"This is the most idiotic thing you have ever suggested, Zidane."

The dimly lit room provided no solace to the young woman's plight. The gravity of the situation at hand and her lover's arrogant smirk only furthered her trepidation. Zidane Tribal lay on his back atop a neatly made bed. Fresh bandages covered most of his bare torso and his left shoulder. Dagger shuddered as her mind drifted back to the events of the previous day.

The two had been hiking through familiar territory on their way to visit friends in Lindblum. Just outside of the small village of Dali they had encountered fierce monsters along the way. Zidane had arrogantly suggested that Dagger stay back so he could no doubt show off his combat skills. Dagger had only done so to humor the young man. Neither of the two had counted on the Fangs to call upon their kin to assist them in battle. At first, she had watched with mild enthusiasm as her lover struck each creature down with ease, but her disdain soon turned into panic as she watched him become overwhelmed. Several of the pack had begun attacking Zidane all at once and he was unable to completely protect himself from their wicked assault. Dagger rushed in to aid the theif, but she was too late to save him from the onslaught. Savage claws ripped through Zidane's back and chest as one Fang sunk his teeth into his shoulder. Swiftly, Dagger called upon Ramuh, god of thunder. While Ramuh was busy dealing with the remaining monsters, Dagger rushed to her lover's side, attempting to shield him. As the battle came to a close with most of the creatures lying dead on the earth, others running for their lives, Zidane knelt on one knee. His breath was ragged and blood gushed from his wounds. Summoning all of the known incantations for a cure spell, she focused on healing as much of the wounds as she could. She was able to heal the more superficial wounds, but soon felt too depleted in energy to conjure up another spell to completely heal the deepest of his injuries. Summoning one of her eidolons was not a simple task, no matter how easy she made it look. As Ramuh took his leave, she placed Zidane's good arm over her shoulders and assisted him the last few miles into the small village.

"Dagger, you alright?"

Zidane's face was etched with worry as he watched the young woman's features contort into a mask of sorrow and pain. One moment she was tending to the finishing touches of his new bandages and the next she was trembling before him. Perhaps it was the lewd suggestion he had made to her moments ago that broke her resolve. She had been trying so hard not to scold him for his brashness the previous day, which was something that didn't happen often between the two. Generally, when Zidane did something stupid, he got a good scolding from Dagger, which he promptly settled in the bedroom. It was a good formula that worked well for the two, in Zidane's mind, but today was an exception to the rule.

He watched as tears began to slowly fall down her porcelain colored cheeks.

"Please don't cry. We don't have to do anything, promise. I'm sorry I was so stupid yesterday, I just wanted to impress you," he pleaded.

Dagger stifled a sob as she replied, voice trembling, "Why would you ever think that you still needed a reason to impress me?"

"Because that's why guys do when they're in love. Just because I have you don't mean I can't still find time to impress you." He offered a weak smile.

The corners of Dagger's lips twitched into a smile. She could never be angry with the thief no matter how hard she tried. Slowly, she rose from the bed and turned her back to her lover. With purpose, slow and much to the thief's chagrin, she took the bottom of her blouse in her fists and began to raise it up and over her head. Zidane could only watch in awe as he witnessed what he hailed to be one of the greatest things he had ever seen. He wished he hadn't been so careless the day before. His wounds and the soreness of his muscles prevented him from closing the distance between the two lovers. He could only watch as she teased him mercilessly.

Clutching the blouse to her chest, she slowly turned to face Zidane. A light blush had spread across her cheeks like wildfire, but she was determined to give her lover exactly what he wanted.

"Look, Dagger, you don't have to do this-" His good-guy speech was cut short as her crumpled blouse hit him square in the face. With his good hand, he reached up and removed the article from his face. He stared in wonder at the beauty before him. They had made love countless times before now and yet the young summoner still covered her body with modesty. She stood, arms crossed against her chest, in nothing but her panties.

"Come here," he whispered, his voice suddenly husky in the dim light. She moved gracefully toward his form on the bed. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his abdomen flared violently. His muscles screamed and he went limp at the pain. Dagger noticed his jaw twitch at his failed attempt to accommodate her, but unbeknownst to her, he was screaming mentally at the stinging pain.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

He placed his hands on either side of her hips as she gently straddled him. "Of course. I wouldn't let a little paper cut like this ruin a special moment between you and I, darling."

