Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fanatsy IX©... SquareSoft owns it all as well as for all the characters.... :p

Dedication: To all who love my fics and to Maki, Siena, *Sagittarius Girl* and last but not least in my books... Taemyr!!!

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~Chapter 1~

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~I-I'm so sorry, D-dagger~

// Four Years Later \\

" You know, baby.... it would work out better if you pressed the little button on the side of the box... " twenty-two year old Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th said lightly as she laid sprawled out on the armless couch that looked more like a bench as she watched her four year old daughter Gabrielle Til Alexandros the 18th turning the box over and over in her small hands.

" Mommy want to play? " Gabrielle asked lifting the box up to her mother face, a small impish smile touching her small heart-shaper rose lips.

Garnet chuckled and accepted the box, " Thank you, love.. " she said lightly, flipping the box over onto it's side so she could press the little button on it.

As soon as her fingertip pressed down onto the plastic button, the lid slowly lifted and a familiar tune played, the musical notes floating through the air to only hit Garnet hard in the chest with memories of the past that she didn't want to have to bring up, didn't want to have to go through again.

" Mommy? What's the song's name? " Gabrielle asked as she leaned over on the couch, her head resting on her arms as she rested her arms on to the edge of the couch, watching her mother closely.

Garnet swallowed thickly and quickly blinked back tears that she vowed she would never shed again before looking at her daughter, " Gabby... it's an old song... " she simply said.

" I don't want to know how old it is... I wanna know the name... " Gabrielle said as she ran a small finger along the velvet edges of the dark blue music box.

" It's called Melodies of Life, baby... " Garnet replied before looking into the small mirror that was glued to the bottom of the lid, taking her features that didn't exactly change in anyway.

She still looked the same as she had when she was sixteen. Only... six years later, she seemed to have filled out nicely in some spots, matured just a bit more. Gabrielle pursed her lips and then scratched her head.

" Are you sad, mommy? " she asked, crawling up onto the couch to sit beside Garnet.

" No, love... " Garnet said softly, wrapping an arm around the smaller body and pressing it up against hers in a reassuring hug.

" Then what's wrong? " Gabrielle asked as she turned her small heart-shaped face upwards to look at her mother.

Garnet stared back, her soft chocolate brown eyes roaming over her daughter's small face, taking in the deep forest green eyes with a hint of hazel in them, taking in the dark honey strands that hung around her face from the twist at the back of her that was coming undone, taking in everything of the little girl.

" Mommy? "

Garnet blinked, " Hmm? What is it? "

' He's reflected in her... everything about her is.. I see him... ' Garnet thought as she smiled lightly at her daughter.

" Let's go outside! Play catch... or something, please, mommy? " Gabrielle begged, tugging on her mother's hand.

Garnet laughed lightly and wrapped an arm around Gabrielle's waist as she stood up off the couch to try and make her way over the toys scattered among the ground without tripping and falling on her face.

" Alright. Mommy needs to get some fresh air anyway... " Garnet whispered to her daughter as she tenderly kissed her temple.

" Majesty? Where are you going? " a soft voice asked from behind as Garnet and her daughter were walking down the stairs to the make their way down the back hall to exit into the courtyard in the back of the castle.

Garnet turned around and smiled upon seeing the calm, friendly face, " Hello, Steiner... I was just taking Gabrielle out into the back for a little outside time. I need some fresh air... "

Adelbert Steiner, personal bodyguard and loyal friend to the royal family for the past twenty-two years, smiled kindly, " I understand. Hello, Highness... " he said softly to Gabrielle who looked at him with her head tilted to the side, a small smirk on her lips.

" Hullo, Steiny! " she replied in a cheery tone, her lips spread in a big grin.

Steiner chuckled and then brought his own soft chocolate brown eyes from the Princess' face to Garnet's, " How are you holding out? "

Garnet bit her lip and smile lightly, " Always worrying, are we, Steiner? " she said softly as she turned and began to make her way to the back of the castle.

Steiner walked after her and nodded, " Of course, Majesty! I have reason to worry... "

Garnet stopped and looked at him as he came to stand in front of her, " You have no need to worry about me. I'm a big girl now... I can take care of myself and my daughter. And I'm happy that you're worried about me, but Steiner... just please. Just this one day... could you stop worrying about me? " she asked, her eyes searching his face.

Steiner bit his lip and stared at her before lowering his face to look at the ground, " I'm sorry, Majesty... I'll let you go back to what you were originally doing... " he said in a soft voice.

Garnet sighed heavily and then frowned, " Steiner... I know you're trying... I know you're not the same without Beatrix here. You can manage, Steiner. Look at me! Zidane isn't here and I've managed to go and raise a beautiful girl all on my own... well, with your help of course... " she told him, smiling lightly.

Steiner looked up and nodded, " Perhaps you're right. I just miss her... it hurts.. " he whispered in a pained voice.

