench on his biceps, though it would have taken a perceptive gaze to catch the very slight crinkling of the material and good ears to hear the gentle groan of leather stretched tight over her knuckles. It would have irked her less to note the path of travel being from her face to her chest and not the reverse, but that was a rare occurance. Her nostrils flare, emitting a slow breath from her nose that warmed her neck as it caught in the collar, letting her gaze wander to the other as he approaches even as the first speaks.

"The wise man keeps his gaze to the woman's face...the fool ends up with broken fingers. Remember that well and you might just get by unscathed, Kaze. The jacket was a gift and my name is Elle. I'm sure you've heard other names for me, though."

She shrugs, untangling her arms from across her chest to extend one hand, taking his to shake as her eyes seem to bore into his skull, both intense and seemingly deadened, which was an odd combination in itself. She was talented at hiding her feelings unless one were a telepath or intensely perceptive, her grip as she gave a firm shake proving that she was not one to be trifled with. She was no pushover, not the typical fragile female, as one might think. Though she had an entirely feminine figure, she didn't truly think of it so much as pretty...to her, it was useful. To draw attention to her assets and not her actions was a priceless tool, though it proved ineffective against another female. Some males could ignore their natural instincts, as well, which proved a nuisance, though not something she found difficult to deal with.

Relaxing her tight grip from his hand, she pulled hers away, arm rising as the other moves to her wrist, pulling her leather glove tighter upon her hand once more. She flexes her fingers before her face, tracing one upon the high collar of the coat, giving a nod of satisfaction as she crosses her arms once more beneath her bosom. Her gloves fit truly like a second skin if pulled sufficiently tight enough, granting minor protection whilst sacrificing minimal touch sensitivity. At the ping of the elevator, she takes a step to the side, glancing once over her shoulder to ensure no one was in the elevator as the door opens, stepping backwards into it, assuming the others would follow. She moves herself towards the back, situating into a corner of it, waiting and watching from above the collar, green eyes seemingly relaxed in their half-closed state, yet alert between the lids. It was out of habit that she was so uptight, assuming that all men wanted the same thing. She did not trust the male species to care for anything more than her figure, just waiting to be proven wrong, though that would take some doing. Her lips part, emitting an almost inaudible sigh, speaking quietly.

"Well, come now, kiddies. Door's open and waiting for your entry."

A week passed, and Eliza awoke slumped in the corner of her bed. Her hair messed up and her face stuck to the pillow her head rested on. She got up lazily, fixing her hair and tying it up in the usual black ribbon. She quickly threw on whatever clothes she could find and began to wash her face. She swung her gun around her back (Making sure it was on safety), letting it hang off her neck as she left her dorm.

Eliza’s week had been at the best, dull and uneventful. Balin had cancelled all early training sessions with her because of the excuse he was busy correcting results. She tried not to put much thought in the theory she hurt his delicate ego. He, of course, hadn’t the spine to tell the Headmaster what Eliza did to him.

She pushed the door open towards the main hall. Outside the Library many students had eagerly gathered to collect their results. She sat on a bench overhearing many of the other conversations by the over-achiever students. She rubbed her eyes delicately trying with all of her power to help herself keep awake. The second field exam was to begin immediately after the results were handed out. Eliza groaned recalling the events that happened last year. The sudden humiliation she found herself to be in, her entire body shook in unease as the thought she may repeat the same thing this year.

Another twenty minutes had to pass before the Instructors would enter the hall, to hand out the results and brief them on their GF‘s, rules of the exam, and what would happen in the worst case scenario. Out of boredom, Eliza was slouched on the seat, her legs hanging over the arm of the uncomfortable wooden bench. She stared at the sky through the high glass roof over their heads.

The sun shone quite brightly as Kaze walked through the garden towards the Library were the exam results were being collected. With his katana hanging by his side and the usual clean attire on as he entered the main hall, there were lots of students outside the Library.

Entered the main hall he glanced about quickly looking to see who was there. It seemed like one of those times were he would have to wait, patiences was a virtue but he never really seen it that way just more time to waste. He leaned against the small wall next to the enterance of the Library as he waited. He was looking forward to going on the field exam if he passed, the way he perceived things was to think whats the worst that can happen and any good is a bonus.

Hopefully he could get back to training soon without much hassle.

Sevick walked into the Library and looked around at all the people there. Damn, I hate crowds Sevick thought as he pulled his hood so that is covered more of his face. Sevick boredly walked over to a wall and leaned against it. Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword he scaned the room looking at everyone.
Sevick's mind though was on the rusults of his test he felt he could pass the rest with ease as he was quick with mind and blade in battle. It was this kinda thing that Sevick wasn't so great at. He thought about what the cop had told him, "you have to pass or you'll be spending 15 years with me." He remembered that crooked smile on his face.
Whatever god hears me please help me Sevick prayed.

".....Thanks," muttered Xanthe, settling himself against the elevator wall and gazing dully at the panel. How long had it been since he'd been to the lower floor? He remembered vaguely that it had been at least a year, and it had been when he'd picked up that damn Occult magazine. Why had he become so enraptured by it that even the instructor's entrance hadn't perterbed him?

The doors opened slowly, allowing him to exit once more. He might as well head to the Library to get his results. Thinking on it twice, he slowed his pace to take up time. After searching the hall for anything that might occupy him for a few moments, he gave up his quest and went striaight for the results. He wouldn't have bothered if he didn't need the paper saying he passed to take the next section of the exams. I've already hunted down the GF I want to go for this time. It's not that interesting, but maybe the labyrinth will keep me busy. Idly, he spotted a girl practically on a bench, staring at the sky. Taking the open seat out of laziness, pale eyes skimmed the roof as well, wondering if she'd seen something particularly intriguing.

