A/n: Thought I'd try my luck on writing a lighter fic for a change and i hope you enjoy this slightly different take on the events after the game. Please review and let me know what you think!
"C'mon, We're not gonna make it in time!" He rushed the raven haired woman who was scrambling to get dressed and gather her meager belongings that she thought was necessary. There was no frustration in his voice, if anything there was the strain of holding back a chuckle as he stood in the doorway of their little dwelling. The place wasn't much bigger than the huts they had first seen in the black mage village. The front door opened into a small room with a nearly worn out couch and a shelf containing a few delicately placed books; two of which were titled Wishing Upon A Star and I Want to Be Your Canary by Lord Avon.
The single bedroom they shared wasn't any bigger, it barely held their bed and a small dresser. Despite the woman's efforts, the bedroom was never as neat as the other room. Clothes usually hung from the half closed drawers and random object could often be found littering the floor.
The kitchen on the other hand, even though it had little more than a stove and table was always neatly cleaned and organized. This was due to mostly the fact that he was no longer allowed to cook in there, not that he minded (he had never been a very good cook).
"If you would have told me sooner I would have been ready!" she huffed.
"Being Spontaneous is half the fun, besides this way I got to watch you get dressed." He commented lewdly.
She shook her head with an exasperated chuckle. "You would think as long as we've been together now, you'd be bored with it. Where are we going anyway?"
"Not tellin." He teased as he watched her struggle to get on her overalls. She had originally opted for an entirely different outfit than what she had in the past, but Ruby had insisted that the overalls were part of her style and had helped make the light blue ones that she was putting on now. They didn't stand out the same way that the orange ones had, but he still thought that they accented her curves perfectly if not a little loosely compared to the other ones. He would have preferred for her to wear shorts, and she did have a pair that she often wore around the house, but even after having spent over a year with him she was still too modest to wear them in public. At first he had thought he wanted her to get over her modesty, but now he found it endearing and honestly felt like a million Gil when he was graced by the decidedly immodest side of her that only he had seen.
"Zid?"
He snapped from his less than innocent thoughts, to seeing Dagger standing there with hands on her hips and eyebrow raised expectantly. "Huh?" He answered dumbly.
"I said, do I need to carry a jacket?" She laughed.
"It probably wouldn't hurt, though I definitely don't mind keepin you warm." He winked. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her fur lined jacket from the top of the dresser.
"Alright, I'm ready. Now can you tell me where we're going?" She asked, growing impatient.
"Nope." He replied simply and led her out the door, closing it behind them. The pair hurried toward the now well-worn chocobo tracks and Zidane reached into his pack and pulled out the familiar foul smelling vegetable that she had always hated being anywhere near, but that their golden feathered friend loved immensely.
He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly, the note carrying across the plains and meadows. They waited expectantly, and weren't disappointed as a Golden chocobo came into view galloping toward them.
Dagger couldn't help but smile warmly as the large bird, dubbed "Choco" by Zidane, came skidding to a stop before them. She reached out to pet its head as it leaned toward her expectantly. When she had first met Choco, she had been more than a little terrified of it. She would admit it had a lot to do with growing up in the castle sheltered from pretty much everything larger than regular pets. But mostly it had been its bright red plumage. She had never even heard of a chocobos being anything but yellow, but she came to learn (with a lot of coercing on Zidane's part) that he was actually very friendly and gentle despite his large size. She often recalled fondly the many treasure hunts that Zidane had "Forced" her to go on with him. It had been equally more amazing when the bird had changed from red to light blue, then dark blue, and finally to the color she was now most familiar with.
"You ready to go on another adventure?" Zidane asked it as he stroked its side. The bird in question trilled happily and lowered itself so that they could climb on more easily. Within moment the trio could be seen rushing across the plains toward Treno.
…
"What are we doing in Treno?" Garnet asked curiously and with a hint of dread as they walked through the front gate of the city. It had been a while since they had been in Treno. When they did come, Zidane usually played and subsequently lost at the card tournament while she sat and talked with Dr. Tot. It wasn't that she minded him playing in the card tournaments as he didn't do it all the time, even though it usually lasted at least a few hours, she enjoyed her time with Tot. Aside from Cid, he had always been like a father figure to her. No, it wasn't that she minded, it's just that she wished he wouldn't lose pretty much all of their money in the process. She had even been forced to borrow money from Tot on more than one occasion just to have enough to stay in the inn for the night. The first time it had happened, she had refused to borrow money from him after Zidane had lost theirs, and had immensely regretted it as they had had to ride Choco through the cold winter night without a jacket to keep themselves warm.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna join the tournament, I just gotta pick somethin up right quick." He answered, reading her reaction correctly this time and pulling her along. They passed the weapon shop where the owner kept dangerous beasts locked below the floor for people to fight if the wanted. Thankfully, Zidane wasn't allowed in there anymore after having defeated far more of the monsters than the shop owner had intended. Despite herself, she had always found his victories both impressive and more than a little attractive. Though after the close encounter with the behemoth that he'd had, she was glad he wasn't allowed to fight them anymore.
