Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX... SquareSoft© does... we own it all to them..
Dedication: To those who love me and my stories.... I LOVE YOU GUYS TOO!!!
~*~Chapter 2~*~
**Sorrowful Memory**
Baku stared incrediously as Zidane walked into the small theatre in the back alley that Ruby had managed to pull off, hunched over, hands shoved deep into his pockets that his hands would poke out of them anytime now, head bowed deeply, long gold tresses falling in front of his face.
Marcus and Cinna followed closely, both chattering noisily about gears and tools. Ruby looked up from her newspaper that she was reading to watch as the men bunched into the small theatre and plop themselves down into seats in front of the even smaller bar.
" Whatcha ya'll doing?! Coming in 'ere and makin' ao'bunch of noise! ", Ruby shouted at them as she slammed down her paper and jumped up from the barstool.
Marcus and Cinna jumped back and looked at her. Marcus stepped forward and bowed, " We're sorry, Ruby... we didn't mean to do that. Forgive us? "
Ruby pursed her green painted full lush lips and then slowly nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest that she stuck out constantly, " Yes. "
Zidane suddenly frowned as he plopped down onto a barstool and reached out onto the countertop for a napkin. He quickly took it in both hands and began to rip it into tiny little pieces, not really paying any attention to the gaping and gawking people around him.
Her face, her full lush lips, her round perfect breasts, her ample waist he had had a chance to wrap his arms around. He could still even feel her small, delicate hands on his chest, her long fingers splayed apart across the fabric of his light blue vest. Her smile still played across his mind and her soft, yet demanding voice echoed throughout his mind and it was driving him insane.
Baku glanced around at his gang; Tantalus and realized that they - including him - were all staring at Zidane, as if expecting something. Well... he was of course.
" Zidane? ", Baku asked as he plopped down onto the barstool beside the younger man.
Zidane didn't look up at him, he just continued to go on shredding the napkin into tiny pieces until he ran out and then reached over for a new one to destroy, " What? "
" Did you do as I had asked of you? "
"..."
Baku watched him as did everyone else in the bar. Zidane turned to look at him, his deep forest green eyes holding back something. He nodded his head slowly and then plowed a hand through his hair as he stood up from the barstool to face his leader, his boss, his only real father known to him.
" I asked her and she.... didn't accept it... ", his reply came out soft as he brushed past Baku to climb the small flight of stairs to the back alley, leaving the Tantalus gang to all stare at where he had left.
Marcus stared at the stairs and frowned deeply as Blank plopped down into the seat beside him, across from Cinna who was polishing the metal head of his sledgehammer. Marcus glanced over at Blank briefly before turning his attention to Baku and then jerking his head back to Blank.
" Why the hell did you leave?! ", Marcus shouted at him.
Blank frowned, " I couldn't do it.... ", he replied whispering.
Marcus quirked a dark brow and then snorted, " You're such a chickenshit, you know that, Blank! You left us to save her as she practically threw her own life away AGAIN!! "
Blank now flinched as Marcus' wraith began to unnravel itself, " I'm sorry! It's not my fault Sarah threw her life away a-again?!? ", he nearly cried out in disbelief as he stared, wide eyed at Marcus who was nodding his head.
" Yeah, yeah! Sarah didn't die in that fire. Zidane didn't walk away from her, leaving her there to die... she left on her own. "
Cinna blinked and watched in interest as the conversation was beginning to make sense now, " So what you were trying to tell me in the marketsquare was that Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th is actually Sarah? "
Marcus and Blank turned and looked at him. They both nodded their heads quickly.
" The Sarah, SARAH!? ", Cinna wanted to make sure.
Marcus and Blank both nodded again, this time hard. Baku's left ear twitched and he swirled around on his barstool to face the trio of men of Tantalus.
" So... Sarah's not dead? ", Baku inquired.
Blank nodded and stood up from the seat, his hands flat on the tabletop as he leaned forward and stared at Baku, " Yes! She's not dead well dead, Baku.... she's living it rich, she's living it right, she's living it the way she had planned it out to be! "
***
Cernd Tethyr quirked an eyebrow as he pulled the robe tighter around his body, trying to hide all light from showing the Tantalus who he really was as he stood at the top of the stairs that led down into the small theatre. He had heard the whole thing and now he and his brother were going to be getting their revenge for the deaths of their parents back in Madain Sari when they were just visting, not doing any harm to anybody.
