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Chapter 29: Why do they Nail Down the Lid of a Coffin?

On with the fic!


The two spent all their free time trying to come up with ways Zidane would get to marry Garnet, but they couldn't come up with anything.

"There has to be something!" Zidane growled.

"I know…" Garnet sighed.

"Is there a chance this is all a dream and we'll wake up soon?" Zidane asked hopefully.

"No… maybe we could run away again? Stay gone long enough that when we come back, everyone will be so glad that we're okay, they'll let us do whatever we want?" Garnet suggested.

"That has yet to work," Zidane pouted. "Besides, it's not fair to make everyone worry. Let's just get rid of Drake, and then the rulers won't have anyone to push at you as a better match than me."

Garnet gave him a sharp look. "Don't be so rude." She warned. "Don't put this on Drake. I thought you were friends."

Zidane groaned. "It's just... When two guys are after the same girl, a friendship between them gets complicated."

"He's been nothing but kind to me, Zidane, and to you. This situation isn't his doing, and cursing his existence because it puts an agitation on your life is something Kuja would do!"

Zidane ignored the comparison. "Maybe we could just convince the other world rulers that a wedding between you two would never work. How would he get into the chuch? Someone might assasinate him with Holy Water." Zidane muttered.

Garnet stared at Zidane. "… What? You better not be calling him a demon, Zidane, he gets that enough!"

"No, no. I think they're vampires." Zidane explained. "Both Drake and Eclipse."

"… That is such a terrible thing to say... And they eat food, I've seen them. Drake likes bacon and fish. I have seen Eclipse eat garlic bread, and Drake has been out in the sun. They don't need permission to enter houses, and I've never seen either of them turn into a bat or a wolf. How do you explain that? " Garnet questioned.

"Ah, so you admit it! You've wondered about it too! ...And I don't know, I haven't worked that out yet." Zidane admitted. "… but they're vampires."

"You're a goof ball," Garnet stated.

Zidane smirked, "True. But you love me, so what does that make you?"

"Probably a fool," Garnet laughed. "Don't be so mean to Drake, alright? He's my friend. I know you have issues with him right now, but you were his friend once... please don't forget that."

"... I won't..."

And then the phone rang.

"I hope that's not Blank!" Garnet said with a smile.

Zidane walked over and answered. "Yo?"

"Zidane, we need you here, now!" Mikoto shouted.

"Why, w-?"

"Just get here! And fast!" Mikoto ordered and hung up.

The familiar story began… Zidane had to go when Mikoto called him.

He hung up silently, and when he turned, he made sure not to look at Garnet.

"Well… heh… it wasn't Blank."

Because he cast his gaze aside, Garnet knew what was up instantly.

Zidane headed for the dock and Garnet ran to stop him.

"But I need you now!" Garnet cried.

"So do they…" Zidane groaned.

"Zidane… we could lose each other."

"I know, Dagger, but… but I have to take care of them."

"… Okay, Zidane…" Garnet gave in.

Zidane looked at her, wishing he could do something to help… this was all new to him, and even though she knew it was important, he felt guilty for her having to understand.

"You should go. I'll try to think of something," Garnet said with half a smile.

Zidane kissed her and left in his Chariot.

"This has better be important!" He grumbled.

He got his wish… the Genomes had a real problem, this time.

The youngest Genome, Cryla, was missing.

"Cryla?" Zidane ran through the forest. "Cryla?" He leapt up into the trees and ran. The Mages and the Genomes had searched, but no one could find her.

"I'm so sorry!" Vivi cried, running after Zidane.

"CRYLA?" Zidane knew the little Black Mage meant it when he said he was sorry, he knew Vivi was doing everything he could to help find the missing child, but he couldn't stop now to counsel the young mage, he had to find the missing girl.

"Vivi… where was the last place anyone saw her?"

"I… I don't know they all look so much alike." Vivi was shaking, he was afraid she would be dead.

Mikoto had organized everything. She had created families. Older Genomes paired up, got married… and since there were so many young Genomes the older ones adopted them, they were becoming more individual every day, each one had a personality, somewhat, some had fallen in love… well… had at least shown favoritism toward one another, some had chosen not to.

