Disclaimer: Unless I became the richest person in the world and they sold me the ff9 things, I don't own the ff9 game, characters, or places, except that guy, but he isn't even here yet, so...let's just keep going...

Author's Note: Ah! I am sorry. I realized my project took more time than I realized. Well, since I always talk too much. I'll let you on to chapter 9...oh but wait a min.!...I knew I was gonna do that but ThingBling aren't u Heartseed?....well I sure hope so or I just made a complete fool of myself...if I did, then well I meant to do that...lol well, I just noticed she was in her nightclothes...hehe...i didn't even see that. Well, before I write 10 more paragraphs about stuff you don't want to read, here it is...


*Eiko's POV*

Dagger had said she would wake me up when it was time. Time for what!? I really wanted to know, but I doubt that she would forget to come get me. Er...I hope it is soon.

Very soon...I am so tired of waiting already. Man, am I impatient or am I impatient? Oops, I let my kid self out again. I must act proper, like Dagger, if I want to find a guy like Zidane that is...

*Dagger's POV*

Zidane could have gotten away from those guards and I knew it. What stopped him? There must have been something. I bet Eiko was thinking right now, just as I was.

I wondered if the plan should wait until tomorrow, but then again what happened if he did another one of these night things? Should I ask Eiko?

I mean, well, she did give good advice sometimes. What would she say, if I did ask? Go for it... I had promised Eiko that I was supposed to tell her when it was going to happen, and I wasn't about to break it.

I put on some decent clothes and wandered over to the door of her room. I was about to knock, when the door swung open, and a determined Eiko almost ran me over.

"I couldn't wait." She gave a cherubic grin, and it actually made me laugh.

"I was just coming to get you. Please, follow me." She easily walked after me, as I told the guards to wake my uncle up, so I could talk to him.

They agreed eagerly...well, after I had threatened that I was going to do a little summoning here and there. Now that I think about it, I think I had gotten that from Zidane.

After that, Eiko had given me an approving grin, but frowned when I told her to wait outside of his room when he came. A few minutes later, she surprisingly said, "I understand."

*Eiko's POV*

I wondered if she had known that I was going to try to accidentally overhear this conversation. Oh well...hehe.

After they had gone into his bedroom, I stuck my ear to door. Now, I am glad that Dagger had scared those guards away.

"But Uncle! Please just listen to me for a few minutes."

"Alright then. I'll listen, if you hurry."

"You can't just kill him. I don't want to lose him again."

Even through the door, I could hear him sigh.

"We even planned to get married, until this happened. If he was going to do something, then why wouldn't he have done it earlier?"

"Maybe because he thought he could get away with it easier now."

"Uncle! You are being unreasonable."

"Think about it Garnet. Do you really know him? I have the most wonderful person for you. Okay, I can tell by your face that you won't even consider that. Let me get that thief first then."

I heard him walking toward the door, so I jumped back and ran into the nearest door and peaked out.

Some minutes later, I saw father and Zidane being escorted back into the room. I tiptoed to the door again to listen through.

*Zidane's POV*

The regent clapped his hands together and said, "Okay then. You two kiss, and then I will see if you are really in love." Ohmanohmanohmanohman. I mean, I really did want to kiss her, but I didn't want her to be forced to.

We both turned toward each other, and I mouthed the words, 'Are you sure you want to go through with this?'

She nodded nervously, as I put my hands slowly around her waist. I turned back toward the regent. "I can't just kiss her. It has to be a special moment."

"Just do it, or I will know right now you two aren't in love." I gulped, which I had down very few times in my life.

She put her hands around my neck and started to lean toward me. I closed my eyes little by little. I have to make this look like the real thing. I almost touched her lips, when Eiko busted through the door.

Dagger seemed relieved. Well, you could say I was too, but then I wasn't at the same time. Maybe I had, honestly, wanted to kiss her.

"Father! I want you to let Zidane go, or I'll leave you forever." I saw her glare at him, and for about a second I could see that the regent truly did not want to lose Eiko.

"Fine, Eiko! Fine. All of you go. Leave now, or I will change my mind." Eiko's face softened, and I saw my love grab her hand gently. I could see her mouth the words 'Don't worry' to the young girl, who seemed to be saddened because it looked like her father did not want her.

They started walking toward the door, and I slowly followed them as we went to her room. I found it very unusual that her uncle ordered an airship to take us back home.

Why would he do that, if he was irate at all of us? I leaned close to Dagger's ear to whisper that I think we should get some rest while waiting. She nodded uncomfortably, as she let Eiko have the bed.

We both sat on an elegant sofa and for once, this one was actually comfortable to sit in. "I'm glad you're okay," she murmured, "but..." There was usually always a but. "...I don't think Eiko is happy that he wanted her to go. When we get home, we should do something about it. I don't know if everything will work out though."

"Of course, everything will be okay." She still seemed uneasy. "Um, you see, one time Blank and I weren't paying attention to the boss and didn't know which house to steal from." She gave me a look that said, 'how is this the same?' "Hold on, I'm getting to it." I could tell that she was trying to hide a smile.

"Well, I remember telling Blank to figure it out. This was some years back, and we didn't know any better. Even though we were together for years and best buds, we got into a fight. We both let out punches to each other, but as we grabbed for our weapons to actually hurt each other, our other friends stopped us. They knew that sometimes we acted stupid, and scolded us. Well actually that was Ruby, but anyway they took us home. The boss beat us up pretty good. It was because we had woken up everyone in that neighborhood, and we didn't get to steal anything. Well, after that we both exchanged smart remarks, but then you could say that we sort of missed pushing each other around and being buds. It was just the way we were, and without a word we just became friends again."

"The regent may be stubborn sometimes like us, but eventually he will forgive like we did. I'm sure of it."

She touched my hand, and I could feel that she wasn't uncomfortable around me anymore. "Thank you...again."

We decided to get some sleep after that, but for some reason I couldn't. I just watched her sleep peacefully. I wondered what she was dreaming, hoping tremendously that it was about me. I leaned back on the edge of the sofa, trying to remember how you sleep because at that moment my mind ran with too many thoughts. I grinned mischievously to myself, thinking of my own plans.

*Eiko's POV*

I woke up, not because I was excited, but because I heard a scream in the room that I was in. I jumped up and looked around tiredly.

Through my blurry eyes, all I could see was two figures on a sofa and a color-red. Wait a minute. Red? Realizing something or someone was bleeding, I rubbed my eyes hurriedly and stumbled toward where I knew the figures were.

As soon I had reached them, I noticed they were both my companions, but I saw that Dagger was the one who was bleeding. I healed her quickly and looked at them both puzzled.

Dagger was breathing hard, not because of the pain she had felt before but because she had seemed scared of something. Zidane was fixated on something he was holding, and I slowly looked down to his hands.

I gasped and backed away almost stumbling over the small table behind me. He had held a dagger with a drop of blood already rolling off it onto the floor. He looked up at us both slowly, looking scared himself.

"I didn't do it. I promise you. I didn't. Just believe me..." I exchanged a very nervous glance with Dagger, as I kept moving backwards.

He was about to grab her hand, when she pulled away. "It's alright. It was just an accident, I'm sure," I heard her say unbelievably quiet.

Well, she could be right. It was most possibly an accident. Maybe we had all jumped to conclusions too quickly, or was my father right?

2nd Author's Note: Ok, that was short...I know, but I am already starting the next chapter, so I should be done by next week...hopefully...lol..well thank you for my previous reviews and have a good night/day! Bye!