" So... Sarah really IS alive. She's been alive this whole time and we never even knew... until now that is... ", he muttered to himself, sneering the entire time, and trying not to snicker.
Cernd had watched as Zidane stormed from the theatre, looking the same as he had when he had first entered the small theatre a few minutes ago. He clearly remembered the same tail that swished to and fro as he and his brother were knelt weeping beside the mutilated bodies of their parents.
Long flowing silver hair was all he could remember, besides for the long tail that Cernd and his brother had vowed to rip off once they avenged their parents.
' Why is it that you never see anyone, BUT Zidane Tribal with a tail? ', Cernd thought to himself as he began to make his way towards the castle, making sure to keep good time so he could meet his brother at the arranged place.
***
" Where am I going? Why am I wandering? What is my purpose is life? To go on free to do and be as you please? To not be tied down to tutors and servants your entire life? ", Zidane wondered outloud as he continued to walk down the streets.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Lightning flashed like jagged ice javelins across the dark cloud filled sky, causing the whole Alexandrian town to light up. Children shrieked in terror as another loud booming of thunder caused the ground to shake and tremble before it's wrath.
Everyone was all running around, trying to find shelter. All but... him. People who ran past him gave him sympathetic looks but he dimissed them with a smug and evil look of a thief, the thief he had been brought up to be. Zidane sighed heavily as he felt the first heay drops of rain splatter down upon him and Alexandria.
He continued to walk, through the rain that had begun to fall heavier then it had a few seconds ago. This was going to be a big storm and Zidane, the petty, lonely thief was going to be caught up in it, probably going to be swept up by the water and then dumped into the sewers.
Zidane walked on and on for what seemed eternity, completely soaked through, not a single thing on his dry, not even the leather scabbard that hung at his side, containing his favorite weapon; the dagger. Thieves best friend, besides for a few lock picks.
Zidane found himself walking past the ticket booth that stood in the middle of the marketsquare, right in front of the castle. He looked into the ticket booth, hoping to find shelter, but to his dismay, found it lock tightly until the next play came on.
He frowned deeply and reached up to sweep back his drenched locks of honey gold hair that now looked a sandy brown from the rain. Zidane looked around and then he found his last resort... the castle, where Garnet was.
Zidane ran a hand over his face and then rubbed his eyes to rid them of the sleep that was soon going to deprive them of sight. He quickly began to make his way across the marketsquare, towards the open gates of the castle. He felt something or someone hit him from behind and he stumbled and fell to the ground, face first into a large puddle of muddy water.
Zidane's eyes shot open as he kept his face in the water. Something about this scene wasn't right. He remembered it from somewhere, but where and when. Suddenly, the memories of being on Madain Sari and of Sarah played in his mind and he sucked in a sharp breath of pain, causing him to suck in some of the muddy water and swallow it.
Zidane jerked his head up and flung it to the side to cough out the muddy water. He laid there on the ground coughing for a few more minutes before the coughing attack resided. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a pair of feet, small in size.
Zidane's eyes travelled up the length of leg that was shown through the once white gown, now a dirty kind of colour as if the person had been out rolling around in the mud. His deep forest greens eyes continued to travel of the body, now skimming over the breasts that rose and fell rapidly as a small hand laid resting on the valley between the breasts, the person obviously trying to catch their breath.
Then came the face. Zidane blinked and then stared into the soft chocolate coloured eyes that stared back down at him. The small heart-shaped face that would fit so perfectly in his hands was smudged with dirt and a faint bruise decorated the right cheek.
" G-garnet! What are you doing out here, in the rain? You're all wet... your gown is all dirty and soaked completely through... ", Zidane murmured softly as he accepted the hand that was offered to him.
Garnet closed her eyes as she felt Zidane's strong fingers wrap around her hand. She pulled him up with all her might and actually got him standing, considering he was swaying from side to side everynow and then as they both stood there, bound in complete silence.
Zidane swallowed and then reached up behind his neck to scratch it, " Well...? Aren't you going to say aomething? ", he asked, breaking the unbearable silence.
Garnet blinked and looked up at him, " I don't know. What would there be for me to say? What are you doing here at this time of night? I don't know... ", she replied softly while shrugging as she bowed her head, allowing her long, flowing dark hair to find one side of her face from him.
