Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX.... SquareSoft© does... we owe it all to them....
Dedication: To all who love me and my stories....
~**~Love Will Grow~**~
He was gone. There was not a single thing that she could do but weep, grieve and weep some more. He had perished from fighting a family member who wanted to have it all; Gaia.
Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th clutched the robe tighter to her slim figure as she continued to run through the maze of halls in the Alexandrian castle, her home. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall over and shook her head hard, willing herself not to cry, not to show any signs of weakness.
Her first love he had been, but she had never told him that herself. Now... it was too late to go back and tell him. Now... he was gone and Garnet couldn't do a single thing about it. She ran up the three flights of stairs, never stopping once to catch her breath and rest her aching legs, her heaving chest, her throbbing head.
Garnet hadn't met anyone like him in her entire sixteen years of living on Gaia. He had been kind, caring, gentle, perhaps even loving... if she had allowed him to be. She sniffled lightly and her chin dimpled in and out as she fought from sobbing. Her long dark flowing hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail with... his black elastic holding it secured.
Her soft dark chocolate brown eyes expressed how she felt, how much pain she truely was in. Garnet shoved open the door to the roof and then stopped as soon as the breeze of the warm night hit her already flushed face. The two moons hung high in the dark, diamond sparkled skies overhead, shining down on Alexandria with their glory.
Garnet looked around the dark and quiet rooftop and then hugged her arms to her chest as she began to slowly make her way towards the stone railing that overlooked the large town of Alexandria. She placed her hands to the railing and bent over it to look closely at a young couple who were arguing, yelling loud enough for Garnet to hear what they were saying from the very top of the castle.
The wind rushed past her face again and she closed her eyes against it, loving the feeling of it caress her cheeks as she tried to push aside the large lump of tears in her throat that was blocking her from breathing properly. She remembered his deep, velvety voice low in her ear as he had whispered one single word before he had left to go fight Kuja.
....Goodbye....
A strangled sob escaped her lips as her head lowered shamefully to her chest. She brought her arms to her stomach as she hugged it hard and doubled over slightly. Tears, wet, warm and yet reassuring fell down her cheeks to fall off her chin and be carried away with the breeze into the night.
Garnet sank to the ground on her knees, hunched over as she wept for the hundredth time that week. Sometimes she felt like throwing up while she sobbed uncontrolablly, probably to throw up all the love she had inside so she wouldn't have to ever go through the pain of heartache and loss.
Loved ones were being taken away from her, one by one, slowly and yet quickly. First it had been her mother, then little Eiko, and now Zidane. She had loved him with all her heart. She had loved his carefree style, she had loved that little impish smile he always gave her, she had loved him for who he was; Zidane.
She didn't care if he had been poor, if he was a Genome, she just loved him because he had been able to love her, not for her money, not for Alexandria, but for who she really was; herself. When she had first bumped into him in the Royal Hallway leading to her room, she had thought he was just some pitiful little guard that had belonged to Steiner's Knights of Pluto, but she had been completely fooled.
After Zidane had been killed and Garnet was found a few feet away from the Iifa Tree by Steiner and Beatrix, she had locked herself up in her room for weeks, vowing never to come out again. But... here she was, on top of the castle, sobbing her eyes out again.
She didn't want to believe it and she still didn't. Garnet went to wipe away her tears from her cheeks when Zidane's low deep chuckling played over in her mind, Zidane holding her hand tightly as they were being wed back in Conde Petie to get through to the Iifa Tree. ( I don't remember that part clearly.. Forgive me!)
Garnet's frail body was racked by fresh tears and pain, re-opened wounds. All these memories kept playing over and over in her mind and all she wanted was for them to stop, to go away to let her get on with her life. She knew she would never love again. She still yelled at herself for not telling how much she had cared for him, still yelled at herself for not leaning over the rest of the way to taste his lips as they camped outside the mountains after being frozen in the Ice Cavern.
She could still picture his face as he slept that night; long, dark lashes fanned out on sleep flushed cheeks, light pink lips slightly parted, slightly pursed, brow crinkled slightly as if almost deep in thought, long locks of gold splayed over eyes, over cheeks.