All had been given names.

The littlest Genome… the one that showed the most emotion, who spoke out, who acted the most… independent, was Cryla. She was Zidane's favorite.

Cryla's parents were Karla and Skyler. The two Genomes had searched like mad, but the monsters had driven them back.

"She never goes this far," Karla stated.

"Never ventures out of the woods," Skyler added.

"STAY BACK!" Zidane ordered. They were deep into monster territory and he kept having to order people back, as did Vivi.

"She's our daughter..." Skyler said.

Zidane turned and looked at him.

There was a long moment of silence.

Last time, when Karla had made the comment that Cryla belonged to them, Vivi had said it was not true, that they had simple been taking care of Cryla, who was only four.

Zidane had snapped at Vivi. Family units were surprisingly important to the Genomes, in a way Zidane had never imagined. They felt the urge to create families, to be close, to have tribes in a way. Zidane fully supported it, but he knew not many people would understand.

"I know she is," Zidane finally replied. "What good will you be to her if you're killed by a monster?"

Skyler looked up at him, and then took a step back, nodding.

Zidane still didn't understand it, but all the Genomes listened to him unconditionally. Even when they didn't understand it.

One of the Black Mages ran up. "Master Vivi, number 774 says he saw the young Genome get carried away by a monster."

"WHERE?" Zidane snapped.

The Black Mage, number 845, pointed to the right and Zidane took off. He heard Vivi fighting to keep up, trying his best. Zidane leapt out of the trees and up a cliff.

Nothing.

He heard nothing, saw nothing…

Zidane closed his eyes and stood still in a neutral position. Arms hanging at his sides, tail resting on the ground, knees slightly bent, eyes shut.

Actors did this as practice so they wouldn't fidget on stage.

He did it for another reason.

"What are you doing?" Vivi panted as he crawled up.

"I'm listening..." Zidane stated in a voice barely over a whisper.

At first, nothing happened… then everything became darker. Even though his eyes were shut, a normal person would still see light shining through the thin skin covering.

Not Zidane, he saw the things others did not and he could almost see without his eyes.

The next instant had once been too intense for him to take. When he had been younger, it had caused him to pass out a few times since he kept trying it even though he knew it was too much.

It was as if he had thrown out his senses, as if everything had become clear. Zidane could see himself and then the surrounding area as silver sketches on a black background. He could see Vivi behind him, could hear the mages breathing and could hear Vivi's heart beat like he had a stethoscope on to listen. Every sound made was top volume and every movement over exaggerated. First time he had done it, he had been scared. Because at first you felt… so very trapped. Like you're in a box and can't get out, as you pull all your senses into yourself, but once released… it was the most amazing sensation.

Zidane didn't take time to enjoy it, his mind started searching.

He took a started breath and his eyes shot open.

"Cryla!" He gasped and took off.

"WAIT!" Vivi cried.

Zidane slowed and looked back.

Vivi was fast, VERY fast for a Black Mage… but Zidane was still faster, he grabbed Vivi's arm and sped up. He went as fast as he could without hurting Vivi and slowed before letting Vivi go.

Zidane himself ran a little further and then stopped dead, stumbling only slightly.

"HEY! YOU!" Zidane shouted, thrusting his arm out and motioning towards the Goblin Mage that held Cryla over a cliff. "LET HER GO!" The Goblin mage turned, looked at Zidane and laughed.

"For the greater good!" It cackled. "For the greater good!"

"What are you talking about?" Vivi asked.

The Goblin Mage just laughed.

Zidane growled.

They were about twenty feet from the monster that held Cryla suspended above the cliff.

"HELP!" She screamed. She reached out toward Zidane with tears streaming down her cheeks. Tears that should have been impossible for her to shed.

"Cryla! Hold on!"

"What is this about?" Vivi yelled, still tying to communicate with the Goblin Mage.

"For the greater good!" It crowed. "Sacrifices must be made!" Then it let go.

Cryla screamed.

Vivi fired a spell at the Goblin Mage.

Zidane pounced.

