Amber could count the number of times she was ever genuinely happy on one hand: when Garden took her in as a little girl. Or when she was strong enough to get her first Guardian Force. Those were happy times. Then there was when Instructor Song praised her abilities for the first time as well. The older days when she and Krystal were actually on friendly terms and weren't just barely tolerating each other's presence. Those were all happy memories that she wished to hold on to. They would mean something to her, even if it was useless to think about in the present. Or if she never said it out loud.

That's why there was something deeply depressing about being able to recall more bad memories than good. Amber remembered the aftermath of the Sorceress War. By the time she was old enough to think for herself, the war had ended. But she was there for the destruction it caused in the lives of countless thousands. Maybe even millions. She knew that it was the reason why she didn't have a family. And she knew that she was supposed to be sad about it. And she was. Sad and angry. Yet she couldn't picture in her head the family itself. A good deal of her childhood was spent wondering who those shadows in the back of her mind were…all the mirth and the laughter, but she could never match them up to a face. Adults always told her to not be so sad, and that it was okay to cry. Lots of children lost family during the war. But what was she really sad about? The fact that her family was gone or the fact that she couldn't even remember them? That was hard to tell too.

Probably why so many people talk about making a new batch of happy memories. To close the gaps and then fill the emptiness in your heart with something brand new and wonderful. Sure, there would be bad days. Horrible days even. Sometimes so horrible that it would bury the memories of your happier times. Then you're left with that nothingness inside you again. And yet people still continue to try…it doesn't stop them from making more moments to treasure and share with loved ones. They just kept going….

"Why are you hiding out on the balcony? You're willing to dance the night away with a total stranger at least once, in a crowd mind you…then you just sound the retreat and run? Honestly Amber…"

"Instructor Song!"

"What? You look so surprised."

Amber sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry. It's just that you disappeared so suddenly. And I didn't see you again for the rest of the night."

"Yes…I suppose my disappearance was rather abrupt wasn't it?" The instructor had that far off look in her eyes again. It had become rather frequent. "Well, you didn't seem all that worried when you were in the ballroom. Hope you didn't say something to scare off that nice young lady at the end there. Do you even know her name? Because you're pretty awful at that…"

And that she was. Amber had forgotten to ask. Again. That's two strikes in one week. She supposed she was just terrible at asking people. It was something to contemplate later though, because that wasn't the problem the cadet was seeing at the moment.

"Instructor, could you forget about the ballroom for now? I have to ask you something."

"Oh nonsense! That display was absolutely hilarious! The way you were floundering about the dance floor!"

"Instructor!" Amber tried in vain to keep down the blush rising to her cheeks. "I got better at the end!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"You're changing the subject anyway! I saw you and Krystal Jung get called into Headmaster Cid's office  earlier today!"

"….."

"What's going on Instructor Song?" The sudden mood whiplash wasn't lost on Amber.

"I believe….it would be best to talk about this elsewhere." Her tone was low, that spark she used to have in her eyes gone and replaced with a deep sadness. "Meet me in the secret spot inside the Training Center. Change out of those clothes first though. You'll ruin your brand new uniform if we stumble upon a monster."

"Uh, sure Instructor Song…" The soldier knew the spot she was referring to, it was the only place people could meet at night after curfew. But that spot was usually where…where-

"Stop freaking out. If you're thinking about that incident, it was your own damn fault anyway. Kids shouldn't have been out interrupting some secret lover's tryst."

"Ugh, do you really have to refer to it like that?"

"Well what else did you think it was? Heh, still can't forget the look on your face when I came and got you."

"I've experienced enough at that place…"

"Well you're going to experience more. Think of it as a sort of coming-of-age kind of ordeal."

__________

Amber had changed into a pair of comfortable jeans and a plain black T-shirt. The Training Center wasn't the type of place you dressed all fancy for, so Instructor Song had a point there. It was like an Amazonian jungle contained indoors. Only with monsters the size of cars roaming about. But there was a secret area inside. It was sealed off by a large door requiring an ID scanner, so there weren't any monsters wandering around. Amber just assumed that it was an unfinished section of the center since there were old construction barriers that littered the entrance. Garden probably never bothered to have the area demolished. Ever since the students found the place, a whole bunch of them started to use it for post curfew meet-ups.

Amber could recall discovering the existence of the secret spot when she was about 10 years old. She was in the midst of an early rebellious phase, and thought she could take anything on. So one day she got it into her head that she would sneak in to fight a T-Rexaur, the Training Center's most dangerous monster. But…she had gotten side-tracked once she discovered the door. Amber should have been thankful, now that she thought about it. If it weren't for that place, she surely would have been swallowed whole had she gone ahead with her plan to find a T-Rexaur.