Garnet managed to smile through her tears at the image in her mind. He had looked so peaceful, so angelic, not really the thief he really was suppose to be. She had been told about love so many times when she was younger by her scolars, tutors, and even Dr. Tot himself, but she had never been able to experience it for herself until he had shown up in her life changing it completely.
She opened her eyes and looked up at the skies as a low rumbling shook the skies. Dark cloud filled the skies, covering the diamonds that sparkled in the moonlight, which was completely gone itself. She shivered, but didn't make a move to get up and go into the castle, in shelter.
Ligthning flashed overhead, lighting up the entire town quickly, followed closely by large droplets of rain that began to fall quickly. Garnet slowly stood up and leaned over on the railing, her chin rested on her hand as she propped her elbow up on the thick stone railing.
Garnet closed her eyes as she felt the rain pelt her face softly. Her hair was now limp and drenched in it's ponytail and hung down her back and along her neck. She welcomed the rain with open arms, as she began to back away from the railing to make her way towards the door, facing the railing as she walked backwards.
She nodded her head as she mumbled something to herself about the distance between the door and railing and how far the fall from the top to the bottom would be. As she felt the sturdy, firm door beneath her back she opened her eyes and stared at the railing, waiting for right moment to charge forward and then fly off into the air to become what she longed to be once again; free.
Free of the nightmare that she wasn't going to wake up from, free of the memories that haunted her sleep, free of everything that caused her to hurt, free to be with her loved one. Garnet swallowed thickly and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the door, trying to re-think what she had planned to do.
' This is it... there's no turning back now, there never was a chance to turn back... ', she told herself as she bit her lip hard, drawing blood into her mouth as she did so.
Garnet reached up with trembling fingers and clumsily undid the latch in the front of her collar that held the robe together. It fell from her bare shoulders to the ground with a loud plop that couldn't be heard as thunder clapped loudly in the skies causing her to jump slightly.
Her heart pounded against her chest as she tried to calm herself down from the loud claps of thunder that rang out through the sky. She opened her eyes and quickly looked at the railing before exhaling slowly and then pushing off the door to jump to her death, to be free.
Garnet watched through a blurred vision of tears and rain as the railing approached quickly and she got ready to push off the ground and then soar through the air to be free to go and come as she pleased, like the birds she sang to everyday on thw balcont. She was half way there when she was jolted forward, a pair of strong arms suddenly encircling her waist catching her completely by surprise and she screamed loudly.
She was pressed back against a hard lean body as she felt herself go completely stiff and still in the arms that still stayed around her waist. Garnet swallowed noisily and closed her eyes as she began to cry again, thankful for the strong arms around her waist, for she was going to sink to the rain soaked ground.
Garnet felt the arms tighten around her waist and it made her cry harder. She wished so hard that it was Zidane holding her, comforting her, telling her not to cry anymore. She was about to turn around and push the unknown person away from her so she could run the rest of the way towards the railing, but she felt the person place it's head beside hers, nuzzling their warm cheek to her ear, to the side of her jaw.
" ...Dagger... ", a low voice whispered into her ear, causing her to go as still as a marble statue.
Only one person called her by that name and that person was dead... long gone. Or was he.....?
Garnet sniffled lightly and then slowly turned her head to the side to glance at the person who had said her name out the corner of her eye, his lips brushing against her cheek as she did so. She couldn't quite get a good view of his face, but she jerked back slightly as his lips brushed her cheek. So tender. So soft they were.
She then fully turned around in his arms and looked up into the face. Garnet blinked. She couldn't believe it. Her face paled. She began to tremble. With happiness? Anger for him supposedly dying? At her stupidity for almost throwing away her life when he was still alive? She could not tell, she was too shook up to think about anything now. All she could do was stare at him, her eyes searching his face desperately for an answer.
Zidane Tribal looked at her, watched as she searched his face. He flashed her his usual impish smile but added something in it that made her eyes light up magically. Garnet's bottom lip trembled and she closed her eyes against the tears again as she began to pound his chest viciously, allowing all her hurt, all her anger, all her pain to be put in with her slammings.
" How could you?! You left me! You left me to waste away... ", she shouted at him angrily.
Zidane just chuckled at her and didn't even flinch, acting as if she were tickling him. A sob escaped her throat and Zidane stopped chuckling. He stared down into her pain filled face and felt his heart ache numberously. Garnet lowered her head and cried softly behind the hair that fell from the ponytail.