"I'm serious, Zidane. If you so much as cringe I will stop. Do you hear me?"

He couldn't help, but smile at her. Did she know that she made him wild? He raised his good arm and made an X motion across the area where his heart was located. "Cross my heart."

The room became stagnant as the young woman began unzipping her lover's pants. It was as if all the air was sucked out of the room the moment she had succumbed to his charm. Once his pants were finally lying in a pile on the floor next to her own garments, she began placing small kisses against the skin of his lower stomach. She took extra time when she soon reached the dressings across his torso. Like a mother's kiss, she mused, perhaps her lips also had healing powers.

Pleasure prickled along his skin. His flesh felt all too warm as she advanced closer and closer to his own lips. The sting of his wounds soon became a dull ache as his senses were invaded with the sensation of his lover's lips against his skin, the way she smelled, and the chills she was sending down his spine each time her finger tips brushed against his sides. He pondered at how lucky he was to have someone who cared so deeply. She was hardly the soft-spoken young girl he knew from the beginning of their journeys.

Before he knew it she was at the base of his throat. Her soft, pink lips blazed trails of heated passion across his skin. She lingered at his jaw momentarily as she shifted her weight above his injured form, so as not to cause him further discomfort. The thief was becoming impatient at her slow pace, but relished in the fervent delight as his mind became clouded with lust-filled passion. Finally, their lips met in a chaste kiss that deepened with the growing tension between the two. Even the sharpest of his blades would not be able to cut through the thick aura their bodies exuded.

As their tongues battled for dominance, he deftly cupped one of her breasts and began to massage the mass of flesh between his fingers. Her nipples were the color of honey and he was all too familiar with the sweet taste of her skin against his tongue.

Dagger broke the kiss long enough to pull her panties to the side, revealing pink flesh that had become slightly swollen with arousal. She pulled back his undergarments and leaned back into a sitting position with as much care as she could muster. She winced slightly as she plunged herself down until their hips met. A sound escaped her throat even as she tried to swallow it. Her eyes fluttered closed as she found a rhythm that was both steady and gentle. She felt as if she was riding a wave of ecstasy with each rise and fall. She was quickly becoming reduced to primal tendencies each time their hips met.

She rubbed him in ways that he could only describe as a delicious friction. Zidane became aware of pressure building in his groin that begged for release, but he was determined to hold back. There was no way he was going to be sated so quickly while his lover laboriously whittled away at any remaining resolve the two possessed. Zidane attempted to relax his aching muscles as he succumbed to his lover's movements. She rarely rose to the occasion to dominate him and he wasn't one to argue with such an open door invitation to watching her body bounce atop his, even if she was taking it easy on him in light of the situation.

Her moans were turning into fevered gasps for air. The sensations soon began to splinter and fracture into millions of tiny shards that left her breathless and exhausted. Her muscles cried for relief from the less-than-familiar position she put herself in, but she found she could not be bothered to listen. Not when she was at the tipping point, about to spill over into a cavern of bliss.

Release hit them both hard. Wave after wave rocked the two as they struggled to maintain what was left of their composure. Her release blossomed as the thief grabbed her hips roughly and slammed her weary body down on his hips. The searing pain was only an afterthought as his ears were blessed with the cries of his lover, his queen, his reason to exist.

Warmth filled her as Dagger struggled to catch her breath. She removed herself from him and laid next to his sweat drenched form, head resting atop his chest.

"Zidane, perhaps I was wrong. This idea wasn't so idiotic after all," she breathed.

The thief smiled wide as he brushed a stray lock of hair from her angelic face. "See? I knew this was the kind of therapeutic response I needed."

The two remained in that position until the following morning. They set off toward Lindblum in high spirits, despite Zidane's injuries, although Zidane didn't seem to be the only one adorned with recent battle scars. He laughed quietly to himself as he recalled waking up to find the raven-haired girl icing her hips near the wash basin. The look she shot him was incredulous and could have made a stampeding herd of Zaghnol turn on their heels. He shook his head to clear any remaining memories from his head as South Gate was coming into view. Taking her hand in his, fingers laced, they trekked on together in the sunlight, taking it easy from the recent battles fought.

A/N: I'm not quite sure why, but I just recently checked some of my old stories and it would seem that this story disappeared from the website. I thought I'd add it again as I'm not sure why this story went away. Please enjoy as there aren't many good lemons for the Final Fantasy IX section. Thank you! ~Leife