Gabrielle knitted her brow and reached out to place her small left hand on Steiner's right broad shoulder, patting it gently, almost awkwardly, " It'll be alwight, Steiny! I'm here for you... " she said, leaning over in her mother's arms to wrap her small arms around Steiner's neck and then plant a wet kiddie kiss on his left cheek.

Steiner and Garnet chuckled, " Why, thank you, Princess... I feel much better now.. " he said, chuckling still, his cheeks a little red.

" Yes, Steiner... we're here for you, don't worry. I'm here for you just as you were here for me in the beginning of all this.. " Garnet said as she leaned towards him and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek before smiling at him and then brushing past him to walk calmly down the hall, Gabrielle giggling in her arms....

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" Poor Steiny, mommy... he misses Bea... " Gabrielle whispered sadly as Garnet gently setted her on the ground underneath the large weeping willow that took up half the East side of the courtyard.

Garnet nodded, " Yes, baby... he misses her. I miss her too.. " she said softly, wiping her hands on her full skirts before sitting down on the soft grass and then leaning back against the tree.

Gabrielle sat down beside Garnet and leaned her head against her arm, " Mommy? "

" Hmm? " Garnet murmured as she closed her eyes and wrapped an arm around Gabrielle's shoulder's.

" Whatever happened to daddy? "

Garnet's eyes flew open, " W-why? "

" Well.. I don't know. I was just wondering where he is... I mean, I see Linny with her daddy and mommy when you let me go over to her place to play. Where's my daddy? " Gabrielle asked, lifting her face up to look into Garnet's pale one.

" Well, sweetie... your daddy... well, you daddy is away.... " she managed to get out.

" Where'd he go? "

" Gabby! Just please... I don't want to talk about this... " Garnet said as she slowly stood up from the grass to pace it in front of her daughter.

" A-alright, mommy... I'm sorry I made you sad.. " she said in a soft whisper, her voice breaking slightly as tears came to her eyes, turning them into emeralds that sparkled.

" Oh, baby... " Garnet moaned as she walked up to her daughter, dropped to her knees in front of her and wrapped her in a big hug, letting the small child sob into her shoulder. " It's alright... you didn't make mommy sad... " she whispered tenderly, stroking the silky honey tresses.

" T-then who did? " Gabrielle asked into her mother's neck, sniffling lightly.

" It doesn't matter anymore. What was done, was done... " Garnet replied, pulling away from her daughter to reach over and smooth the soft strands of hair from her eyes.

" Can we go play now? " she asked lightly, still sniffling.

" How about... you go and explore the grounds for awhile. Nothing bad can happen to you, so you'll be fine... I'll just be sitting here if you need something... " Garnet said as she pressed a soft kiss to Gabrielle's forehead and then gave her a tiny, gentle shove.

Gabrielle smiled and hugged her mother before getting shoved into the direction where the Orchards were situated, " I'll be back, mommy! I'll bring us back some fruits.. " she called over her shoulder as she began to run.

Garnet sighed heavily and went back to sitting in her spot on the grass, leaning up against the tree, " What am I going to do? " she asked herself, closing her eyes to end up drifting into a light sleep...

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' I got to hurry... I can't give up just yet... ' he thought to himself as he slowly made his way towards the castle, stumbling every now and then, but not willing to give up.

He could still see her loving expression in his mind that night. He smiled to himself and then quickened his pace to end up falling to the ground on his knees, his right arm immediately going around his stomach to try and stop the pain from going any farther, but it wasn't working. His ribs were too smashed up, his left arm broken in two places and he was probably bleeding internally as well from how the battle went.

Zidane Tribal, twenty-two now, slowly pulled himself off the ground, ignoring the strange looks that the people who passed him threw his way. So what if he was all dirty looking and almost covered in his own blood? He didn't give a crap, why should he? The only thought on his mind at the moment was getting back to her.

" This is so damn... stupid!! " he shouted as he began to make his way up the cobblestone street of Alexandria to come to a stop at the front gates of the castle that were wide open.

' Finally... ' Zidane thought to himself in relief as he glanced around and behind him before slowly stumbling through the gates.

Now. If he were Garnet, where would he be at this time of the day?

" Probably in the courtyard... that's where she would normally go on nice days like this... " Zidane mumbled to himself, grimacing as well as he turned left off the bridge to follow the thin cobblestone sidewalk.

There was a small, soft giggle of surprise and Zidane froze, wondering where it came from and from who it came from. He slowly and quietly tiptoed to the corner of the castle, still holding his side in pain, as he peeked around the corner to find a small girl with dark honey hair that was in a twist at the back of her head crouched over something, the back of her skirts lifted slightly from something underneath, something that was nearly white and almost as long as her legs.

" A tail?! " he nearly shouted as he squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at her.