" I... I thought you were dead. Please... tell me this isn't a dream and that you're real... ", she begged lightly, whispering, finally breaking the silence between them.
Zidane looked down at the top of her head and nibbled on his bottom lip, remaining silent. Garnet looked up at him with a confused look as the tears continued to slip down her cheeks mingling with the rain that continued to fall. Zidane gave another little chuckle and lifted a hand.
He placed it to cup the side of her face tenderly and he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. He looked down into her eyes, staring deeply, as if giving her encouragement.
" I'm real, Dagger... I'm alive.... ", he assured her, his eyes searching her face this time.
Garnet let out a little sigh of happiness and she brought her hand up to cover Zidane's. She gave it a gentle squeeze and closed her eyes as she leaned into his hand, loving the feeling of his ungloved hand on her skin.
Zidane watched her and a smile came to his lips. He was here. He was home. He was with Dagger. His precious Dagger. She opened her eyes and looked up at Zidane suddenly wondering what he was thinking. His hand slid from her cheek to hang at his side. He slowly began to lower his face towards hers, his eyes open, watching her as she watched him.
Garnet looked at his face, memorizing every angle, every patch of soft baby smooth skin as he lowered his face to hers. Zidane was only a few centimeters away when to his surprise, Garnet jerked back from him, leaving the comfort of his arms. He lifted his head back up and looked at her, confusion etched deep in his forest green eyes.
A smile tugged at the corner of Garnet's full, lush lips as she watched him watch her with a strange look on his incredably handsome featured face. Her face suddenly went serious as something inside of her deep down urged her, yelled at her, cried out to her to do it. Garnet quickly walked up to him, reached up to grab his chin in her small hands and bring his mouth down onto hers, kissing him with a wild demand, wild passion that surprised even herself nevertheless Zidane, who's eyes went wide for a moment before returning the kiss with just as much passion and longing.
' My God... this is heaven... '
Zidane wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her body up to his, pressing the length of it to his, trying to fit every one of her soft curves with his hard angles, trying to make it all work out nicely. Garnet linked her arms around his neck and pulled him down even farther, deepening the kiss by gently caressing his bottom lip with her tongue.
His lips parted slightly for her as she slipped her tongue into his mouth and invaded him whole. Their tongues met and danced to a fiery duet that only them two could accomplish as the thunder and lightning behind and all around them danced to their own stormy duets.
Garnet arched her back, pressing her body deeper into Zidane's, her demands beginning to grow. The rain suddenly stopped and Zidane regrettfully pulled his mouth from Garnet's so he could breathe for a moment as he looked at her slightly flushed cheeks and quivering lips.
Garnet blinked and reached up behind her head to tug the hair that was being held up by the ponytail, letting it cascade down her back and around her shoulders. She sighed lightly and shook her head while watching him watch her as she tried to run her fingers through her hair, trying to rid it of the tangles.
Zidane tilted his head to the side and then looked over her shoulder at the railing, then back at her, " Dagger... why were you running towards the railing? ", his voice low and full of concern.
Garnet suddenly brought her eyes downcast and looked at her feet, as if suddenly taking interest in them, " You left... so I wanted to join... you... "
Zidane cocked an eyebrow and frowned, " I didn't leave you, Dagger.... I-I... ", he stopped and brought his own eyes downcast, her demanding and needing kiss still lingering on his lips, leaving them to feel bruised.
Garnet inclined her head and looked at him, " You what, Zidane? "
Zidane shook his head and waved a hand through the air, " Ah... forget it... ", he mumbled lightly.
Garnet pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips, " What? I'm not going to stop bugging you until you answer me... "
Zidane chuckled at her again and then looked at her, " And I guess that if I don't fess up, you won't stop bugging me, huh? "
Garnet couldn't help but smile, " Yes! So.... spill, Zidane... "
Zidane licked his lips and then self-consciously brought his arm up as he reached behind his head and scratched his neck. His fingers brushed against the clasp of a necklace he wore and he lifted his other arm so he could undo it. The necklace fell down his chest and landed perfectly in his hand.