Zidane tilted his head to the side and watched her, not really knowing what to do, " If you really want to know why I'm here... I don't know the answer to that question just yet. But, perhaps it would be best if we got you inside... in some warm clothes, under some blankets, after you take a nice warm bubblebath... ", he was now whispering his suggestions as he began to picture her in a bubble bath.
Garnet stared at him, suddenly curious, ' What? Does he think he can me into the bath with him? Or even the bed? ', she shook her head. " It just won't happen! ", she cried outloud.
Zidane blinked, snapping from his little fantasy, " What? Fine... you want to stand around in the rain then? Go for it... I'm going to wander around some more, looking for a place to sleep... so, I'll... see you around, Majesty.... ", he said as he turned and waved, beginning to walk away.
' What are you doing?!?! Don't just stand there, staring at his butt, go after him!! '
Garnet shook her head hard and began to turn around herself and head back into the castle, but something stopped her and she turned back around to find Zidane disappearing from her sight as he turned a corner. Something inside of her tore at her heart. She had never experienced anything more painful - except for her mother's abrupt death - that tears brimmed her eyes, her chin dimpled in and out as she tried not to sob.
She needed someone to protect her. She needed someone to love her... love her for who she REALLY was, and not just some Queen, part of royalty. Garnet felt her throat choke up, close up as she outstretched a hand and allowed the name to be cried out in anguish from her throat.
" ZIDANE!! "
Garnet watched through tears as no one appeared quickly from around the corner to greet her happily with wide open arms. She hugged her arms to her stomach and doubled over before slowly sinking to the ground on her knees, not caring if her gown got all dirty or wet, it was already just that.
A fresh batch of tears slid past her lashes as the memories of her mother dying played in her head along with memories that were blurred but still there to be apart of her past life. Garnet hunched over and allowed her shoulders to heave up and down as sobs consumed her body, the pain of losing loved ones suddenly tearing her up quickly from the inside to the outside.
Somehow, she felt like she could trust Zidane, the young man who had just shown up, who had saved her life just when she was about to end it, the one who had given her another chance to live again. More tears flowed, mixing with the rain that fell from the sky overhead.
Strong arms suddenly encircled her and then a warm body was pressed to hers to keep her warm. Garnet immediately assumed that it was Zidane and she leaned forward, allowing all her tears to flow, allowing all the pain and hurt she had sustained over the years to flow with them, allowing the rain to wash them all away down into the sewers, all her pain and hurt.
" Come now, Garnet... why are you out here in the rain? What has gotten into you, my dear? Hmm? ", a deep voice that didn't belong to Zidane asked softly as hands tenderly ran their fingers through her completely soaked hair that was all tangled.
' What's going on? This isn't Zidane. I asked for Zidane... I asked for him and he never came for me... ", Garnet thought in sadness that just caused more tears to flow.
She had asked for one that she would love dearly with her heart to come to her aid, but instead all she got Haer'Dalis....
***
Zidane shook his head, trying to get his name that she had screamed out was going to be harder then he thought. The tone in her wail, in her howl, her plea for him was what had caused his heart to break slightly in half. The other thing that caused his heart to crack the rest of the way was the fact that he just left her there to sit on the ground, hugging herself, crying away the pain and suffering, thinking that crying would make it all better.
" I'm such an ass! ", Zidane muttered to himself as he trudged along the back alley towards the theatre.
He could've held her in his arms again, something he yearned to do, right after she told him to let her go, he wanted to reach out again and grab her, press the length of her body to his, fit all her soft, gentle curves to his hard, muscular angles.
Zidane shook his head again and rolled his head as he once again swept back his hair from his eyes. He grabbed the pole and twirled around until he was standing in front of the stairs. Zidane slowly began to make his way down them when shouting brought his to a halt and caused him to sit down on the step.
" How do we really know that Garnet is Sarah? Hmm? What proof do you have? ", Baku's deep voice thundered, but not as loud as the thunder that boomed to life overhead Zidane and the rest of Gaia.
" I didn't say that we had proof, Baku, you baka! What I meant was that, she is Sarah because of the mark on her wrist. You weren't there to see, but I saw it, and I'm sure Zidane caught eye of it too! He was the one who got to hold her, like he does with every other woman in Gaia! ", Blank commented in a low voice.
