Summary: "I was getting tired of living life in the castle. It was the same thing everyday. There was no adventure anymore. I guess that's why I decided to leave…"

Disclaimer: Okay…I admit it…all characters in this story belong to Squaresoft. Except Hiryuu…I made him up.

Rated: T for language and violence.

Ch. 1

Zidane POV

I walked into Dagger's room during the night, when she was asleep. She looked beautiful when she was asleep. The blankets were down at her knees, yet she lay there in her night clothes, stomach exposed to the cool night air. I chuckled quietly.

"Your going to catch a cold sleeping like this Dagger." I whispered. I pulled the blankets up to her chest and she rolled onto her side. I stayed still, I thought I had woken her up. A sigh escaped from her lips as she muttered something in her sleep. I moved her hair, so that it wasn't splayed across her face, then, put my hand against her cheek. I heard Steiner was coming so I made a run for it. I opened her window, and jumped out of it…hoping that she wouldn't come after me.

Normal POV

Dagger woke from her slumber and stretched. She got up from her bed and went to look in Zidane's room. He was always so cute when he slept. His tail would be wrapped around his waist, and he'd be in the cutest pose ever…and he always looked so peaceful. She thought, giggling. But when she reached Zidane's room, he wasn't there. "Huh…must've woken up early." She thought aloud. Dagger searched the rooms upstairs, and then searched downstairs.

"Uh…I guess he went to the item shop?" She said, trying not to worry. She looked at the clock.

"5:45..." She muttered.

"Zidane never wakes up this early…let alone goes out in the morning without telling me…I mean…I'm his best friend…" Just then, Steiner walked into the room.

"Hello Princess. Zidane up yet? Most likely not though, he never wakes up until twelve." Dagger put her hands on her hips.

"First, I hate being called princess and you know it. My name is Dagger. And second…no Zidane isn't even in his room let alone awake. Did you happen to see him walk out and go to the item store or weapon store…or…SOMETHING!?"

"My mistake Princess…Dagger." Steiner corrected himself.

"No I didn't happen to see Zidane. Wouldn't he have told you if he was going out so early in the morning?"

"Yeah…" Dagger responded. She started towards the stairs, then turned around.

"Oh yeah, one more thing Steiner…can you and Beatrix search Alexandria for him?" She asked. Steiner nodded. Dagger started towards the stairs again and to her room. When she got there, she noticed her window was open.

"Funny…" She said as she walked toward it. "I don't remember opening my window." She looked and saw blue material hanging from the window frame. It was part of Zidane's vest.

"What…did he…" She got dressed and walked downstairs. She had to figure out where Zidane was going…and why he left the castle.

She headed for the door, but was stopped by Steiner.

"Dagger, the royal pendent, it's gone…that thief must have taken it! It's not coincidence that he leaves overnight, and the next morning the pendant isn't' there!" She acted like she didn't hear him and walked out the door. Steiner ran outside and stopped her once again before she got far.

"You're not going anywhere unless you have an escort! Remember what happened last time! You got kidnapped!" Dagger stared at him.

"I went with Zidane for a reason…he didn't kidnap me…" She continued on walking down the path.

"Come along if you want." He ran after her, with Vivi and Eiko following.

It wasn't long before they were out of Alexandria and in an odd little town, where everywhere you turned there was danger. A man grabbed Dagger's arm. She spun around trying to get the person to let go. She kicked and flailed, but the person didn't let go. She finally looked at the man. He was wearing a black trench coat, and Black, baggy, leather pants, along with black boots. The hood of his trench coat came up over his head and covered his face only so his mouth and jaw were showing. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell he was staring at her.

"What's a pretty little girl like you, doing out here princess?" She glared at him with hate.

"Let go!"

"I don't think I shall…" He looked down and saw a man reaching for Dagger's leg. He kicked the man in the head, hearing him fall to the ground with a thud, unconscious. She looked down. "That was really rude!" The man walked toward a house, dragging Dagger along. Steiner to the rescue! Not really…the man grabbed Steiner's sword before he could try anything.

"Listen, you two…I know who you're looking for, and I know who can help. Let me lead you to them." Vivi and Eiko ran up to the man, following him and the others. He led them into a strange bar and let go of their arms.

"Marcus…" He called to one of the men sitting on the stools. He turned around and Dagger saw it really was Marcus. One of Zidane's closest friends.

A while later…

"Marcus…who's he?" Dagger pointed to the man with the trench coat.

"Oh, he's Zidane's oldest friend. He doesn't really have a name…not that I know of anyway…"

"Oh…" She looked over to him, and saw he was holding something…and he seemed to be saddened. He looked up toward Dagger and smiled slightly. He then turned back down to the jewel he was gazing at.

"He looks depressed." Dagger whispered. "Maybe I can cheer him up?" She walked over to him and sat next to him. He quickly hid the thing he was caressing and turned to her. "Yes?"