He stared down at it, the heart-shaped locket glittering in the moonlight that was beginning to poke through the dark clouds. The words ' I love thee... ', were deeply engraved on the cover as Zidane studied it more closely. Rose-Gold was what it was made of... 24k Rose Gold...
Garnet tried to glance at what Zidane was holding, but he was making sure that she didn't see it. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him.
" You are going to.. spill anyday, right? "
" Huh? Oh... yeah. "
"..."
Zidane brought his eyes up to meet Garnet's. He smiled lightly but his eyes went serious. They filled with something that Garnet had seen before.
" Dagger... you remember how back at the Iifa Tree, I wanted to say something to you? But... I just ended up saying goodbye... "
Garnet remembered that day like no other. It was the one day that had killed her heart, shattered it to pieces. She nodded and swallowed thickly, " Y-yes... what was it? "
Zidane chuckled, " Well... I don't know if you're going to think I'm crazy or something... but, when I first bumped into you in the Royal Hallway, I fell for you at sight.... I'm in love with you. I love you, Dagger.... "
' He loves me?! '
Garnet blinked and Zidane thought she was going to faint, but she didn't. She looked at him and a smile spread her beautiful lips as she felt tears brim her eyes once again, but they weren't sad tears, they were tears of happinesss.
" Z-zidane... I... I don't know what to say... ", she whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth.
' Say you love him, you idiot!! '
" Say you love me.... ", Zidane replied lightly taking a step towards her.
" I love you, Zidane.. "
" Say you'll marry me... ", his request came out soft as he quickly reached out to capture her waist and pull her close.
Garnet was speechless. This was a dream! She was going to wake up in a few minutes, she just knew it, it's how all happy beginnings turned out. This wasn't Zidane, Zidane died three months ago. She was dumbstruck. She just stared at him, hoping that her answer would reveal itself in her eyes.
It didn't.
" ....yes... ", she whispered so low, Zidane had to bend over slightly to catch it again.
" What? "
Garnet suddenly giggled, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Another demanding kiss hit Zidane and he returned it. When he pulled away, he gazed down into her eyes and gently reached up to smooth away some of her dark long bangs from her eyes.
" I'm taking that as a yes... "
Garnet nodded.
Zidane smiled meekly and bent to down to steal a kiss from her tender lips, " You actually want to become my wife? ", he asked against her lips, never breaking the kiss.
Garnet nodded again and began to press kisses along his jaw.
" Aren't you ashamed to be marrying a poor thief? "
Garnet shook her head, " You're not poor anymore... ", she whispered.
" I'm not after you for your money, Dagger... I'm after you for your love... "
" And that's exactly what you're going to get... "
(A/N**: *nods* I know, I *know*!! Pathetic... *shakes her head in frustration* I think I might take this off... I was just really bored last night so I decided to write this little sucker. Whatcha think? Pwease... tell me. I want to know, I *need* to know.... was it cr*ppy? Boring? Corny? Too long winded? What?! *sighs heavily* Should I just stick to my LONG stories instead of little ones like this? *nods* Yeah.... I think so.... don't you agree? )
(2nd Author's Note: !!!!!!!! I just thought of something!! I'm still thinking about it though... I was listening to that song from The Final Fantasy Vocal Collection: Love Will Grow (Final Fantasy VII), and I got the title from that song, but... that's not why I posted this second A/N! The reason is because I was thinking of making this one into a LONG fic as well.... along with my gazillion other Final Fantasy IX fics out there on FF.Net. If I do, then this is the Prologue.... I'll change it after if I'm going to do a LONG fic. I'm just not good at short fics... I feel that they have to go on and on... actually having something behind it to run itself along... *waves* Matte ne!! I'll be back probably in two weeks with my decision about Short fic turning into a Long fic....)
(3rd Author's Note (After revision and slight editing)**: The thing with the heart-shaped necklace.... that will come later on in the fic. *nods* Yes... you heard me, I've decided to make this into a LONG fic since I'm not very well at making short fics like this... *shrugs* I feel that this isn't quite explained enough, fully, and I want to explain it more... so, I'm going to add more chapters. I hope (to the people who asked) that you're happy... *grins from ear to ear as ideas start to pour into her mind* because I'm happy that this fic makes it my 20th.... *waves* Matte ne!! This is goodbye for now... )
Dedication: To all who love me and my stories....