Baku and Zidane both scowled deeply. Baku stared at Blank, " Does it really matter how many women Zidane's handled? No!! This is about finding Sarah and we're going to do just that, Blank. I don't give a damn what the hell you have to say about it either. "
Zidane wiped away the rain from his forehead and cheeks and continued to sit there, listening in on his only real family arguing about him and Sarah.
Marcus looked up from his book and frowned, " Look. Does it really matter if she's Sarah or not? I mean, Zidane showed her the necklace and she didn't have a clue about what it was... so obviously that means she's not Sarah and she's really Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th. Now! Can we just drop this before Zidane arrives and figures out what's going -- "
" It's already too late for that, Marcus... ", Zidane cut him off as he walked down the rest of the stairs to cross the threshold, jump onto the stage and head into the back of the stage into the dressing rooms.
Blank, Marcus, Cinna and Ruby all stared at Baku, eyes wide, mouth opened, slightly parted, or shaped in a perfect O of surprise. Baku looked at them all and shook his head sadly. Ruby frowned and placed her hands on her hips as she jumped up from the stool behind the small bar.
" Whatcha ya'll going ta do now? Hmm? He's obviously hurt now. It's all 'cause of this stupid search for Sarah that's got him all down. You guys just had to go and bring it up, didn't ya? ", she scolded them harshly before taking off into the backstage area and make her way towards the dressingrooms were, leaving the group of men to look at the ground in shame or to glare at each other for starting the subject.
Backstage, Zidane pulled his legs free of his blue jean-like pants and threw them into a corner. He reached into the closet and pulled out another pair and slid his legs into them, trying hard to fight the tears of pain and frustration that threathened him greatly by spilling over. He then tore the vest from his body and ripped the white muscle shirt from his chest, throwing them into the corner as well.
He fell back into the chair that sat in front of a mirror and placed his head in his hands. He hadn't bothered to brush his hair and he had lost the elastic so his wet sandy brown locks hung in front of his face as he pressed his palms flat to his eyes, trying not to let the pain win over.
It won over. All it took was the aching sound of need in Garnet's plea to send them sliding down his cheeks in rushes. Never in his entire life had he ever cried. The only time he had cried was when they had held a special funeral within Tantalus for Sarah after the great fire.
He could still here her crying out his name, the plea Garnet let loose through the night sounded exactly like Sarah's plea for him to come back to her and to not leave her to burn in the fire. Zidane still wouldn't believe that she was dead, if Baku and the rest of the gang were saying that Garnet really was Sarah, then that would mean that Sarah had managed to survive the great fire that had managed to take out most of LindBlum, including the Theatre District, the Business District, and the Industrial District.
Zidane was now sobbing. His entire body shook uncontrolablly as he held his head in his hands, sobbing away like a little lost, frightened ten year old. He was sobbing so loudly and so hard that he didn't even hear the door open and then close as someone stepped into the room and made their way over to him with uncertain steps.
Ruby felt her large heart crack all the way down to the very end. Never in her entire life of knowing Zidane Tribal, had she ever seen anything like this. Seeing him sobbing like a little child brought tears to her own eyes that she quickly blinked away and walked up to him.
Ruby outstretched hand and gently placed it on his shoulder, startling him, causing him to practically jump out of his chair. Zidane's head jerked around and he found himself staring into deep purple eyes that were beginning to brim with tears of their own.
Zidane shook his head and reached up to wipe away at the tears, but Ruby was quick and she caught him by the wrist before anything could happen. He looked up at her, his deep forest green eyes surrounded by bloodshot white, his face pale, chin dimpling in and out as he fought to sob any longer.
Ruby smiled weakly, almost breaking down at the sight of him herself. She had always known him to be a strong fighter, not a weak person like this who would break down. But, it was obviously that he was the kind of the person who kept to themselves, never really allowing his emotional side to get in the way of life and things.
" Zidane, honey... ya don't need to worry 'bout Sarah. She's alive... she's well. If ya need to let it all out, then you go right ahead, honey. I'll be right here with ya, bawling me own eyes out with ya... ", she assured him.
Zidane stared at her, not really knowing what to say or to do next. The only thing he could think of was to begin crying again as he thought of Garnet... thought of Sarah....