Finally, they arrived at one of the new shops past the auction house. There were quite a few shops, one of them surely being an expensive restaurant as the smells that wafted from inside made her stomach growl angrily. What was Zidane planning? I part of her had hoped that that was where they were going, but she sighed in disappointment as he started to go into the Jewelry store beside it. "Zid, why are we stopping here? You know we can't afford anything in there…"
He offered her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Dag, I just gotta pick up something for the boss right quick." In return she shot him a skeptical look. "Zidane." She said simply. He looked at her again and raised his hands defensively. "I promise I'm not gonna steal anything, even if those self-righteous bastards do deserve it. So yea, just wait here. It'll only take a sec." With that, he pushed open the door and went inside.
She walked over to the large glass window and gazed longingly at some of the beautiful jewelry on display. She didn't regret choosing Zidane and not being Royal anymore, in truth she had always hated being confined to the castle with its very routine schedule and many stressful meetings. She hated being forced to pay close attention to everything she did lest some nobility find her actions or attire distasteful. She had been both happy and sad at how eagerly the people had accepted Steiner and Beatrix as their new king and queen. In just the short time that they had been ruling, they were doing an amazing job at it. They had already accomplished things that she had desperately wanted to do, but had failed. In the end had she left a single good mark on Alexandria in her time as queen, or only a black stain? No, she didn't miss it. As she stared at the beautiful jewelry, she mentally scolded herself for desiring something so expensive.
She pulled herself from her thoughts and turned back to the door as Zidane walked out shoving a small flap of cloth into his pocket. "You ready to get going?" he smiled. She nodded that she was ready, and followed after him as he walked toward the town entrance. She picked up her pace until she was waking directly beside him and slipped her hand into his. His smile didn't falter, but as she watched him from the corner of his eye he seemed somewhat nervous, and he was almost never nervous. Why was he nervous? She wondered. What did he have planned?
…
He felt bad that she had had to wait on him outside in Treno, but as he placed his hand on his pocket that held the folded cloth and more importantly what was carefully wrapped within. He could have stolen it, probably easily, but he knew she wouldn't have accepted it in that way. So, he had just become the first person to have actually paid for a piece of jewelry possibly in the history of Tantalus. Not that he was still an active member. Hell, from what he had heard from the boss, Tantalus had gone completely legit as well. His reason wasn't because he no longer felt the nobles deserved it, they most certainly did, but quite simply because of the raven haired woman that was currently holding his back tightly to avoid falling off as Choco sped toward their next stop, Lindblum.
..
"Can you tell where we're going now?" She laughed as he pulled her hurriedly through the theater district toward Tantalus' new and improved "Hideout" which was now the biggest bar and theater in Lindblum. As it came into view she looked at him in confusion. Had he gone to all this trouble just to bring her here again? She didn't mind coming here, and had told him so, so why was he being so secretive?
He notices her look of confusion as they make it to the door and shot her his trademark grin. "Don't worry, I just gotta pick up one more thing, but you can come in with me this time." He can feel her rolling her eyes from behind him as they enter. Again, he feels bad that he hasn't told her anything. Pretty much everyone that knew her had learned that she hated surprises, but he and the others had thought it would be worth it and that it was something she needed. So, this time she would just have to suffer a while longer.
After taking only a few steps inside, they were greeted by an angry Ruby. "There y'all are!" she exclaimed in a huff. "You were s'posed ta be here an hour ago!"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as Ruby hurried to grab a box from behind the bar. "Sorry Ruby, we got a little bit of a late start."
"Well, what are ye standin' around for? Let's go, you both still have to get ready!" She replied, hurrying out the door
"Get ready?" Dagger asked, turning and looking pointedly at Zidane. "Tell me what's going on, Zidane."
"C'mon!" He replied simply, pulling her along with him again as he followed Ruby. After a few yards, she pulled her arm free and glared at him crossly. "I mean it Zidane, tell me what's going on."
He sighed, and looked at ruby who was impatiently waiting for them up ahead. "Just trust me, I promise it will be worth it Dag, just a little longer."
She stomped he foot stubbornly, not moving.
"Please trust me?" he pleaded. She let out a frustrated sigh and relented. "Can you at least tell me what's in the box or why Ruby said we have to get ready? I thought we were already ready."
"Nope." He answered with a smirk, the pair now keeping up with Ruby. "You'll find out when we get to the castle."
"The castle? What's happening at the castle?" to her dismay, he seemed intent on ignoring her, and apparently Ruby was in on it too.. So, she gave up and resigned herself to whatever it was that they had planned for her.
...
When they arrived at the castle, Ruby wasted no time in hurrying Dagger to the guest room, while Zidane went to the second guest room where Blank was patiently waiting and holding a shot of whisky. He wasn't wearing any of his usual outfits, and was instead wearing a neatly tailored black suit. Zidane couldn't help but laugh at seeing him in a suit.
"Yea, keep laughing. You're about to be wearing one too." Blank scoffed.
"I know, but unlike you I make it look good." He mocked.
