I've honestly been wanting to write a FFIX fanfic for eons. I adore the game, it's my favorite out of all of the FF C:
This story takes place after the events of game with a few exceptions. Vivi's still alive and I really prefer to call our beautiful queen Garnet over Dagger. It's just, you know. More Queen-like. (And Vivi is just too darling to let die, can you blame me for wanting him in my story?) The main focus I'm heading for is Amarant and Freya, but there are other pairings thrown in like Zidane and Garnet, Vivi and Eiko, etc.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story! Thanks for giving this a read and, please, review your thoughts on it! Thank you!
IXIXIXIX
"Freya, watch out!" Zidane shouted to his companion as he swiftly blocked an attack from the side. He was tackled from behind the second the first enemy was off him. "Zidane!" Eiko cried out dramatically, casting cure spells on the downed Genome before he could even get back to his feet. "Don't worry I'll save you!"
"Eiko, cool it with the spells!"
The Burmecian knight swiftly turned around to look for the incoming enemy, but she couldn't spot it coming in from any side. Her eyes narrowed under the brim of her hat, her strong leg muscles tensing to jump up to safety. Whether she could see them on the ground or not, she was always safe in the air.
Not this time it seemed.
As Freya went to jump a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She whipped around, ready to lance whatever had grabbed her, but stopped short. It was Amarant. The scowl on his face shifted his red hair ever so slightly as he growled, "It's above you, you dumbass."
He swatted above her head before she even had the chance to muster up a response to his rude statement. She managed to look up just as his hand collided with the flying enemy and his claws caught in it's side, sending the creature flying across the open field. Freya's grip on her spear tightened, shaking her shoulder free of the man's grip.
"Thank you," She muttered, tugging her hat down over her face. Amarant simply grunted in response, rushing the two creatures ganging up on Zidane. The Genome furiously swore and shouted as Amarant kicked the creatures off him.
The young summoner glanced from the two fighting men to the knight standing on the side lines for once. She pursed her lips, staring at the older woman in confusion.
"EIIIKOOO!" Zidane cried out in pain as Amarant finally managed to help him pry the enemies from him.
"AH! Right! Sorry, Zidane!" Eiko exclaimed, going back to casting cure spells on the other.
IXIXIXIX
"We're back!~"
"Zidane! What happened to your clothes!?" Garnet gasped in concern, rushing over to her husband's side. The Genome grinned at her, despite his fancy, VERY expensive clothes being in tatters. "Aw, we just ran into a bit of trouble on our way back. I'm fine, buuuuuut," He grinned cheekily, leaning towards the young queen, "I could use a kiss to make me feel better~"
Garnet smirked and pinched the young man's cheeks between her fingers. "You DO realize how expensive your clothes were, right? When I asked you to do this errand for me I didn't mean go out in those clothes! Now we'll have to get you new ones tailored..!"
"I'm sorryyy, they ganged up on meee!" Zidane whimpered for some sort of sympathy, trying to peel the queen's hands away.
"Give it back!"
Garnet let go of Zidane and the two of them looked back towards the doors. The rest of the party from the errand had entered the room lead by Amarant. He trudged in tailed by a very angry Eiko kicking at his heels. "Gimme back my flute, you big jerk!" She exclaimed as she followed him, slamming her fists into his back.
Amarant scoffed at her, hooking his finger into the collar of her dress and effortlessly lifting her from the ground. "PUUTTT MEEE DOOOWWNNN!" She cried out even louder, kicking and waving her arms around furiously. She hardly came close to her target because Amarant held her at a safe arms-distance away from his person. Garnet sighed, rubbing her temples at the girl's screaming this late in the afternoon. The two really needed to stop that before they made a habit of it….
"What is it now, you two?" She yelled over Eiko's tantrum. The younger summoner puffed out her cheeks and pointed to the larger man suspending her in the air.
"He took my flute because I tried to heal him!" She exclaimed angrily, kicking her feet harder, "He's being a big baby!"
"I don't need your healing for a few scratches," Amarant scowled at the little girl, giving her a good shake and earning an angered shriek out of her. Garnet sighed at the two of them, gently lifting her hands. A soft green light enveloped the ex-bounty hunter, causing him to drop Eiko.
"A little healing magic isn't going to kill you, Amarant," Garnet told him after she casted the spell and managed to catch Eiko. "Don't be so stubborn all the time. You and Eiko's personalities clash when you're like that." The older man's scowl deepened at Garnet's kind advice and he simply stormed off, tossing Eiko her flute as he left.
"There he goes," Zidane whistled as the older man took off. Eiko stuck out her tongue at the other as he left, stuffing her flute back into her dress pocket.
"He cares about you like a pestering little sister," Garnet scolded Eiko with a smile, gently putting the little girl down. Despite the furious mood she was in only mere seconds ago, Eiko smiled and swung her arms back and forth. "I know!~ I have to play the part sometimes!"
"Well, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it if you filled that role with less screaming and tantrums."
"You're no fun!"
"I know. I'm not fun anymore," Garnet chuckled, patting Eiko on the head, "Hey, Vivi showed up while you guys were gone. Why don't you go hang out with him for a little bit?"
Eiko's face immediately lit up, a mischievous glint barely visible in her eye, as she turned and took off too. "VIVI!" Her yelling faded as she scampered off further into the castle's depths.
Garnet smiled after her retreating form as Zidane wrapped his arms around her waist. "Trying to get us alone, I see," He commented, waggling his eyebrows at her.
"No," Garnet said, unable to resist a grin despite herself, "Where's Freya? I thought she was with you three…"
Zidane sighed, leaning his head on Garnet's shoulder. "She took off the second we walked into the castle. I thought I saw her disappear in the direction of the castle library…"
"Again?" The queen asked with a frown, "These past few days.. She's been awfully distant… It's worrying me."