Still, going inside only to see two lovesick students performing certain acts of a ual nature and screaming like banshees wasn't the best trade-off either. It effectively scarred her 10 year old mind. By the time Instructor Song found her, even bleach wouldn't have been able to erase the incident from her head. It had certainly earned its place on her list of bad memories.

"Urgh…a was NOT something I ever wanted to see…" Not that she knew what it actually was at the time. Amber sincerely hoped that no such act would be occurring when her and Instructor Song got there.

Speaking of which, she had already made it to the front of the Training Center.

"There you are Twinkle Toes. Shall we proceed?" Instructor Song greeted her.

"Twinkle Toes?....why?"

"Just because," She smiled. "You looked like such a beautiful ballerina tonight."

"Thanks a lot….now can we go now?" Amber rolled her eyes. The older woman had apparently found more ammunition to use against her.

__________

They made it to the secret area without much trouble. A few Grat creatures occasionally tried to make a meal of them, but they were nothing but child's play. While rookies might have had a little trouble with them, they were just overgrown weeds to Amber and her instructor.

Instructor Song placed her ID in front of the door's scanner. Seconds later, it slid open.

"Well kid, after you."

"…could you go in first just to make sure?"

"You can't be serious. That incident still bothers you? I mean they-"

"NO! I don't want to hear it!" The soldier's eye twitched in disgust as an unwanted flashback invaded her mind for a few seconds. "Man…."

"Fine, fine. You're such a baby."

Amber waited outside for a bit, waiting for the older woman to come back out.

She stepped out a while later. "It's fine. A couple of lovebirds scattered here and there but nothing to intense for your delicate senses."

"Phew, that's a relief. Alright, in I go."

As Amber walked inside, she immediately spotted a couple holding hands and cuddling, which wasn't so bad. The next couple she saw however…

"The ? It's like they're trying to eat each other's faces…"

"Oh hush! They'll hear you."

"I seriously doubt that…I mean…"

"Just get over here would you?!"

The soldier went up to Instructor Song, shaking her head as she did so. Another image that required brain bleach. Though not as bad as before.

"Okay Instructor Song, we're here. So spill. What's going on?"

The older woman exhaled very slowly, like what she was about to say was almost too physically painful to even speak of.

"Just call me Victoria from now on Amber…."

"Huh?"

"As of today…I'm no longer an instructor. I'm just SeeD member Victoria Song. Just like you. Hey, who knows? Maybe we'll end up working on a case together someday." The smile she gave didn't reach her eyes.

Amber couldn't believe what she was hearing. This couldn't possibly be right, but…the look on the other woman's face said otherwise.

"But…Inst-"

"Victoria."

"…Victoria."

"That wasn't so hard now was it?"

"How did this happen?"

"Well…according to a number of staff, I have been deemed incompetent as an instructor. They actually had the nerve to petition for my…release."

"You mean they wanted you fired right?"

"Yes. Fortunately, Headmaster Cid wouldn't allow it. But to appease them, he had me demoted."

"Ins-"

"Amber…don't make me correct you again."

"Er, Victoria! You can't just let them do this! I mean, you've worked so hard. Over a decade of service and this what you get in return?"

"Yes, well…while I do have many fans, I have detractors as well. But they're more within the staff rather than the student body. My status as a child prodigy never really did help to win their approval." The older woman turned to Amber and ruffled her hair, stress rather evident on her face. "We should probably go now. It's much darker than I remember it being."

"….."

"Come on."

"There's one thing I need to know…does this have anything to do with the mission in Dollet?"

"That's not important."

"Answer me!" Amber could feel pangs of guilt and regret welling up inside of her. She didn't care that she was being rude. She had to know.

"It's not your fault kiddo. I see that look on your face again. Don't assume that I don't."

"We disobeyed orders, and it got you demoted. Almost fired. That's what happened isn't it?"

"Listen…this has been building up for ages. The resentment many of the staff had for me over the years has been steadily increasing. It was only a matter of time….when Krystal Jung disobeyed orders and left her assigned post, at a major operation no less, they quickly saw that as their opportunity to take me down. She was responsible for you and Jackson, I was responsible for all of you, and to make sure that you fell in line. Jung was reckless, meaning I screwed up too because the soldiers under my command didn't respect me enough to follow instruction. That's basically what it was."

