This is the first time I'm writing a fanfic in a while (at least 5-7 years). It feels good to write something just because I want to! This is a FFIX fanfic taking place 5 years after the ending of the game.
I'll refer to "Dagger" as Garnet in storytelling context, but when character are exchanging speech, "Dagger" will be used since that's what they call her. I do not own FFIX, but I wish I did because it is awesome. Enjoy!
Inseparable Hearts
Chapter 1
"How did you survive...?
"I didn't have a choice"
"I had to live"
"I wanted to come home to you."
"So...
"I sang your song."
"...Our song."
It has been five years since their heartfelt reunion. Gaia is once again at peace after Zidane and his friends had saved the world from being destroyed. Everyone has since gone their separate ways and continued on with their lives.
Quina is a famous chef all over Gaia, preparing meals at all the finest establishments the planet has to offer. Amarant took off on a journey through Gaia to continue to understand why that man was the way he was and to find out who he really wants to be. Freya lives happily in the newly rebuilt Burmecia with Sir Fratley (who is still having issues with his memory to this day, but he's getting there). Eiko lives in Lindblum with her adoptive parents Regent Cid and Lady Hilda and has since been named the heir to the throne of Libdblum. Vivi lives in the Black Mage village with his six children and his fellow Black Mages, who currently take care of the refugee Genomes from Terra.
That brings us to the heroes in Alexandria. Steiner and Beatrix are still in charge of their respective knights and have since married. Queen Garnet is ruling over her kindgom as best as she can and is keeping the peace in Alexandria, however she is not entirely happy.
After she had an emotional reunion with her hero, Zidane, he had to leave her. She was heartbroken when he left because she didn't understand why he would come back after having gone missing for a long time, to just leave again. When he left, he did it without warning, and didn't even say goodbye or that he would return. Garnet knew how this was making her feel but she just couldn't accept it.
"Your highness" Garnet snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Steiner who was looking at her, concerned.
"Are you alright? You look like you were dwelling in thought"
"...I'm fine Steiner. Just thinking about silly things that are in the past."
"...You were thinking about him again weren't you?" Garnet wanted to deny it left and right, but she couldn't. She was a bad liar and everyone knew it.
"You know me too well Steiner, then again we have been through quite a bit together"
"That is true your highness. Why don't you go see him? If he keeps crossing your mind, maybe you should take it as some kind of sign..."
"How can I go see him? I don't even know where he is. He comes back to see me and then he's gone again, without a word."
"...Your highness."
"Steiner, you're dismissed. I'll be fine, do not worry about me. I have more important things, like the kingdom, to worry about."
With that, Steiner saluted and left the throne room. He knew the Queen was far from ok and was just denying the truth to herself. She needs to realize that it's ok to feel disheartened he thought to himself. His rusty armor made quite a racket as he walked down the hall to go have a daily meeting with the Knights of Pluto.
Zidane, where are you? Why did you leave me? Don't you even know how I feel? Oh wait...he doesn't know, I didn't get to tell him. He left so suddenly...
Garnet began to feel tears form in her eyes but she took a deep breath and held them back. I'm not going to cry over him, I'll be seen as such a weak person if I do so. I'm stronger then this...
She got up and walked over to the balcony and looked down where the reunion took place almost five years ago. Everyday that passed made it harder for her to forget. Tantalus, the famous theatre troupe, had returned to Lindblum to do an encore performance of "I Want to be Your Canary" in honor of the Queen's inaguration. The play went on as normal, except Marcus was wearing a cloak on stage. That was so odd... She thought nothing of it at the time and continued to watch the play. Then the climax of the play came, where Cornelia was to run off with Marcus and start a new life without the responsibilites of being a royal.
Marcus was alone on the stage.
"Could she have betrayed me?"
"Nay, ne'er would my love speak false."
"I must have faith!"
"She shall appear if I only believe!"
"As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons!"
"I beseech thee, wondrous moonlight, grant me my only wish!"