~**~Love Will Grow~**~
He was gone. There was not a single thing that she could do but weep, grieve and weep some more. He had perished from fighting a family member who wanted to have it all; Gaia.
Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th clutched the robe tighter to her slim figure as she continued to run through the maze of halls in the Alexandrian castle, her home. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall over and shook her head hard, willing herself not to cry, not to show any signs of weakness.
Her first love he had been, but she had never told him that herself. Now... it was too late to go back and tell him. Now... he was gone and Garnet couldn't do a single thing about it. She ran up the three flights of stairs, never stopping once to catch her breath and rest her aching legs, her heaving chest, her throbbing head.
Garnet hadn't met anyone like him in her entire sixteen years of living on Gaia. He had been kind, caring, gentle, perhaps even loving... if she had allowed him to be. She sniffled lightly and her chin dimpled in and out as she fought from sobbing. Her long dark flowing hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail with... his black elastic holding it secured.
Her soft dark chocolate brown eyes expressed how she felt, how much pain she truely was in. Garnet shoved open the door to the roof and then stopped as soon as the breeze of the warm night hit her already flushed face. The two moons hung high in the dark, diamond sparkled skies overhead, shining down on Alexandria with their glory.
Garnet looked around the dark and quiet rooftop and then hugged her arms to her chest as she began to slowly make her way towards the stone railing that overlooked the large town of Alexandria. She placed her hands to the railing and bent over it to look closely at a young couple who were arguing, yelling loud enough for Garnet to hear what they were saying from the very top of the castle.
The wind rushed past her face again and she closed her eyes against it, loving the feeling of it caress her cheeks as she tried to push aside the large lump of tears in her throat that was blocking her from breathing properly. She remembered his deep, velvety voice low in her ear as he had whispered one single word before he had left to go fight Kuja.
....Goodbye....
A strangled sob escaped her lips as her head lowered shamefully to her chest. She brought her arms to her stomach as she hugged it hard and doubled over slightly. Tears, wet, warm and yet reassuring fell down her cheeks to fall off her chin and be carried away with the breeze into the night.
Garnet sank to the ground on her knees, hunched over as she wept for the hundredth time that week. Sometimes she felt like throwing up while she sobbed uncontrolablly, probably to throw up all the love she had inside so she wouldn't have to ever go through the pain of heartache and loss.
Loved ones were being taken away from her, one by one, slowly and yet quickly. First it had been her mother, then little Eiko, and now Zidane. She had loved him with all her heart. She had loved his carefree style, she had loved that little impish smile he always gave her, she had loved him for who he was; Zidane.
She didn't care if he had been poor, if he was a Genome, she just loved him because he had been able to love her, not for her money, not for Alexandria, but for who she really was; herself. When she had first bumped into him in the Royal Hallway leading to her room, she had thought he was just some pitiful little guard that had belonged to Steiner's Knights of Pluto, but she had been completely fooled.
After Zidane had been killed and Garnet was found a few feet away from the Iifa Tree by Steiner and Beatrix, she had locked herself up in her room for weeks, vowing never to come out again. But... here she was, on top of the castle, sobbing her eyes out again.
She didn't want to believe it and she still didn't. Garnet went to wipe away her tears from her cheeks when Zidane's low deep chuckling played over in her mind, Zidane holding her hand tightly as they were being wed back in Conde Petie to get through to the Iifa Tree. ( I don't remember that part clearly.. Forgive me!)
Garnet's frail body was racked by fresh tears and pain, re-opened wounds. All these memories kept playing over and over in her mind and all she wanted was for them to stop, to go away to let her get on with her life. She knew she would never love again. She still yelled at herself for not telling how much she had cared for him, still yelled at herself for not leaning over the rest of the way to taste his lips as they camped outside the mountains after being frozen in the Ice Cavern.
She could still picture his face as he slept that night; long, dark lashes fanned out on sleep flushed cheeks, light pink lips slightly parted, slightly pursed, brow crinkled slightly as if almost deep in thought, long locks of gold splayed over eyes, over cheeks.
