The Gemini
Chapter Three
Authors note: This chapter is a bit different from the first two. Because I found the plot! What I used to call a "plot" before was different then what the plot is now. So if some things are obviously changed for some sad ass reason, just ignore it. Or yell out "God, she's such an inconstant writer. Burn her!" 'Cept please don't burn me. I wouldn't appreciate it . . .
*****
I'm lost . . . I survived the journey over to Alexandria, thinking I'd found a home. I'd find my Dagger, and she'd embrace me. Everything would be okay. She'd stare into my eyes and kiss me, and then I'd marry her. That's what kept me going. The thought of being with Dagger forever, just . . . just me and Dagger . . .
But now she's Dagger and Garnet. I feel in love with Dagger before I started calling her that. I feel in love with Garnet. Garnet was lying when she said I couldn't ever love her . . .
Right?
God . . .
*****
Everyone other then Eiko had tried to open the door. Vivi had thrown all the magic he could at it; Freija had tried to cut the wood with her spear. Eiko knew how to open it. She just didn't want to. Because Sarah didn't want it open.
*****
"Zidane . . . Accept me . . . Accept me for who I am! I'm Dagger!"
"No! Dagger is . . . is . . . one person!"
"I am one person! Can't you see that, Zidane? I'm Dagger. She's Garnet."
Zidane shook his head. "Dagger . . . It's unnatural!"
"NO! It's NOT! It was unnatural when I was one person, when I was a princess. Then I was a peasant, then a queen. The rouge and the ruler are two different people! One person cannot continue being both. I'd . . . I'd of killed myself. I couldn't have dealt with it!" A tear trickled down Dagger's eye. If you were to look at her Dagger's twin, you would have seen a matching tear dancing down Garnet's cheek. "Zidane . . . I just found you. I don't want to leave. Let me stay like this."
More tears feel down their faces. Zidane couldn't handle seeing Dagger cry . . . Or Garnet. He wasn't paying attention to Garnet, though. She wasn't talking to him, so . . . Apparently, Garnet thought she was better then Zidane. Fine. It made Zidane's life easier.
Zidane stood up and walked over to Dagger. He embraced her, tightly. She hugged him back. They stayed like that, in each other's arms. Just there. Just being. Just loving.
This was what Zidane wanted, wasn't it?
Tears continued to fall. While Dagger's where of joy, Garnet still cried of sorrow.
Why doesn't he talk to me?
*****
They're ready.
"Okay," Eiko said, and ran over to the door. She grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, and opened the entrance to Zidane and Garnet.
Everyone turned to stare at her.
"Eiko . . . What did you just do?" Cid asked.
"Opened the door! Duh."
Hilda looked at Cid. Cid looked at Hilda. They blinked.
Before anyone could figure out exactly what Eiko did, Zidane walked out of the door. He was holding hands with Garnet, who had, once again, cut her hair chin length. Somehow, she had changed into her orange jumpsuit. She looked exactly like the Garnet Eiko had first met, warm and smiling. No sign of the practiced mask a queen wore, the mask of indifference and interest. This was the young woman that Garnet had abandoned months ago. This was Zidane's Dagger. The real Garnet was still inside the room, but no one outside the door knew that . . . Neither did Eiko.
Of course . . . The young girl thought. That's why she had cut her hair and changed her clothes! She wanted to be Zidane's girl again, now that he was back.
Eiko knew it wasn't as simple as that, though. Why had Sarah interfered? Why had Sarah summoned Gemini? Dagger hadn't just given herself a makeover.
Whatever it was, Steiner and Beatrix where not impressed with it.
"Queen Garnet, Alexandria will NOT be happy with you're new look. They want their queen to be a proper young lady! It's bad enough that you refuse to marry . . . Well, now that Zidane's back that will change. I approve. Where did you get those clothes? And what did you do with the sliver pendant?"
Dagger laughed softly. "The pendant is still around, Steiner."
"Then, please, put it back on!" Steiner directed his request toward the girl next to Zidane.
"She's not the queen. I am." That was Garnet's voice! But . . . Garnet hadn't even moved her lips. And the voice had come from the room behind Garnet.
Then Queen Garnet walked into the hallway.
Everyone was startled. Even Salamander jumped at the sight of another Garnet. Hilda clutched Cid's hand tightly. Freija's eyes grew wide, and Vivi's children looked at eachother, bewildered. Quina yelled out "What happen! Quina confused." Beatrix and Steiner stepped closer to eachother, and Beatrix set her hand on Steiner's arm.
Eiko, though, wasn't content with just being surprised. Eiko needed to do something, to get results. She walked right up to Garnet and put her palms on the queen's stomach, trying to see if they would go through. They didn't.
Garnet's body was very real.
*****
Everybody else was in the throne room, discussing Dagger/Garnet's situation. Eiko wasn't, though. She had slipped into a room while everyone else was talking, concerning themselves with Dagger and Garnet. Nobody noticed Eiko.
Nobody noticed her slip into the very room where Dagger and Garnet had . . . split.
"How exactly did it happen?"
Sarah willed it too.
"Yeah, I know THAT. But what was the process they went through?"
Garnet found herself. Then there were two of her.
Eiko blinked. "Could you be a little bit less . . . I don't know. Cryptic? Yeah, that's the word."
No.
"God . . . Eidolons," Eiko muttered, putting her hands on her hips. She turned her head around, then, surveying the room.
Glass shards were everywhere, but that was okay. The debris wouldn't make any noise, unless anyone came in and stepped on them. She was going to make sure no one would, though.
"Could you seal the door again?"
Yes.
Eiko felt a burst of power as the Eidolon Gemini worked its complex magic. Gemini was a "weird" Eidolon. It's powers were nether destructive or defensive. No one had any use for it during battle. This Eidolon was a pure mystery. What legend did it come from? Or what legend would it create?
Only one person knew, because only one person had successfully summoned it. If you could call her a person . . . She was more of a ghost. A spirit. She was Sarah . . . Sarah, the person who Garnet/Dagger used to be. The person who lived in Madian Sari for six years. The person who died when Garnet was born.
Eiko was going to revive that spirit, make it come back to Gaia. The spirit lived inside Eiko, and was waiting to get out. All Eiko had to do was ask for her to come.
She needed Sarah to come.
The six-year-old summoner got down on her knees to pray.