Then all of a sudden Marcus's cloak came flying off, and Garnet's eyes widened in surprise.
"Bring my beloved Dagger to me!"
Garnet was amazed to see that it was Zidane on the stage. She got up off her throne and ran down past the large crowd to jump into his arms. She beat him on the chest for scaring her like he had, she had thought he was dead! Zidane stroked her hair and pulled her into a tighter embrace as the crowd looked on and cheered. Most of their friends were saying "FINALLY!" and other people were confused but joined in on the cheering.
Why did he leave? He said he came home to me. Zidane... Garnet fell to her knees and pulled them to her chin as she began to hold back tears.
"Zidane, where have you been all this time?" Zidane pulled away from the embrace and looked her in the eyes.
"I was hurt, really bad. I was recovering and it took until recently to come back to you."
"Zidane, I thought you were dead. Why didn't you try to contact any of us?" Garnet began to feel the tears build.
"...I'm sorry Dagger. I wanted to reach you, it hurt me so much to know that you were living your life but had no idea of what happened to me. I wanted to be here for you, beside you, to make things better but I wasn't."
"Well why didn't you try?" Garnet punched him in the chest again and started to sob softly.
"...Dagger I think we should talk about this later."
"Zidane? What is wrong with you? I haven't seen you in months and all you can say is we should discuss it later?"
" Um Dagger, that's not what I mean..." Zidane motioned toward the crowd that was still watching them.
"..." Garnet wiped the tears away and escorted herself and Zidane off the stage to the audience room in the castle.
......
" Uh oh..." Vivi looked over at Eiko worried.
"What are you looking at me for? I have no idea what's wrong!" Eiko got up and motioned to Freya, Amarant, and Quina to follow her to have a "meeting".
The group headed outside of the area where the play was being presented.
"This is just like old times..." Freya said while looking over everyone who had gathered.
"Ok everyone we need to talk..." Eiko heard the sound of rusty armor coming quite rapidly toward the group.
"HOW COULD YOU!" Steiner started jumping up and down in rage.
"Steiner, what are you freaking out for?" Eiko looked at him as if he were crazy.
"How could you not alerte us that Zidane was alive and was coming here? We could have been better prepared!"
"Mr. Steiner, we didn't know Zidane was alive." Vivi walked over toward him and encouraged him to calm down.
Steiner took a deep breath and regained his composure.
"I apologize Master Vivi, I was not aware". Steiner stood at ease and awaited Eiko to continue on with what she was trying to say.
"Did you all notice that she was upset? I wonder what he said to her, we need to make sure she's ok and find out what's wrong."
Freya and the others nodded in agreement. "Maybe now isn't the best time. She went off with Zidane, probably to talk. Let us wait and see what transpires between them."
......
When Zidane and Garnet arrived at the audience room, Zidane could already feel tension in the air.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?" Garnet yelled and ran into him crying as hard as she had cried in a long time. "I thought you were dead and you come back, just like that and act like everything is ok!"
"...Dagger. Everything is not ok, and I know that. I just, didn't want to show how much it meant to me in case you had already moved on with your life." Zidane tried to pull her into an embrace but she pulled away.
"Moved on? I tried to move on, because you taught me to! I was about to move on when you show up in my life again. I can't take this Zidane. What happened to you that it took so long for you to come back?"
Zidane backed a small distance away from the queen whose sobbing was starting to turn into tears of anger.
"After I went to save Kuja, I was attacked by the Iifa tree. I tried to get out but I couldn't. The tree knocked me out, I have no idea how long I was out for. The next thing I knew, I was seeing that blue light from my dreams and was thinking I had met my end. I felt water on my face and started to see a familiar face, Mikoto's."
Zidane started to pace around the room as he recounted his experiences to the Queen.
"Mikoto had rescued me from the tree, after Kuja used the last of his strength to teleport me out. She said I had been out of it for weeks and was amazed that I had survived. She nursed me back to health in the Black Mage Village until I was well enough to fend for myself, and to make the journey back here to you."