Dedication: To those who love me and my stories.... I LOVE YOU GUYS TOO!!!
~*~Chapter 2~*~
**Sorrowful Memory**
Baku stared incrediously as Zidane walked into the small theatre in the back alley that Ruby had managed to pull off, hunched over, hands shoved deep into his pockets that his hands would poke out of them anytime now, head bowed deeply, long gold tresses falling in front of his face.
Marcus and Cinna followed closely, both chattering noisily about gears and tools. Ruby looked up from her newspaper that she was reading to watch as the men bunched into the small theatre and plop themselves down into seats in front of the even smaller bar.
" Whatcha ya'll doing?! Coming in 'ere and makin' ao'bunch of noise! ", Ruby shouted at them as she slammed down her paper and jumped up from the barstool.
Marcus and Cinna jumped back and looked at her. Marcus stepped forward and bowed, " We're sorry, Ruby... we didn't mean to do that. Forgive us? "
Ruby pursed her green painted full lush lips and then slowly nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest that she stuck out constantly, " Yes. "
Zidane suddenly frowned as he plopped down onto a barstool and reached out onto the countertop for a napkin. He quickly took it in both hands and began to rip it into tiny little pieces, not really paying any attention to the gaping and gawking people around him.
Her face, her full lush lips, her round perfect breasts, her ample waist he had had a chance to wrap his arms around. He could still even feel her small, delicate hands on his chest, her long fingers splayed apart across the fabric of his light blue vest. Her smile still played across his mind and her soft, yet demanding voice echoed throughout his mind and it was driving him insane.
Baku glanced around at his gang; Tantalus and realized that they - including him - were all staring at Zidane, as if expecting something. Well... he was of course.
" Zidane? ", Baku asked as he plopped down onto the barstool beside the younger man.
Zidane didn't look up at him, he just continued to go on shredding the napkin into tiny pieces until he ran out and then reached over for a new one to destroy, " What? "
" Did you do as I had asked of you? "
"..."
Baku watched him as did everyone else in the bar. Zidane turned to look at him, his deep forest green eyes holding back something. He nodded his head slowly and then plowed a hand through his hair as he stood up from the barstool to face his leader, his boss, his only real father known to him.
" I asked her and she.... didn't accept it... ", his reply came out soft as he brushed past Baku to climb the small flight of stairs to the back alley, leaving the Tantalus gang to all stare at where he had left.
Marcus stared at the stairs and frowned deeply as Blank plopped down into the seat beside him, across from Cinna who was polishing the metal head of his sledgehammer. Marcus glanced over at Blank briefly before turning his attention to Baku and then jerking his head back to Blank.
" Why the hell did you leave?! ", Marcus shouted at him.
Blank frowned, " I couldn't do it.... ", he replied whispering.
Marcus quirked a dark brow and then snorted, " You're such a chickenshit, you know that, Blank! You left us to save her as she practically threw her own life away AGAIN!! "
Blank now flinched as Marcus' wraith began to unnravel itself, " I'm sorry! It's not my fault Sarah threw her life away a-again?!? ", he nearly cried out in disbelief as he stared, wide eyed at Marcus who was nodding his head.
" Yeah, yeah! Sarah didn't die in that fire. Zidane didn't walk away from her, leaving her there to die... she left on her own. "
Cinna blinked and watched in interest as the conversation was beginning to make sense now, " So what you were trying to tell me in the marketsquare was that Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th is actually Sarah? "
Marcus and Blank turned and looked at him. They both nodded their heads quickly.
" The Sarah, SARAH!? ", Cinna wanted to make sure.
Marcus and Blank both nodded again, this time hard. Baku's left ear twitched and he swirled around on his barstool to face the trio of men of Tantalus.
" So... Sarah's not dead? ", Baku inquired.
Blank nodded and stood up from the seat, his hands flat on the tabletop as he leaned forward and stared at Baku, " Yes! She's not dead well dead, Baku.... she's living it rich, she's living it right, she's living it the way she had planned it out to be! "
***
Cernd Tethyr quirked an eyebrow as he pulled the robe tighter around his body, trying to hide all light from showing the Tantalus who he really was as he stood at the top of the stairs that led down into the small theatre. He had heard the whole thing and now he and his brother were going to be getting their revenge for the deaths of their parents back in Madain Sari when they were just visting, not doing any harm to anybody.