"You seem depressed." He shook his head.

"We should get going if you want to find Zidane." She looked at the mysterious man with astonishment.

"How did you know we were looking for him?"

"Zidane has told me much about you. He passed here a few hours before yourself. He said he couldn't stand the castle." Dagger glanced toward the floor.

"Oh…" she muttered.

"Let's go." He whispered. He walked over and tapped Steiner, who was holding the two slumbering children.

"Leave them here, Marcus will take care of them. They'll only be in the way." Steiner nodded. He handed them to Marcus and got up. The knight and Princess followed the hooded man out of the bar, and down the road.

Silence. Dagger couldn't bear it.

"So…where do you live? The man looked to her and seemed to be startled by her question.

"I don't live anywhere. I travel." He replied. His voice was warm, and welcoming. It was hard to explain.

"Oh."

"So…princess…why do they call you Dagger?"

She looked at him.

"Well…When we…Oh, we is Steiner, Zidane, Vivi and I. Anyway…when we were headed for the village of Dali, Zidane suggested a nickname, so no one would suspect I was the princess. He dropped one of his daggers, and thus, my nickname…Dagger." He nodded. An awkward silence fell upon them. This time Steiner was the one who broke the ice.

"So, where are we going?"

"Where Zidane went."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes it does." Steiner sighed.

"Princess, may I speak with you in private?" He pulled her behind the man, he didn't seem to mind. "Something seems odd…I don't think we should follow him."

"Nonsense Steiner. He's leading us to Zidane."

"What if he's not? What if he's leading us to…an enemy or something?" The man overheard them.

"Steiner's right." They both looked at him. "What?" Dagger questioned.

"I'm not leading you to Zidane. Not yet. I thought it would be the polite thing to lead you both to an INN before we continue our journey." Dagger smiled.

"How kind of you." She looked over to Steiner.

"I told you he's not our enemy." She walked next to the man and left Steiner confused.

"No you didn't…"

Another awkward silence. "Soo…where exactly is this INN?" Dagger again questioned. "In Dali. It'll take at least fifteen minutes if I can remember how to get there." Even more silence.

"I can't stand silence!" The man half laughed, half sighed.

"What would you like to talk about Princess?"

"…Zidane…how'd you guys meet?" The man recoiled at Zidane's name.

"Well, he was a fair bit younger than he would be now…maybe about twelve or so. He ran into some trouble."

"Trouble?" Dagger interrupted.

"Yes, he somehow ran into a…Behemoth if I'm not mistaken…anyway, since he was in my way, I had to kill the stupid vermin, and take Zidane under my wing for a while, until Baku came to pick him up. You'd think that he wouldn't loose track of his nephew." Dagger's eyes widened.

"Whoa! Rewind and, FREEZE! Zidane is Baku's Nephew??"

"You mean Zidane never told you that?" She shook her head and the hooded man laughed. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah…what's your name?"

"You can call me, Hiryuu." She gave him an odd look.

"That means 'flying dragon'."

"Yes." He replied. "I am called that for my fighting style."

Steiner could be heard mumbling some rather naughty words about Hiryuu.

"Steiner! Don't be offensive!" Steiner looked up.

"Yes princess."

"Oh, no it's fine." Hiryuu said.

"He didn't offend me." He stopped walking.

"Here's Dali. You check in at the INN. Say you are guests of Hiryuu. He'll let you in free of charge."

"What about you? Aren't you going to stay in the room with us?"

"My dear princess, no, I shall not. It would be rather improper. Besides, I have work to do, and even if didn't have work, I don't think your…knight in rusty armor would appreciate me sleeping in the same room as you." He bowed.

"Good night your majesty." He glanced over at Steiner.

"Lord Rusty." He then turned and walked in the other direction, ignoring Steiner's disapproving yells.

"He sounded so like Zidane when he said that…So maybe that's where Zidane got his witty remarks? Yeah, that's it. When he was around Hiryuu, he must've picked it up." Dagger pondered aloud.

"Well, we better check into that INN."

The next morning when Dagger woke, it was only 5:03. She decided to do a little exploring around Dali, since she had not been there since she was with Zidane a few years ago. But as she stepped out of the room, she saw Hiryuu sitting on a chair, asleep. She smiled and quietly tiptoed out of the INN. Dali had become a quiet and peaceful place since the war between her mother and the world. The farmers even started to plant more food, and get rid of the airship port. They decided they didn't need it, and if they did any traveling, they'd walk. After about thirty minutes of aimlessly walking around, she decided to go back to the INN, for Steiner would wake up soon. She walked into the INN, and couldn't help the temptation that overcame her. She wanted to see what was under Hiryuu's hood. She tiptoed over to him, not making a sound, and carefully reached for the black, leather hood that covered his eyes and half his nose. A hand stopped her from reaching her destination. "Don't…even…think…about…it!" A voice hissed, that was soon tagged as Hiryuu's. He had woken up.

