A Little Bit of Hope

a/n: GAH I'm sorry to all who read Cheat the System or Beatrix…. I really am… I'm working really hard on the next chapters for those… but all these new ideas keep pestering me. Sorry…I really am.

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"I love you…" She thought to herself as Zidane's figure became further off into the distance. She did not want to cry, in fact, she wanted to pretend she did not love him at all. She could not show weakness, she was a queen now. She had to remain strong through every struggle, for her kingdom. However the inevitable happened, tears streamed down her face as her love disappeared with the growing distance between the ship and the Iifa Tree.

She watched as she saw the great roots rise up into the sky and pummel the ground beneath it. Great clouds of dirt rose into the air and horrifying crashes were heard from the crashing roots, making the young queen attempt to leap overboard to save the man that had saved her many times before. " ZIDANE!!!!" she screamed as she felt two strong arms pull her back on board.

"Don't be stupid, Dagger!" she twisted in the arms of her capturer to see Amarant.

She released her self from his grasp and backed up to the wall of the ship, "I can't just stand here while he dies!"

"Do you think it's any easier for us?" Eiko stood with her weight shifted to her right, and her arms crossed, "I love him!"

"We all do," Vivi adjusted his hat, "I wanna go back as much as Dagger, but he asked to do this alone."

They heard another crash and Dagger slid down the wall of the ship to sit. She began to sob, "He… he… he is my weakness… he is my everything… he... I… love him."

No one was surprised by her comment, they all just stared at the sobbing queen… attempting to find some way to help their broken friend. Dagger continued, "I've never… I should have… we…" She broke out once more into uncontrollable sobs

The group of heroines found themselves at a loss, they had no words of encouragement for her, they had nothing to put her back on her feet… that was something he used to do. They were so lost.

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"…and so, Uncle, we defeated Necron." She swallowed deeply before the next words, "Then Kuja saved us from the roots… and when Zidane found out that Kuja was still alive… he… he…"

"He went back to his…brother." Freya finished Dagger's comment after seeing how hard it was for Dagger to finish it herself. They had been brought to Lindblum for the night. Obviously, Dagger was in no shape to see her country yet, and the rest of the group decided to stay together for a bit more. A conference had been held for all those involved to hear the end of the story straight from the heroes. Tantalus was included in these and after hearing about Zidane's journey into the unknown, Blank spoke up, "Is Zidane… dead?"

A sob came from Dagger, and Freya pulled the young queen into her arms. Amarant brought his back up off the wall he had been leaning on, and answered Blank's question, "It's highly likely that Zidane didn't make it out of the Iifa Tree."

A loud sob was muffled into Freya's chest, and Freya pulled Dagger in closer to her, "Amarant! Stop talking like that!"

"NO!" Amarant waved off Freya's comment, "Dagger has got to face this! She can't sit around mopping! She has to suck it up and be a queen. Zidane. Is. Dead. She has to learn to cope with it now!"

Dagger began digging her nails into Freya's back as the coldness of Amarant's comment stung her. She sucked in air and took in his words.

"He is right." Mikoto joined in, stepping forward, "Even though the gnomes may be stronger than humans, it would have been impossible for Zidane to make it out of the tree. Even if he made it through the collisions… there is no way he could have ever gotten out of the roots."

Another sob was heard and Freya could feel Dagger digging deeper into her flesh. She winced a bit, but she too had lost a lover once, and let Dagger continue. Vivi's heart pounded… he was hurt as well… but Dagger needed someone to stand up for her. The young mage knew exactly what he needed to do to help Dagger… exactly what Zidane had taught him. For the first time in his life, Vivi was going to stand up for his beliefs, without Zidane egging him on. He straightened his back and stepped forth into the mess of arguing adults, "All of you!! Dead or not… Zidane wouldn't want us arguing like this! Nor would he ever want to see Dagger in this condition!" They all took in the sight of the small mage and stepped back, giving Vivi the floor, "We're all a little frustrated, angry, and all sorts of other emotions! We all just need some time!" He turned to Amarant sucking in his last bit of courage, "AND YOU, AMARANT! HOW DARE YOU! You haven't the slightest clue what Dagger is going through!!! She's a new queen, trying to pull her strength from thin air! Zidane always gave her strength and now, HE'S GONE!" Vivi fell to his knees putting his head in his hands, and soon the group heard sobs from the small boy. Dagger soon released herself from Freya's arms and kneeled next to her friend. Tears still flooded from her eyes and she pulled Vivi into her arms, "Thank you, Vivi." She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked over at Amarant, who still stood in shock that the young mage had spoke to him in such way. She bit her lip and gave a week smile to the crowd, "I'm going back to Alexandria tomorrow, my country needs their queen… I just need tonight to try to pull myself together. Is that okay with you, Uncle?"