" So... Sarah really IS alive. She's been alive this whole time and we never even knew... until now that is... ", he muttered to himself, sneering the entire time, and trying not to snicker.
Cernd had watched as Zidane stormed from the theatre, looking the same as he had when he had first entered the small theatre a few minutes ago. He clearly remembered the same tail that swished to and fro as he and his brother were knelt weeping beside the mutilated bodies of their parents.
Long flowing silver hair was all he could remember, besides for the long tail that Cernd and his brother had vowed to rip off once they avenged their parents.
' Why is it that you never see anyone, BUT Zidane Tribal with a tail? ', Cernd thought to himself as he began to make his way towards the castle, making sure to keep good time so he could meet his brother at the arranged place.
***
" Where am I going? Why am I wandering? What is my purpose is life? To go on free to do and be as you please? To not be tied down to tutors and servants your entire life? ", Zidane wondered outloud as he continued to walk down the streets.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Lightning flashed like jagged ice javelins across the dark cloud filled sky, causing the whole Alexandrian town to light up. Children shrieked in terror as another loud booming of thunder caused the ground to shake and tremble before it's wrath.
Everyone was all running around, trying to find shelter. All but... him. People who ran past him gave him sympathetic looks but he dimissed them with a smug and evil look of a thief, the thief he had been brought up to be. Zidane sighed heavily as he felt the first heay drops of rain splatter down upon him and Alexandria.
He continued to walk, through the rain that had begun to fall heavier then it had a few seconds ago. This was going to be a big storm and Zidane, the petty, lonely thief was going to be caught up in it, probably going to be swept up by the water and then dumped into the sewers.
Zidane walked on and on for what seemed eternity, completely soaked through, not a single thing on his dry, not even the leather scabbard that hung at his side, containing his favorite weapon; the dagger. Thieves best friend, besides for a few lock picks.
Zidane found himself walking past the ticket booth that stood in the middle of the marketsquare, right in front of the castle. He looked into the ticket booth, hoping to find shelter, but to his dismay, found it lock tightly until the next play came on.
He frowned deeply and reached up to sweep back his drenched locks of honey gold hair that now looked a sandy brown from the rain. Zidane looked around and then he found his last resort... the castle, where Garnet was.
Zidane ran a hand over his face and then rubbed his eyes to rid them of the sleep that was soon going to deprive them of sight. He quickly began to make his way across the marketsquare, towards the open gates of the castle. He felt something or someone hit him from behind and he stumbled and fell to the ground, face first into a large puddle of muddy water.
Zidane's eyes shot open as he kept his face in the water. Something about this scene wasn't right. He remembered it from somewhere, but where and when. Suddenly, the memories of being on Madain Sari and of Sarah played in his mind and he sucked in a sharp breath of pain, causing him to suck in some of the muddy water and swallow it.
Zidane jerked his head up and flung it to the side to cough out the muddy water. He laid there on the ground coughing for a few more minutes before the coughing attack resided. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a pair of feet, small in size.
Zidane's eyes travelled up the length of leg that was shown through the once white gown, now a dirty kind of colour as if the person had been out rolling around in the mud. His deep forest greens eyes continued to travel of the body, now skimming over the breasts that rose and fell rapidly as a small hand laid resting on the valley between the breasts, the person obviously trying to catch their breath.
Then came the face. Zidane blinked and then stared into the soft chocolate coloured eyes that stared back down at him. The small heart-shaped face that would fit so perfectly in his hands was smudged with dirt and a faint bruise decorated the right cheek.
" G-garnet! What are you doing out here, in the rain? You're all wet... your gown is all dirty and soaked completely through... ", Zidane murmured softly as he accepted the hand that was offered to him.
Garnet closed her eyes as she felt Zidane's strong fingers wrap around her hand. She pulled him up with all her might and actually got him standing, considering he was swaying from side to side everynow and then as they both stood there, bound in complete silence.
Zidane swallowed and then reached up behind his neck to scratch it, " Well...? Aren't you going to say aomething? ", he asked, breaking the unbearable silence.
Garnet blinked and looked up at him, " I don't know. What would there be for me to say? What are you doing here at this time of night? I don't know... ", she replied softly while shrugging as she bowed her head, allowing her long, flowing dark hair to find one side of her face from him.