Garnet managed to smile through her tears at the image in her mind. He had looked so peaceful, so angelic, not really the thief he really was suppose to be. She had been told about love so many times when she was younger by her scolars, tutors, and even Dr. Tot himself, but she had never been able to experience it for herself until he had shown up in her life changing it completely.
She opened her eyes and looked up at the skies as a low rumbling shook the skies. Dark cloud filled the skies, covering the diamonds that sparkled in the moonlight, which was completely gone itself. She shivered, but didn't make a move to get up and go into the castle, in shelter.
Ligthning flashed overhead, lighting up the entire town quickly, followed closely by large droplets of rain that began to fall quickly. Garnet slowly stood up and leaned over on the railing, her chin rested on her hand as she propped her elbow up on the thick stone railing.
Garnet closed her eyes as she felt the rain pelt her face softly. Her hair was now limp and drenched in it's ponytail and hung down her back and along her neck. She welcomed the rain with open arms, as she began to back away from the railing to make her way towards the door, facing the railing as she walked backwards.
She nodded her head as she mumbled something to herself about the distance between the door and railing and how far the fall from the top to the bottom would be. As she felt the sturdy, firm door beneath her back she opened her eyes and stared at the railing, waiting for right moment to charge forward and then fly off into the air to become what she longed to be once again; free.
Free of the nightmare that she wasn't going to wake up from, free of the memories that haunted her sleep, free of everything that caused her to hurt, free to be with her loved one. Garnet swallowed thickly and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the door, trying to re-think what she had planned to do.
' This is it... there's no turning back now, there never was a chance to turn back... ', she told herself as she bit her lip hard, drawing blood into her mouth as she did so.
Garnet reached up with trembling fingers and clumsily undid the latch in the front of her collar that held the robe together. It fell from her bare shoulders to the ground with a loud plop that couldn't be heard as thunder clapped loudly in the skies causing her to jump slightly.
Her heart pounded against her chest as she tried to calm herself down from the loud claps of thunder that rang out through the sky. She opened her eyes and quickly looked at the railing before exhaling slowly and then pushing off the door to jump to her death, to be free.
Garnet watched through a blurred vision of tears and rain as the railing approached quickly and she got ready to push off the ground and then soar through the air to be free to go and come as she pleased, like the birds she sang to everyday on thw balcont. She was half way there when she was jolted forward, a pair of strong arms suddenly encircling her waist catching her completely by surprise and she screamed loudly.
She was pressed back against a hard lean body as she felt herself go completely stiff and still in the arms that still stayed around her waist. Garnet swallowed noisily and closed her eyes as she began to cry again, thankful for the strong arms around her waist, for she was going to sink to the rain soaked ground.
Garnet felt the arms tighten around her waist and it made her cry harder. She wished so hard that it was Zidane holding her, comforting her, telling her not to cry anymore. She was about to turn around and push the unknown person away from her so she could run the rest of the way towards the railing, but she felt the person place it's head beside hers, nuzzling their warm cheek to her ear, to the side of her jaw.
" ...Dagger... ", a low voice whispered into her ear, causing her to go as still as a marble statue.
Only one person called her by that name and that person was dead... long gone. Or was he.....?
Garnet sniffled lightly and then slowly turned her head to the side to glance at the person who had said her name out the corner of her eye, his lips brushing against her cheek as she did so. She couldn't quite get a good view of his face, but she jerked back slightly as his lips brushed her cheek. So tender. So soft they were.
She then fully turned around in his arms and looked up into the face. Garnet blinked. She couldn't believe it. Her face paled. She began to tremble. With happiness? Anger for him supposedly dying? At her stupidity for almost throwing away her life when he was still alive? She could not tell, she was too shook up to think about anything now. All she could do was stare at him, her eyes searching his face desperately for an answer.
Zidane Tribal looked at her, watched as she searched his face. He flashed her his usual impish smile but added something in it that made her eyes light up magically. Garnet's bottom lip trembled and she closed her eyes against the tears again as she began to pound his chest viciously, allowing all her hurt, all her anger, all her pain to be put in with her slammings.
" How could you?! You left me! You left me to waste away... ", she shouted at him angrily.
Zidane just chuckled at her and didn't even flinch, acting as if she were tickling him. A sob escaped her throat and Zidane stopped chuckling. He stared down into her pain filled face and felt his heart ache numberously. Garnet lowered her head and cried softly behind the hair that fell from the ponytail.