Garnet's crying started to soften as she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at Zidane as he spoke.
"I made my way back to Lindblum where I told the gang what had happened and that I needed to see you, so we staged the play as a surprise. Dagger, there wasn't a day I didn't think of you, all I wanted was to be by your side, and tell you how I really feel."
Zidane stopped pacing and walked over to Garnet, grabbing her hand and cupping it in his.
"Dagger, you are my beloved and you have changed me as a person. There is no one on this planet that I'd rather be with. Your smile, your beauty, everything is what makes me feel the way I do. I know I don't deserve you but I hope you'll take me as I am."
Garnet grabbed both of Zidane's hands and looked up at him.
"Zidane, there was never a day I didn't think about you. I always talked about you, and it's tahnks to you I'm the person I am today. Zidane, I..."
Zidane pulled Garnet into an embrace and tilted her chin softly towards him and kissed her very gently. Garnet took in the kiss and moved her hand up to run it through his hair.
"Dagger, I only want to be with you. I was scared I would return and you would have another man in your life".
"Zidane, there will never be another man for me, you are my one and only, beloved." Garnet pulled his mouth toward hers and took him in another kiss, this time more deep and passionate. She started to feel tears run down her cheek as she pulled away from the kiss.
Zidane lightly stroked her cheeck and wiped the tears away with his gloved hands. "So, what happens now my love?"
"I'm not sure. This is all so sudden." Garnet backed away from Zidane.
"What do you mean sudden? Haven't we felt this way about each other for a long time?"
Garnet nodded. That is true, we have had feelings for each other for a while but kept denying it, how foolish we are.
Zidane took her hand and pulled her close
"Come with me Dagger."
Garnet looked up at Zidane confused. "Come with you? To where?"
"Just come with me Dagger. We can be like Cornelia and Marcus and elope."
Garnet looked at Zidane with a look of disappointment. Is he mad? I can't just drop my responsibilites as Queen of Alexandria and run away like some love sick teenager.
"Zidane, you know I can't do that. I'm the queen and I have responsibilites to my people now. I'm sorry".
Zidane looked at Garnet as if she had broken his heart. "As you wish Da....I mean Your Highness"
Garnet felt hurt when Zidane referred to her as something other then her commoner name. He knows I can't just up and leave my people, he needs to stop acting like a child and not be upset about it.
"Zidane, you can always come see me here in Alexandria or I can come see you in Lindblum. You will be returning to Tantalus correct?"
Zidane remained silent. Did she seriously just ask me that? She just doesn't understand...
"Zidane?"
The clock in the townsquare chimed ten times to let the citizens be aware of the fact that nighttime was upon them.
"It's that late already? Well your highness it was nice to see you. Have a good night." Zidane turned and let himself out.
"Zidane wait!" Garnet ran after him but by the time she had reached the door he was gone. Now he's probably going to throw a tantrum because he didn't get his way, so typical.
The next day, Garnet went about her business, seeing suitors, talking to towns people, asking how reconstruction was going despite the fact about 90% of Alexandria had been rebuilt. I wonder if Zidane will get over it and come apologize so we can talk properly, I feel a bit foolish for how I spoke to him.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Garnet was worried about Zidane's wheareabouts so she contacted Baku, the head of Tantalus. She had hear nothing from Zidane since the day they were reunited.
Your Highness,
Zidane came back to the hideout that night depressed and in a huff, and told us he was going away, but didn't tell us where, GWAHAHAHA. We haven't seen him since. We'll keep an eye out for him. He is going to get it when he comes back, you can be sure of that!
-Baku
"Oh Zidane..." Garnet couldn't hold back the tears anymore and she started to sob the hardest she had sobbed in her life. Please come home, I need you. I can't do any of this without you...Zidane...please remember out song and follow it home...
(And there is Chapter 1! I apologize if it isn't the greatest but I haven't written anything like this in years. I hope it was alright, thanks for reading!)