Zidane tilted his head to the side and watched her, not really knowing what to do, " If you really want to know why I'm here... I don't know the answer to that question just yet. But, perhaps it would be best if we got you inside... in some warm clothes, under some blankets, after you take a nice warm bubblebath... ", he was now whispering his suggestions as he began to picture her in a bubble bath.
Garnet stared at him, suddenly curious, ' What? Does he think he can me into the bath with him? Or even the bed? ', she shook her head. " It just won't happen! ", she cried outloud.
Zidane blinked, snapping from his little fantasy, " What? Fine... you want to stand around in the rain then? Go for it... I'm going to wander around some more, looking for a place to sleep... so, I'll... see you around, Majesty.... ", he said as he turned and waved, beginning to walk away.
' What are you doing?!?! Don't just stand there, staring at his butt, go after him!! '
Garnet shook her head hard and began to turn around herself and head back into the castle, but something stopped her and she turned back around to find Zidane disappearing from her sight as he turned a corner. Something inside of her tore at her heart. She had never experienced anything more painful - except for her mother's abrupt death - that tears brimmed her eyes, her chin dimpled in and out as she tried not to sob.
She needed someone to protect her. She needed someone to love her... love her for who she REALLY was, and not just some Queen, part of royalty. Garnet felt her throat choke up, close up as she outstretched a hand and allowed the name to be cried out in anguish from her throat.
" ZIDANE!! "
Garnet watched through tears as no one appeared quickly from around the corner to greet her happily with wide open arms. She hugged her arms to her stomach and doubled over before slowly sinking to the ground on her knees, not caring if her gown got all dirty or wet, it was already just that.
A fresh batch of tears slid past her lashes as the memories of her mother dying played in her head along with memories that were blurred but still there to be apart of her past life. Garnet hunched over and allowed her shoulders to heave up and down as sobs consumed her body, the pain of losing loved ones suddenly tearing her up quickly from the inside to the outside.
Somehow, she felt like she could trust Zidane, the young man who had just shown up, who had saved her life just when she was about to end it, the one who had given her another chance to live again. More tears flowed, mixing with the rain that fell from the sky overhead.
Strong arms suddenly encircled her and then a warm body was pressed to hers to keep her warm. Garnet immediately assumed that it was Zidane and she leaned forward, allowing all her tears to flow, allowing all the pain and hurt she had sustained over the years to flow with them, allowing the rain to wash them all away down into the sewers, all her pain and hurt.
" Come now, Garnet... why are you out here in the rain? What has gotten into you, my dear? Hmm? ", a deep voice that didn't belong to Zidane asked softly as hands tenderly ran their fingers through her completely soaked hair that was all tangled.
' What's going on? This isn't Zidane. I asked for Zidane... I asked for him and he never came for me... ", Garnet thought in sadness that just caused more tears to flow.
She had asked for one that she would love dearly with her heart to come to her aid, but instead all she got Haer'Dalis....
***
Zidane shook his head, trying to get his name that she had screamed out was going to be harder then he thought. The tone in her wail, in her howl, her plea for him was what had caused his heart to break slightly in half. The other thing that caused his heart to crack the rest of the way was the fact that he just left her there to sit on the ground, hugging herself, crying away the pain and suffering, thinking that crying would make it all better.
" I'm such an ass! ", Zidane muttered to himself as he trudged along the back alley towards the theatre.
He could've held her in his arms again, something he yearned to do, right after she told him to let her go, he wanted to reach out again and grab her, press the length of her body to his, fit all her soft, gentle curves to his hard, muscular angles.
Zidane shook his head again and rolled his head as he once again swept back his hair from his eyes. He grabbed the pole and twirled around until he was standing in front of the stairs. Zidane slowly began to make his way down them when shouting brought his to a halt and caused him to sit down on the step.
" How do we really know that Garnet is Sarah? Hmm? What proof do you have? ", Baku's deep voice thundered, but not as loud as the thunder that boomed to life overhead Zidane and the rest of Gaia.
" I didn't say that we had proof, Baku, you baka! What I meant was that, she is Sarah because of the mark on her wrist. You weren't there to see, but I saw it, and I'm sure Zidane caught eye of it too! He was the one who got to hold her, like he does with every other woman in Gaia! ", Blank commented in a low voice.