"Bullshit, if there one thing I've learned about Dagger, She's blind or just feels sorry for you!"
"Alright asshole, don't forget you're gonna be the one suckin' up to Ruby, and she's not in a good mood." Zidane countered, as he started dressing.
"Shit." Blank's grin fell. "Think she'll be in a better mood once the party starts?"
"Nope." He answered.
"Dammit." Blank drawled and looked back at the whisky in his hand. "Thank the gods for whiskey."
…
"Ruby, can you please tell me what's going on now?" Dagger pleaded as she waited to Ruby to "Check on something". Ruby smiled as she walked back to her and handed her the box. "Put this on Darlin', Zidane had us make it special for ye."
She looked at ruby with surprise. "What is it?"
"Well open tha box and ye will find out!" She exclaimed excitedly.
Had this been the surprise Zidane was talking about? She felt an excited nervousness as she untied the bow on the box and lifted the lid. In the box was what looked like neatly folded black fabric? She gasped as she lifted it from the box, and realized it was a black satin dress. Not only that, but it was the most beautiful black dress she had ever seen. Even more beautiful than the ones she had seen nobles in Treno wearing and had silently envied. It was strapless, and delicate in its design. The material was a deep midnight black with silver accents along the edges and at the bottom of the dress on the right side were delicately stitched silver roses. She ran her along one of the petals, and realized with even further disbelief that the roses had been crafted from real silver, not just silver colored thread. She felt guilty for ever envying the other women and their expensive dresses.
"It's real purdy it'n it?" Ruby marveled.
"It's… It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen." She agreed.
"We'll, ye gonna put it on? They're waitin' for ye!" Ruby laughed.
"They?" she asked. You mean the dress wasn't the surprise? Ruby of course didn't give an answer, but turned around to allow her to get dressed. Most of the dresses she had worn were heavy and uncomfortable, but this one felt almost as if she were wearing her most comfortable nightgown. It accented her short figure perfectly while not making her feeling self-conscious. She was admiring herself with an almost a child-like giddiness when ruby turned back to her. "Yer absolutely beautiful Darlin!"
"Where is Zidane?" She asked, still smiling.
"He's outside waitin' on ye!" She laughed again. "Oh, don't forget yer shoes!" she looked back in the box, and sure enough there in its bottom sat a delicate silver pair of dress shoes with the same pattern as the dress. She quickly put them on, and just like the dress, they fit perfectly.
"Tell im I'm gonna kill im for makin me hurry!" Ruby yelled as she went out the door.
..
He didn't know why he was so nervous, he had seen her in a dress before (and out of one), but maybe it was because this one was the first one he had picked out himself. He had had to sell a lot of the treasure he and Choco had found lately, and even then he didn't have enough for it. So, despite his thieving nature, he had even helped a few of the nobles that owned shops just so they would owe him a favor. In the end it had been enough to fetch him the Dress and the necklace he had carefully tucked into his pocket. It wasn't because dagger demanded any of those things, hell if she had known about it she would have been pissed that he had spent money on her, let alone how much.
He knew she wasn't so shallow that she needed them to be happy, but he wasn't stupid either. He had seen how she often glanced at the noble women that passed by and how she often refused to go in stores that sold Jewelry or even dresses for that matter. When she had left the castle and given up being queen she had refused to take anything except the things she had during their journey together. They had offered to give her a lot of things, but she had refused saying that the money and items belonged to the kingdom. He knew he couldn't give her all the things she had in the castle, but didn't she deserve to have at least one thing that came close to her beauty?
At last, she stepped from the room and he couldn't help but stare. Not only did the dress accent her curves flawlessly, but the way her eyes sparkled.
"How do I look?" she asked with a devilish grin upon seeing his reaction.
He promptly picked his jaw from the floor and tried to stop eyeing her hungrily. "You look like a goddess Dag."
Her face flushed red at his comment and he closed the distance between them. "You do need one more thing though."
"I do?" she asked with genuine puzzlement.
"I um.. I've been savin up and helpin some people out to get you this, and hell, I know it's expensive. But I wanted you to have something nice Dag, so I got you this." He pulled out the folded cloth and held it out for her. She took it carefully and was surprised at its weight. She unfolded the fabric and sitting in her hand was a beautiful silver and Sapphire necklace that would have undoubtedly been worth a small fortune to the right buyer.
"Zidane.." she gasped. "I... I cant take this." She shook her head.
"It's nothin Dag, and I want you to have it."
"What do you mean it's nothing? All this.. its.."
He placed his hands on her sides as he looked into her eyes. He could see the tears threatening to spill. "You deserve it, and a helluva lot more for always putting up with me Dag. Ain't I allowed to want to spoil you every once in a while? And besides, it's your birthday." He finished with a grin.
She looked up at him with a mixture of disbelief and realization. "My birthday?! Gods, I completely forgot! Cid wanted me to come to-"
"Lindblum for your birthday party?" he finished cheekily.
She wiped a stray tear that had fallen with her sleeve and hugged him tightly.
No, she definitely Definitely didn't regret choosing Zidane.