" I... I thought you were dead. Please... tell me this isn't a dream and that you're real... ", she begged lightly, whispering, finally breaking the silence between them.
Zidane looked down at the top of her head and nibbled on his bottom lip, remaining silent. Garnet looked up at him with a confused look as the tears continued to slip down her cheeks mingling with the rain that continued to fall. Zidane gave another little chuckle and lifted a hand.
He placed it to cup the side of her face tenderly and he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. He looked down into her eyes, staring deeply, as if giving her encouragement.
" I'm real, Dagger... I'm alive.... ", he assured her, his eyes searching her face this time.
Garnet let out a little sigh of happiness and she brought her hand up to cover Zidane's. She gave it a gentle squeeze and closed her eyes as she leaned into his hand, loving the feeling of his ungloved hand on her skin.
Zidane watched her and a smile came to his lips. He was here. He was home. He was with Dagger. His precious Dagger. She opened her eyes and looked up at Zidane suddenly wondering what he was thinking. His hand slid from her cheek to hang at his side. He slowly began to lower his face towards hers, his eyes open, watching her as she watched him.
Garnet looked at his face, memorizing every angle, every patch of soft baby smooth skin as he lowered his face to hers. Zidane was only a few centimeters away when to his surprise, Garnet jerked back from him, leaving the comfort of his arms. He lifted his head back up and looked at her, confusion etched deep in his forest green eyes.
A smile tugged at the corner of Garnet's full, lush lips as she watched him watch her with a strange look on his incredably handsome featured face. Her face suddenly went serious as something inside of her deep down urged her, yelled at her, cried out to her to do it. Garnet quickly walked up to him, reached up to grab his chin in her small hands and bring his mouth down onto hers, kissing him with a wild demand, wild passion that surprised even herself nevertheless Zidane, who's eyes went wide for a moment before returning the kiss with just as much passion and longing.
' My God... this is heaven... '
Zidane wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her body up to his, pressing the length of it to his, trying to fit every one of her soft curves with his hard angles, trying to make it all work out nicely. Garnet linked her arms around his neck and pulled him down even farther, deepening the kiss by gently caressing his bottom lip with her tongue.
His lips parted slightly for her as she slipped her tongue into his mouth and invaded him whole. Their tongues met and danced to a fiery duet that only them two could accomplish as the thunder and lightning behind and all around them danced to their own stormy duets.
Garnet arched her back, pressing her body deeper into Zidane's, her demands beginning to grow. The rain suddenly stopped and Zidane regrettfully pulled his mouth from Garnet's so he could breathe for a moment as he looked at her slightly flushed cheeks and quivering lips.
Garnet blinked and reached up behind her head to tug the hair that was being held up by the ponytail, letting it cascade down her back and around her shoulders. She sighed lightly and shook her head while watching him watch her as she tried to run her fingers through her hair, trying to rid it of the tangles.
Zidane tilted his head to the side and then looked over her shoulder at the railing, then back at her, " Dagger... why were you running towards the railing? ", his voice low and full of concern.
Garnet suddenly brought her eyes downcast and looked at her feet, as if suddenly taking interest in them, " You left... so I wanted to join... you... "
Zidane cocked an eyebrow and frowned, " I didn't leave you, Dagger.... I-I... ", he stopped and brought his own eyes downcast, her demanding and needing kiss still lingering on his lips, leaving them to feel bruised.
Garnet inclined her head and looked at him, " You what, Zidane? "
Zidane shook his head and waved a hand through the air, " Ah... forget it... ", he mumbled lightly.
Garnet pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips, " What? I'm not going to stop bugging you until you answer me... "
Zidane chuckled at her again and then looked at her, " And I guess that if I don't fess up, you won't stop bugging me, huh? "
Garnet couldn't help but smile, " Yes! So.... spill, Zidane... "
Zidane licked his lips and then self-consciously brought his arm up as he reached behind his head and scratched his neck. His fingers brushed against the clasp of a necklace he wore and he lifted his other arm so he could undo it. The necklace fell down his chest and landed perfectly in his hand.