Baku and Zidane both scowled deeply. Baku stared at Blank, " Does it really matter how many women Zidane's handled? No!! This is about finding Sarah and we're going to do just that, Blank. I don't give a damn what the hell you have to say about it either. "
Zidane wiped away the rain from his forehead and cheeks and continued to sit there, listening in on his only real family arguing about him and Sarah.
Marcus looked up from his book and frowned, " Look. Does it really matter if she's Sarah or not? I mean, Zidane showed her the necklace and she didn't have a clue about what it was... so obviously that means she's not Sarah and she's really Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th. Now! Can we just drop this before Zidane arrives and figures out what's going -- "
" It's already too late for that, Marcus... ", Zidane cut him off as he walked down the rest of the stairs to cross the threshold, jump onto the stage and head into the back of the stage into the dressing rooms.
Blank, Marcus, Cinna and Ruby all stared at Baku, eyes wide, mouth opened, slightly parted, or shaped in a perfect O of surprise. Baku looked at them all and shook his head sadly. Ruby frowned and placed her hands on her hips as she jumped up from the stool behind the small bar.
" Whatcha ya'll going ta do now? Hmm? He's obviously hurt now. It's all 'cause of this stupid search for Sarah that's got him all down. You guys just had to go and bring it up, didn't ya? ", she scolded them harshly before taking off into the backstage area and make her way towards the dressingrooms were, leaving the group of men to look at the ground in shame or to glare at each other for starting the subject.
Backstage, Zidane pulled his legs free of his blue jean-like pants and threw them into a corner. He reached into the closet and pulled out another pair and slid his legs into them, trying hard to fight the tears of pain and frustration that threathened him greatly by spilling over. He then tore the vest from his body and ripped the white muscle shirt from his chest, throwing them into the corner as well.
He fell back into the chair that sat in front of a mirror and placed his head in his hands. He hadn't bothered to brush his hair and he had lost the elastic so his wet sandy brown locks hung in front of his face as he pressed his palms flat to his eyes, trying not to let the pain win over.
It won over. All it took was the aching sound of need in Garnet's plea to send them sliding down his cheeks in rushes. Never in his entire life had he ever cried. The only time he had cried was when they had held a special funeral within Tantalus for Sarah after the great fire.
He could still here her crying out his name, the plea Garnet let loose through the night sounded exactly like Sarah's plea for him to come back to her and to not leave her to burn in the fire. Zidane still wouldn't believe that she was dead, if Baku and the rest of the gang were saying that Garnet really was Sarah, then that would mean that Sarah had managed to survive the great fire that had managed to take out most of LindBlum, including the Theatre District, the Business District, and the Industrial District.
Zidane was now sobbing. His entire body shook uncontrolablly as he held his head in his hands, sobbing away like a little lost, frightened ten year old. He was sobbing so loudly and so hard that he didn't even hear the door open and then close as someone stepped into the room and made their way over to him with uncertain steps.
Ruby felt her large heart crack all the way down to the very end. Never in her entire life of knowing Zidane Tribal, had she ever seen anything like this. Seeing him sobbing like a little child brought tears to her own eyes that she quickly blinked away and walked up to him.
Ruby outstretched hand and gently placed it on his shoulder, startling him, causing him to practically jump out of his chair. Zidane's head jerked around and he found himself staring into deep purple eyes that were beginning to brim with tears of their own.
Zidane shook his head and reached up to wipe away at the tears, but Ruby was quick and she caught him by the wrist before anything could happen. He looked up at her, his deep forest green eyes surrounded by bloodshot white, his face pale, chin dimpling in and out as he fought to sob any longer.
Ruby smiled weakly, almost breaking down at the sight of him herself. She had always known him to be a strong fighter, not a weak person like this who would break down. But, it was obviously that he was the kind of the person who kept to themselves, never really allowing his emotional side to get in the way of life and things.
" Zidane, honey... ya don't need to worry 'bout Sarah. She's alive... she's well. If ya need to let it all out, then you go right ahead, honey. I'll be right here with ya, bawling me own eyes out with ya... ", she assured him.
Zidane stared at her, not really knowing what to say or to do next. The only thing he could think of was to begin crying again as he thought of Garnet... thought of Sarah....