"CRYLAAA!" He screamed. Cryla looked down as she fell, then back up with an even more frightened look. Zidane smelt the Zaghnol before he saw it.

He wasn't even at the cliff's edge yet when he heard its familiar bellow.

"Zidane!" Vivi cried. The Goblin Mage lay fainted on the ground before disappearing. Vivi's spell had hit and there was no contest on who would win.

Zidane heard a snort and a stomp as the Zaghnol got on its hind legs reaching up to catch its victim.

As Zidane heard the sound, he ran and was at the cliff in less than a second. Zidane jumped and let himself fall to a ledge a few feet down. He noticed there were smaller ledges all along the sides of the cliff, and leapt to them, cliff side to cliff side , down to where the young genome girl was. Time returned to normal as he grabbed her.

"AH!" She screamed and clung to him, crying.

Zidane gripped the cliff wall.

"It's okay, Cryla." He said. Zidane clamped his teeth down as he slid down the cliff wall a bit.

The Zaghnol bellowed and backed up. It stomped its hove and prepared to attack.

"Gah, Cryla!" Zidane couldn't climb without both hands and he was holding her with one.

She looked at him. "You have to hold on to me, I can't carry you!"

"NO!" She cried. "I'll fall!"

"You won't! I won't let you! Please, Cryla."

Slowly Cryla nodded, she swung herself around till she was behind him and wrapped her arms around Zidane's neck and her legs around his chest as far as she could as well as her tail.

Zidane, using both hands, grabbed the cliff and pulled.

He didn't want to fight the beast with Cryla so close, so young… she could get hurt. He wouldn't let that happen.

The Zaghnol rammed the cliff wall.

The whole wall seemed to vibrate and Cryla whimpered as Zidane was thrown from the wall, he scrambled and managed to get a new hold, but they were a lot closer to the monster that was again backing up. Something… odd happened then… Zidane saw his hands glow, as if he was trancing, but it was only his hands.

His mind whispered things to him of his new abilities.

His claws grew, longer, sharper, bigger than ever before.

They had never really been very useful before, but now they found every little crevice in the wall and Zidane found he could put weight on them without any pain.

He started to climb and even as the Zaghnol rammed the cliff side again Zidane was shaken, but held strong.

He jumped, grabbing a higher ledge and pulling up, jumped again. His mind only focusing on one thing, the little girl clinging to him who needed to be saved. As he got to the top, he saw Vivi surrounded by Goblin mages.

"WE WANT THE GIRL!" One screamed.

This one surprised him; it was a level 47... unusual for this area.

"NO!" Zidane hissed.

"The Zaghnol will be our guardian if we give it the Terran alien!"

"You all… you're all willing to sacrifice Cryla?" Zidane asked.

He was shocked.

"Yes! She is a Terran!" The Goblin snarled.

Zidane bent down, letting Cryla down. She reluctantly released him and dropped the short distance left to the ground.

As the level 47 Goblin Mage lunged for Cryla, Zidane grabbed her with his tail and pulled her behind him, slashing at the Goblin who backed up only a step.

"We will destroy your village!" It warned.

"No!" Vivi screamed.

Zidane got into a fighting stance.

"Give her to us, or we'll declare a war!" The goblin snarled. Cryla hid behind Zidane's shoe, she was smaller than his boot was.

"She's just a baby, she's just a child!" Zidane snarled.

Vivi watched the events that followed in amazement.

The Goblin Mage yelled orders at Zidane who defied them… Zidane attacked and knocked them all out, without letting a single one get any closer than a foot to Cryla.

They would attack eight at a time and Zidane seemed un-fazed.

Those who retreated, Zidane let go.

Then he picked up Cryla.

"Let's go."

Vivi nodded and the three ran back to the village.


Reviewers Review!

... Drake's not a vampire. I am not lying to you. People have been emailing me... Lol! He's not! ... He was going to be, but there were issues with that. He suffers from the same thing Vincent Valentine suffered from: If you have black hair, red eyes, are pale, and have vampiric tendencies, then you must be a vampire! ... But you're not. But the fans will always say you are...