"Yeah, she has and it's not just worrying you," The Genome agreed, tilting his head slightly so he could look at his lovely wife, "Want me to fix that?"
Garnet pursed her lips, twisting around in Zidane's arms so she could face him. "And what's that supposed to mean exactly?" She questioned the other, smoothing out his tattered clothes, "What're you scheming?" The young man grinned at her questions.
"Oh, nothing bad, of course! I swear on my tail!"
The Queen was about to object to the young man's lack of explanation, but, as usual, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips and took off before she could even object to whatever he had in mind.
IXIXIXIX
"What do you mean 'Freya is acting weird'?"
"I mean she's being weird! Abnormal! Not acting the way she usually does!" Eiko insisted to the black mage as she dragged him down the castle halls, "She's been doing it these past few days! I can see it! You can't hide anything from my eyes!"
"Maybe she's just sad over something and needs some time to think it over," Vivi suggested meekly to the other, "She always acts funny when she's like that, but… It usually goes away when she sorts her feelings out-"
"But it's not sadness!" The summoner cut in, stopping in her steps, and whipping around to stare into the other's yellow orbs.
"I-It's not..?"
"No!"
"T-Then what is-"
"It's LOVE!"
Vivi was taken aback by the statement, going silent a few moments. "L...Love?" He sputtered out in confusion. "Yes!" The girl replied briefly before snatching his hand up in her's and taking off down the hall again.
"H-How do you know that for sure?"
"Women's intuition!"
"But you're just a girl-"
"SHUSH!" Eiko hissed at the black mage, holding a finger up to her lips. Vivi promptly shut his mouth, not wanting to upset the other by speaking out of hand. The young summoner stopped next to the door to the castle library and poked her head inside. She kept her finger to her lips and dragged the other inside the library with her.
Neither of them made a sound as they slipped inside. Eiko crouched low to the floor and slunk across the room to the stairs that lead to the second level of the library, so Vivi did the same. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the Burmecian's back facing the two of them. She was sitting at one of the tables hunched over something, her coat hanging off the back of her chair and her hat sitting on the table next to her.
"...What're we doing here?" Vivi whispered quietly once they were on the second level. Eiko moved across the floor until she was in a perfect spot to survey Freya from above. "We're observing!" She hissed back, crouching in her selected spot. She pressed her face against the bars, staring down at the rat woman. The black mage plopped down next to her, training his eyes on Freya too.
The Burmecian sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was hunched over something, mumbling uncertainly to herself. "...Looks like.." Eiko mumbled, craning her head a bit to try and get a better look, "She's got… a letter!"
"A letter?"
"Yes, a letter!"
"How can you tell?"
"I just can, all right?- Oh! I bet it's a love letter! That has to be the thing she's been acting strange over lately!"
"I feel like you're just making a lot of assumptions here…"
"I already told you! Women's intu-"
Eiko squeaked when the door to the library suddenly opened. Despite them being on the second floor, she ducked down low to the ground and shoved Vivi down with her. "Get down! It's Zidane!" She hissed, practically splayed out on the floor. She pushed Vivi pretty much face down onto the tile too, squashing his hat down so it was less noticeable.
Zidane waltzed into the library, tail flicking mischievously as he approached Freya. "Hey, Freya!" He said, hopping up on the table next to her. "What's up?" The knight jumped slightly in surprise, looking up at the Zidane with a hand to her chest. "Don't scare me like that, Zidane," She scolded, giving the other a good whack on the side, "The doors in here don't make a sound! I nearly had a heart attack."
"Ow! Hey, I get enough of those from Garnet!" Zidane said jokingly, snickering a bit when she hit him.
"I'm sure you do," She said, cracking a bit of a smile for once in what seemed like ages, "What do you want from me this time, huh? Need me to bail you out? Money?"
"No, no- Nothing like that, my good friend!" The Genome assured her, giving a smile of his own when she did, "Amarant kinda saved my ass back there today."
"So, he did." She said promptly, picking up a piece of paper she had in front of her and folding it up, sticking it away in her pocket.
"He kinda saved your ass too and you seem kinda down-"
"Get to the point, Zidane," Freya said quickly, leaning back in her seat. Her smile faded and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest in mere seconds. That had hit a nerve. Zidane had enough experience with women to know that he was toeing a very dangerous line when he saw that body language. With the way Freya had been acting lately, it was easy to get on her bad side.
"I was thinking I would treat Amarant to some drinks, you know, to pay him back," He said, quickly dismissing the topic, "And I thought that it might do you some good to come with us! You can't keep cooping up in this library by yourself- You'll drive my wife crazy."
Freya's posture relaxed at the sound of the offer she was presented instead of being prodded at about her the reason for emotional state. She contemplated the idea of going instead of sitting around by herself. "...I don't know," Came her tell tale response after a few moments of silence.
"Come on!" Zidane pleadingly groaned, "It'll be fun, I promise!"
"It'll be fun?"
"Yes! Don't be a stick in the mud!"
"If anyone here is a stick in the mud, it's Mr. Coral."
"MISTER Coral?" Zidane made a face, looking at Freya as if she was crazy, "Don't call him that. It's weird hearing you say Amarant's name so formally." He scooted closer to the Burmecian woman and nudged her with his tail, "Really, come on. Just listen to yourself! You, my lady, need some drinks! A.S.A.P!"
Freya gave a groan of her own, leaning her head back to look at the ceiling, "...Fine."
"Yes!" Zidane exclaimed in success, jumping to his feet.
"Just this once!" The rat woman insisted, standing up herself.
"You won't regret it!" He assured her, offering his arm to her in joking politeness.
"I better not," She replied, pulling on her coat and hooking arms with Zidane as she placed her hat on her head.