"I-I'm sorry…I was just curious…" He glared at her, his grip on her arm tightening.

"Curiosity killed the cat…Never, EVER attempt this AGAIN. Understand?" She nodded frantically. He let go of her arm and turned the other way. She rubbed the spot he had hurt her. She then looked up at him.

After what seemed like hours, she walked over to him and hugged him.

"I really am sorry…I won't do it again." He couldn't help but smile.

"You better not." His voice had a hint of tenderness in it.

"I won't. Promise!" She snuggled against him, burying her head in his chest. Bad idea.

"PRINCESS! NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"Gee, I wonder if Steiner's up?" She said sarcastically. She broke the hug and turned to the annoying knight.

"I was hugging Hiryuu." She turned back to Hiryuu, motioning to him. She looked at him, and he seemed confused.

"We…should get going…" He said slowly. He then turned, and walked out the door.

"Let's go." Dagger said, following him. Steiner continued his naughty words from the previous day, and followed the princess.

"Hey, Hiryuu! Hold up!" She had to run to catch up to him. "I have some more questions!" He chuckled.

"Fire away."

"Okay! So, how old are you?" Hiryuu sighed. "Older than you."

"Okay…so…have you had any girlfriends?"

"Yes…"

"Do you have one now?"

"Princess…I don't like where this is going…" She stayed quiet for a while.

"Sorry…but can you at least answer the question?"

"She's a girl…and she's my friend." Then…silence. Only thing that could be heard was the muttering coming from Steiner's mouth. Hiryuu had stopped.

"Lord Steiner…quiet please."

"WHY? SO YOU CAN THINK OF MORE WAYS TO HARASS THE PRINCESS!?" Came a loud reply from the agitated knight.

"Steiner, I have not in any way harassed the princess. Now quiet!"

"NO!"

"Please, I need to hear!" He yelled in a hushed tone. That quickly, a claw came swooping down, and struck Hiryuu, forcing him to the ground. He was writhing in pain, in a puddle of the blood coming from the wound the monster had inflicted on him.

"Hiryuu!" Dagger yelled to the man on the ground. She began to run to him, but was stopped by the beast, face to face.

"Oh…my…" She began to back up slowly, then her pace quickened as the monster came after her. Seeing as how Steiner was pretty much useless at this point, Hiryuu had to defeat the atrocious being by himself. He slowly got up, and took out his weapon.

"Scan." he murmured weakly. A barely visible screen appeared in front of him with words on it. 'Bestiary. Name: Stilvia. Level: 67. HP: 21906. Immune against: --- Weak against: Water.' The screen vanished.

"Okay…here we go…" He leapt toward the Stilvia. Counter Attack. -5600. Lucky 7's. -7777. Dragon's Flight. -3000. Final Attack. Unity. -9999. Stilvia has been defeated.

Dagger and Steiner stood with their jaws wide open.

"You really do look like a flying dragon when you fight…so graceful, but powerful." Dagger stuttered.

"You saved me." She ran over to him and hugged him.

"You saved me…you care. Thank you…"She buried her head in his chest and hugged him tighter.

I…I think I'm in love with you." She felt Hiryuu stiffen up.

"No…" he whispered.

"No…you can't love me…you can't…" He grabbed her arms and tore her away from him. "No…never." He brought his hands up to his head, clutching it firmly. "No…no…." His whimpers and whispers caught Dagger's attention.

"Hiryuu…why are you crying?" She hugged him again, and immediately Hiryuu seized her arms and tore her away yet again.

"Hiryuu?" He began to shake his head.

"No…you….no….l-love…NO!" He turned the opposite direction and began run as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Hiryuu…"

Hiryuu POV (for a short part)

No…no…this wasn't supposed to happen! She can't fall in love with me! I ran. I don't know how long I had been running, or how far I ran…I didn't really care either. I just wanted to get away from her.

"She can't love me…no…" He slowed to a jog, then he stopped altogether. "No…"

Normal POV

He collapsed, sobbing.

"She….can't…she….no….." Was the only thing he could say. He kept repeating those words for sometime. He got up and sat on a nearby rock. Finally he spoke, the sentence coming out in short bursts between his sobs.

"S-She…She l-loves….me…" He reached into his trench coat and pulled out the jewel from before. He held it in his hands staring at it, his thumb brushing over the edge of it. "Princess…" he had to blink to keep the tears from falling down his face again. He clutched the jewel tightly. He stared at it in disgust. He lifted it above his head. He then brought his arm in front of him quickly and let go of the magnificent object.

"YOU TRAITOR!" The jewel landed on the other side of the road. He got up and walked back to the two adults that he had left.