Amber knew it. Somewhere in the back of her head, she just knew it. There was something amiss the minute she saw them walking towards that elevator together.

"…I guess that confirms it. Jung didn't pass. I mean, I figured….since when Headmaster Cid called the graduates, he acted like I was the very first gunblader to make it."

Victoria nodded her head solemnly. "I shouldn't even be telling you this, but hey…it doesn't matter anymore. Besides, favoritism has always been an issue of mine." She let out a soft laugh. "We both…got chewed out, more or less. But it was in the nicest way possible. Heh, you know how the headmaster is. I lacked leadership skills. My overall assessment."

"….hate to ask, but what about Jung?"

"Krystal, for her direct disobedience of orders, is to be isolated from the rest of the student body and punished. She will be held inside the disciplinary room until further notice. So, yeah…they get me demoted, and get one of Garden's most infamous troublemakers trapped in isolation. Two birds with one stone I suppose….I can almost hear their annoying laughter."

"Damn…"

"It can't be helped. What's done is done and we should just leave it at that."

"Instructor…" Amber wanted to say something. Anything. But no words she could give to the older woman would provide much consolation.

"…what did I tell you…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. Amber had to strain a little to hear her. But it didn't seem to matter, since she had already trailed off, like she wasn't all there anymore.

They left the area without another word.

__________

The trek back was filled with a tense atmosphere. While Victoria remained insisted that Amber did nothing wrong, the younger woman still couldn't help feeling that was somehow responsible. It was true that Krystal was their squad captain, but her and Jackson didn't have to go chasing after the woman. They were every bit as reckless as she was.

"This guilt complex you have is rather unhealthy you know."

"…you're taking this awfully well." Amber had to admit that she was more visibly shaken up about this whole mess than Victoria was. Though it didn't really come as a surprise.

"I've accepted it. That's all."

"That doesn't mean that you ju-"

"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!"

"Huh???" Both Amber and Victoria whipped their heads around at the sudden cry. Victoria brandished her chain whip and started running towards the source.

"Amber! Don't just stand there! Someone's in trouble!"

The soldier shook off her shock and nodded, gunblade in hand. "Yeah, let's go!"

The cries were getting louder, and the two SeeDs found themselves ripping through trees and anything else in their path as panic rose within them. Whoever the hell was screaming shouldn't have been so far inside the Training Center in the first place, especially if they were ill-prepared. The depths of the center were meant for seasoned combat veterans only, because that's where the more powerful monsters made their home.

When Amber and Victoria reached the clearing, their worst fears were confirmed.

"T-Rexaur!!" They shouted in unison.

The dino-beast turned towards the newcomers, its massive body blocking out the little rays of artificial sunlight that shone through the forest canopy. Lying behind the two-legged monstrosity was a young woman. She didn't look like she had been hurt yet, but she must have passed out from fear.

"We have to help her!" Amber got into her battle stance, a fierce look in her eyes. It was probably possible now with all her experience to be able to take on a T-Rexaur, but if they left the girl lying there for too long something else might come and snatch her away. They had to do something. "Let's wreck that thing!"

"Hmph, not sure if you're brave or just plain stupid sometimes," Victoria said with a smirk on her face. "But I couldn't have said it better myself."

"ROOOAR!!!"

The T-Rexaur stomped towards them angrily, neck forward and jaws wide open, ready to swallow the two SeeDs whole.

Amber and Victoria split up, running further into the forest to slow the lumbering behemoth's advances.

The monster's immense size did keep it from squeezing through the thickness of the trees, but that didn't stop it from using brute force simply to knock it down. The Rex used its head like a battering ram, charging at the large stumps with all its might.

Amber could  hear it closing in, and just as she turned her head to look, the T-Rexaur's jaws were sliding right towards her.

"AMBER! JUMP NOW!!"

Amber could hear Victoria's voice loud and clear, even though she couldn't see her. But she trusted her mentor's judgment. Jumping as high as she could, Amber looked down in time to realize that she had barely escaped imminent death as the Rex's jaws snapped shut. She landed on the monster's snout, and unleashed a flurry of powerful sword strikes. The T-Rexaur lurched upwards, roaring as blood dripped from its face.

Victoria rushed to the scene, using her whip to slash at the stumbing giant's legs to throw it off balance even further. The attack was successful, and the T-Rexuar hit the ground with enough force to cause a brief miniature earthquake.

"The big guy's only going to be out cold for a short time. Amber! Grab the girl and let's get out of here!" They could have stayed and finished it off, but it was too risky. The sounds of their battle surely must have attracted attention from…unwanted guests.