Cid nodded and looked out at the conference room, "This meeting is adjourned."

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She slid against the wall next to the telescope. She cursed herself for being there of all the places she could have gone, she chose the place that reminded her of Zidane the most. She sighed and remembered her promise to Zidane.

Zidane hopped up onto the wall, "Okay, how about this? If I get first place in tomorrow's hunting festival, you and me'll go out on a date!"

Dagger stepped forward as Zidane almost fell from the wall, "How does that have anything to do with me?"

He begged her, "Come on. Pleeeeaaaase!"

She nodded as he hopped from the wall, "… fine."

"Okay! It's a date!"

She smiled remembering how he won the competition… and she never gave him that date. She frowned thinking she might not get the chance. She felt tears run down her face once more, guilt for not telling him how she felt rising inside of her. If she would have just told him…

"YOU DAMNED FOOL!" she tilted her head back, screaming into the air.

"Are you talking about my boy?" she turned to see Baku with one foot on the stairs heading up to her.

She hugged to her knees to her chest, "Your boy…?"

He sneezed and made his way up the stairs and sat leaning against the other wall, "Yep, my boy, Zidane. 'id he not tell ya'?

She raised an eyebrow, "You raised him?"

"Gwahaha of course! Where'd ya think he got his charming personality from?"

She smiled. Of all the talking Zidane did, he never once told her he was adopted… nor that Baku raised him. She sighed, "I'm sorry… I should have told him… If I did he would be here right now."

"Tell' im what?"

She sniffed and looked up to Baku, "that I loved him."

He smiled a bit and looked off at the stars, "I don't think that would've stopped 'im. That boy's gotta hard head, hardest one I ever seen…. But cause of that hard head, he saved the world." He looked back at her, "and caught his first canary… he hasn't caged 'er yet… but I'm sure that hard head will help 'im find his way home to get 'er settled in a new cage."

She smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around her knees, "even if he is impaled with a root?" she shivered as more horrifying images of anyway that Zidane could die flashed in her mind. And her smile was replaced with a frown and tears formed in her eyes once again.

Baku took notice. He couldn't help but feel horrible for her. He agreed with most, there was no way Zidane could have made it out alive. How could he give her strength that only Zidane could only give her once before? He scratched his beard and leaned forward, what could he say that would calm her? What could he do to give her strength?

Baku didn't even realize he had already given her the strength she needed, that fact that Zidane had loved her was enough for her. She knew that if he did see her a his 'canary' that he really would be coming home, Zidane had a mission. She decided that if he died he would find a way to resurrect himself to be with her once more. She leaned back and looked to the two moons, "I think he'll be alright."

"Why do ya' say that?" Baku said intrigued.

She stood and smiled to Baku, "Zidane always keeps his promises." She brushed herself off, "Even if his body was chopped into two separate pieces, he'd use his last bit of strength to sew himself back together, because he had mission. And like you said, this canary needs a man to help her rule a whole a country" She smiled once more at Baku and turned to leave, "Plus, I owe him a date."

So Dagger walked off with what little hope she had in her. But it was all she needed, she knew her headstrong love would find his way back. She would use that little bit of hope to go home and rebuild her country as well herself, to become a strong woman. She would wait, not just because she loved him, but because he always kept his promises.

All she needed was that little bit of hope that Baku didn't even realize he gave her…

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A/n: this on was supposed to be longer. But meh. I like it. I promise I'll be posting a new chapter of Cheat the System soon… Sorry. ::looks at watch:: oh crap! I'm gonna be late for work! Oh please R&R!!!