Jax sat atop a giant book case in the library, looking over the fellow students entering. He was waiting for his test results on the written exam. He thought he had done pretty well, but he couldn't be sure. One thing he had learned from all of his time at the academy was to never take anything for granted, and to never be overly sure of yourself.

Kazuki’s eyes violently studied the numbers and percentages that were written on the results of his written exam that he had taken about a week ago. Let’s see… you add all of these together…. Subtract this amount from the total… multiply it by ten… His mind continued to do the mathematical procedures that were necessary to find out what his final grade would be on the exam.

“What?! 50%? What the hell? I was sure I’d at least get a rough 70% on the test!”

As these words left his gaping mouth, others around him began to mock him, point fingers, and laugh at the public annunciation of his failing grade. It almost seemed like the entire Garden was there, some staring at him with a face that only ensured pity, others were blunt enough to laugh in his face.

Suddenly, his eyes opened up and the first thing he saw was his pale ceiling. He quickly got up off his bed, his shirt drenched in his own sweat.

“Oh God… it was just a dream…”

His panting gaze went from whatever he was looking at in his room, down to his watch.

“Ah crap… I knew this was going to happen… late again… and if I’m not mistaken, the written exam results are handed out today…”

Kazuki didn’t bother to hurry, he knew he was already late, he also figured that the Library would be swarming with anxious students trying to find out what their final score was.

His mind wandered back to the day of the actual test while he was getting ready to go down to the Library. The horror he had before taking the test, the same horror that was still there even after taking it, was beginning to come back to him right now. He vaguely remembered what the majority of the questions were, except for those few troubling ones that made him want to dig his nails into his head just so that he could scratch out the answers that didn’t exist inside his brain. He remembered he was still missing a good ten to fifteen questions by the time the professor had asked for the test papers. According to the calculations he had made, fifteen questions were quite a lot, but it shouldn’t be enough to fail him. Still, he was worried about all of the other incorrect answers he had made in the rest of the exam. As far as he knew, the score could either be a low passing score, or a horribly low failing score.

He shook off his thoughts as he tried to focus on the present. He wouldn’t give the results any more thought until he actually had the proof of his results in his own hands. Kazuki was great at field work, fighting, and pretty much anything physical. He figured the field exam would be a piece of cake, since his intellect was rather superb when it came to coming up with battle strategies and what not. His physical build was also rather sturdy. The biggest problem on his mind was his inability to pay attention during the more boring classes, like History and Literature, which greatly affected his outcome on the written exam.

He let out a short sigh as he opened the door of his dorm and began to walk towards the elevators. On his way he saw a few students who were rushing to get to the elevator, probably thinking they were still on time to be one of the first to get their results. Kazuki knew well enough that the Library would appear to be a swarm of ants fighting over the last crumb of a sugar cane as the students struggled with one another attempting to be the first ones to get their results in. He simply continued his normal walking pace as he saw others racing ahead of him.

As Eliza watched the clouds from above, another student sat beside her. At first she pretended he wasn't their until he began to look above at what she was looking at. Eliza sighed, sitting up straight. "Don't you just wish you could just stare at the sky all day?" She joked in her sarcastic tone, offering him her hand. "We haven't been formally introduced, I'm El--"

At that moment the crowd came to an immediate halt in their loud chatter. Eliza stood up, quickly forgetting about the conversation and the guy who had sat beside her. Two instructors came towards the students. They carried one box each as they moved the eager crowd out of the way.

Eliza had no expectations, only hopes she didn’t screw up too badly. As the results were passed out Eliza’s name came first, because of her surname being first in the Academy‘s role book. Without hesitation she opened the results, looking at her grade. Her eyes lit up.

“Even better than last year.” She smiled, looking at her 71% grade. “Good to know I’ve improved by that minor percentage.”

After the final papers were handed out to Lulai Zwaki, who burst into tears learning of her tragic results. A couple of instructors stood on a bench to look down on the many students. They waited for any conversations to come to a halt.

“Now, for the rest of you…” One of the Instructors spoke. “The ones that are left standing, I trust you have all picked the GF’s you’re going to capture. If you haven’t you’re hereby screwed."He paused for the laughter that never came. "Each of you have 24 hours to collect your GF. Each of your GF’s have been released somewhere in the Balamb area.” He paused, as the crowd began to rustle with excitement.

Eliza remained silent, she wouldn’t fail again. She couldn’t. The now bored, carefree look had evolved with a fierce raging determination. She had chosen the same beast who had outsmarted her last year, who had outsmarted her and left her for dead. This time she was smarter, better prepared and more dedicated.

“Your GF…” The Instructor started again. “Can be anywhere, to the forest…, the beach, Fire cavern, the mountains, the town and even the Garden. If you are unlucky enough to have chosen a water beast…, you may need to hire a boat.” The instructor smiled and turned. “Remember, it is your sworn duty to prevent any civilian from getting hurt. There have been extra SeeD’s dispatched in some locations to prevent this. If you get wounded… or lost.” His glance turned to Eliza briefly, making her feel uncomfortable. “We have issued you Flares, and tracking devices. Take them as you leave.”

Another instructor approached the crowd quickly. “Also, as soon as you get the GF.” She spoke with a strong tone of urgency. “Come back to the Garden. The quicker you come back, the more points you will get for speed. Under no circumstances are you to help another student, even if they‘re on the verge of death. You must not help them. If you do, we will know. ” She paused and then cracked her wrist, a lame attempt to intimidate the crowd, it still worked, however. “Now, as soon as your tracking device is activated by Balin over there…” She pointed to instructor Balin who returned a wave. “…Your time will begin. Good luck.”