Amber could already sense the presence of other hostile wildlife coming their way, and the two of them would be quickly outmatched. She gazed at the unconscious monster. Their battle would have to continue some other time. Amber darted towards the woman and carefully scooped her up in her arms.

"I got her!"

"Good, now let's move!"

__________

After finally getting out of the Training Center, Amber gently laid the girl down onto the floor. Victoria ran on ahead to take a look around the area. The guards might have been nearby. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she rejoined the younger SeeD.

"How is she?"

"I see no external injuries. I mean, a few scrapes and bruises, but that's to be expected. Her breathing is fine too. Pretty evened out. Who do you think she is Instru-uh, I mean Victoria?" Amber scratched her head, managing to catch her slip up at the last minute.

Victoria inspected the woman before them. There was a green shawl around her small shoulders, and she wore a blue sleeveless top with a white collared shirt underneath, and a matching white skirt that went below the knee. She had brown hair trimmed just above her shoulders.

"I don't know, but…" The more Victoria looked at her, the more her head began to throb. She looked at Amber for a minute, and upon seeing the quizzical look on the tomboy's face, she knew something was bothering her as well.

"Come on, what is it?"

"She doesn't seem familiar, but she kind of does. It's hard to explain. She doesn't FEEL like a stranger, know what I mean?" Amber was trying to put it into words, but wasn't very successful. Those gaps in her memory were stalling her again. Her head kept pulsing, like it was trying to remember something important. She sighed in frustration. "I've got nothing."

"I'm just as clueless as you are. In any case, we should bring her over to Dr. Kadowaki. She can treat her wounds and have a place to lie down in until she comes to."

"That won't be necessary."

Two strange looking men suddenly  appeared. They were dressed in cream colored coats with tails that extended behind the knees. A headband similar in color completed the outfit.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Amber was cautious, her sword once again drawn.

Victoria also looked ready to fight if need be, though she kept her whip at her side, not drawing it out just yet. "You gentlemen clearly are not from Garden."

"Neither is that girl. She's with us. If you would be so kind…we just want her back." The taller of the two strangers spoke up. His eyes and posture were guarded and rigid. But his aura showed no hint of malice.

Amber still wasn't convinced. "You guys just expect me to believe that or what? You were able to sneak passed Garden security…that says something. If we let you go, how do we know you're not going to just backstab us later on?"

"We do not wish to fight you, but we also have no other proof but our word. We will leave now once we get the young lady back. We won't harm you or anyone else."

Amber put herself protectively between the two men and the unconscious girl, her eyes narrowed and her body about ready to spring into action at any given moment.

However, Victoria placed a hand on the blade of Amber's sword, silently asking the younger woman to lower it.

The soldier looked at her former instructor, her face twisted in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Stay your hand Amber…we can trust them."

"How do you know?! We just met them!"

"I just know okay?! Look, I still can't explain any of this, or why I feel the way that I do. But SOMETHING inside of me is saying to let them go…" Victoria stole a glance at the girl once more. "To let HER go. You feel it too don't you?"

"Are you kidding me?!"

Victoria didn't say a word, she just continued to look at the young SeeD straight in the eyes.

Gradually, Amber lowered her gunblade. "I...argh, dammit…" She was gritting her teeth as she stepped aside. The shorter man went over to lift the girl up.

The taller one bowed his head to Amber and Victoria in gratitude. "Thank you. Rest assured, we'll be taking our leave now."

The two mysterious men sped off swiftly and silently, as if they weighed no more than a piece of paper.

Amber stared at their retreating figures, before slumping down to the floor. Victoria soon joined her.

"I don't think that's the last we'll be seeing of them. They weren't ordinary people…"

"I know, Amber. I know. But I also know that they aren't a threat to us."

"Well, I hope you're right."

"So do I."

"……"

"What is it?"

"….still haven't slept since arriving from the exam."

"Neither have I."

"…huh…"

They ended the day with far more questions than answers. An event was about to occur that was going to change the course of their lives. They could feel it in their bones.

__________

Notes: So Vic has been demoted and Krystal is stuck. And for those of you who know the game, yes, I changed the Granaldo/Raldos fight to that of one with a T-Rexaur. That flying insect was too easy. And the girl IS Ellone. I didn't want to change her into anyone else. Not sure about Laguna and company later on...maybe. Anywho, just a short update for you guys before the 31st. Happy Halloween! Make sure you don't open the door for creepy clowns and whatnot...you know what I mean.