He stared down at it, the heart-shaped locket glittering in the moonlight that was beginning to poke through the dark clouds. The words ' I love thee... ', were deeply engraved on the cover as Zidane studied it more closely. Rose-Gold was what it was made of... 24k Rose Gold...
Garnet tried to glance at what Zidane was holding, but he was making sure that she didn't see it. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him.
" You are going to.. spill anyday, right? "
" Huh? Oh... yeah. "
"..."
Zidane brought his eyes up to meet Garnet's. He smiled lightly but his eyes went serious. They filled with something that Garnet had seen before.
" Dagger... you remember how back at the Iifa Tree, I wanted to say something to you? But... I just ended up saying goodbye... "
Garnet remembered that day like no other. It was the one day that had killed her heart, shattered it to pieces. She nodded and swallowed thickly, " Y-yes... what was it? "
Zidane chuckled, " Well... I don't know if you're going to think I'm crazy or something... but, when I first bumped into you in the Royal Hallway, I fell for you at sight.... I'm in love with you. I love you, Dagger.... "
' He loves me?! '
Garnet blinked and Zidane thought she was going to faint, but she didn't. She looked at him and a smile spread her beautiful lips as she felt tears brim her eyes once again, but they weren't sad tears, they were tears of happinesss.
" Z-zidane... I... I don't know what to say... ", she whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth.
' Say you love him, you idiot!! '
" Say you love me.... ", Zidane replied lightly taking a step towards her.
" I love you, Zidane.. "
" Say you'll marry me... ", his request came out soft as he quickly reached out to capture her waist and pull her close.
Garnet was speechless. This was a dream! She was going to wake up in a few minutes, she just knew it, it's how all happy beginnings turned out. This wasn't Zidane, Zidane died three months ago. She was dumbstruck. She just stared at him, hoping that her answer would reveal itself in her eyes.
It didn't.
" ....yes... ", she whispered so low, Zidane had to bend over slightly to catch it again.
" What? "
Garnet suddenly giggled, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Another demanding kiss hit Zidane and he returned it. When he pulled away, he gazed down into her eyes and gently reached up to smooth away some of her dark long bangs from her eyes.
" I'm taking that as a yes... "
Garnet nodded.
Zidane smiled meekly and bent to down to steal a kiss from her tender lips, " You actually want to become my wife? ", he asked against her lips, never breaking the kiss.
Garnet nodded again and began to press kisses along his jaw.
" Aren't you ashamed to be marrying a poor thief? "
Garnet shook her head, " You're not poor anymore... ", she whispered.
" I'm not after you for your money, Dagger... I'm after you for your love... "
" And that's exactly what you're going to get... "
(A/N**: *nods* I know, I *know*!! Pathetic... *shakes her head in frustration* I think I might take this off... I was just really bored last night so I decided to write this little sucker. Whatcha think? Pwease... tell me. I want to know, I *need* to know.... was it cr*ppy? Boring? Corny? Too long winded? What?! *sighs heavily* Should I just stick to my LONG stories instead of little ones like this? *nods* Yeah.... I think so.... don't you agree? )
(2nd Author's Note: !!!!!!!! I just thought of something!! I'm still thinking about it though... I was listening to that song from The Final Fantasy Vocal Collection: Love Will Grow (Final Fantasy VII), and I got the title from that song, but... that's not why I posted this second A/N! The reason is because I was thinking of making this one into a LONG fic as well.... along with my gazillion other Final Fantasy IX fics out there on FF.Net. If I do, then this is the Prologue.... I'll change it after if I'm going to do a LONG fic. I'm just not good at short fics... I feel that they have to go on and on... actually having something behind it to run itself along... *waves* Matte ne!! I'll be back probably in two weeks with my decision about Short fic turning into a Long fic....)
(3rd Author's Note (After revision and slight editing)**: The thing with the heart-shaped necklace.... that will come later on in the fic. *nods* Yes... you heard me, I've decided to make this into a LONG fic since I'm not very well at making short fics like this... *shrugs* I feel that this isn't quite explained enough, fully, and I want to explain it more... so, I'm going to add more chapters. I hope (to the people who asked) that you're happy... *grins from ear to ear as ideas start to pour into her mind* because I'm happy that this fic makes it my 20th.... *waves* Matte ne!! This is goodbye for now... )