Gabrielle giggled again and then scratched her back, lifting the skirts up just a little bit by accident, the small tail coming into great view now, swaying from side to side happily. Zidane felt his heart sink. So.. she had gone and found another man. He frowned and then sighed heavily, causing his smashed up ribs to dig into his sides and chest, causing him to grunt out loud and then stumble forward into the opening, towards the little girl.

" H-help... " Zidane whispered, his voice barely louder then a raspy croak as he fell to the ground on his stomach, his arm crushed beneath his body and the cobblestones.

Gabrielle whirled around, the fruits she picked off the ground that had been in her dress, tumbling back to rest on the ground, scattered everywhere as soon as she heard the thump of Zidane hitting the ground hard. She saw the blood and then the dirt smudged face that was smeared in blood as well.

" Mommy!!!! " she screamed, over and over.

Perhaps it was that that made her scream like she was being murdered herself, who knows. Gabrielle screamed and screamed, as she backed away from Zidane to turn and run away in search of Garnet, tears quickly falling down her cheeks...

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" Mommy!!!! "

Garnet sat upright from the tree, her eyes wide in surprise as they scanned the grounds for the source of the cry. The cry was followed by heavy sobbing, the kind where it'll stop and then go because the person sucked in too much air. She jumped off the ground and ran forward, towards the orchards where she had told her daughter to go and play.

Guards ran out of the castle, running towards Garnet as she ran towards the orchards, thoughts flying through her mind, praying that her daughter hadn't been kidnapped or was dead, as she began to run faster, her skirts lifted high off the ground for more momento.

" Mommy!!!! "

" Gabby!! " Garnet screamed, tears coming to her eyes as soon as she spotted her daughter fly around the corner of the castle.

They met halfway, Garnet grabbing her daughter off the ground to hug her fiercely before she slowly sank to the ground in tears, her entire body shaking with fear and relief as Gabrielle sobbed uncontrolably and loudly. The guards who had ran out of the castle earlier gave a big sigh of relief for the princess being found safe and sound, but their job wasn't over just yet.

" Mommy... mommy... mommy... " Gabrielle kept sobbing into Garnet's neck as she held onto her tightly, her small tail trying to wrap itself around her mothers waist.

" Shh... I'm here... I'm here, you're safe now... " Garnet whispered into her daughter's hair, rocking her back and forth as she smoothed away the hair from her forehead.

" T-the man... he saw m-my tail... " she whimpered, her sobs dying down into hiccups.

" M-man? Who, honey. What did he look like? " Garnet asked, glancing up at the seven guards that all stood there, swords drawn and ready in case something happened.

" H-he's dead, mommy... he fell to the ground, all covered in r-red... " Gabrielle whispered, slowly opening her forest green eyes to stare at her mother. " We have t-to go save h-him, mommy! "

Garnet swallowed and nodded, " I'll see to him, baby... go with Burlof and find Steiner... " she said lightly as she picked her daughter up and handed her to Burlof.

" Find Steiner, Burlof... hand Gabby over to him, he'll know what to do... " Garnet instructed him before licking her dry lips, fixing her skirts and then walking forward to where Gabrielle came from, claiming she had seen this man.

Burlof bowed, setted Gabrielle on the ground, gently took her hand and began to lead her away, two guards going with him, while the other four followed behind Garnet. Garnet glanced over her shoulder at them and then sighed heavily.

" I'll see who this man is. If Gabrielle says he's dead... I'm sure he's dead. I just want Clarke to come with me. The rest of you... watch to see if anymore of these men come around... " she informed them before hugging her arms to her chest and making her way through the orchards, seeing the form of the man Gabrielle claimed to see just ahead.

" Majesty.... it would be best if I checked him. In case... " Clarke said firmly, gripping his sword tightly.

Garnet stopped a few feet away from the body and shook her head, " No, Clarke. Just stand here and watch out. I'll see... " she said as she left him standing there to watch her walk slowly with cautious steps towards the body.

' This man had better not be a spy... I won't be very happy if he's a spy sent to kidnap my daughter... ' she thought as she came to a stop in front of the body.

" Oh my God... " Garnet gasped in complete surprise as she saw the white tail stained in dark red, saw the weapon laying on the ground beside the body, saw the hair, everything.

" Z-zidane... Zidane is that you? " she whispered, going down on her knees beside him to reach out slowly.

Her hand was almost there, was almost there to brush aside the red stained blonde strands, but a hand shot out from underneath the body, clamping down on Garnet's wrist. She grunted and then managed to twist out of the grip, before throwing herself at the body to flip it over onto it's back.

Zidane groaned loudly and slowly opened his eyes to find a small heart-shaped face staring down at him, their small lips moving, but no words were heard. He swallowed and slowly lifted a hand to grasp Garnet's wrist and then slid down to twin his fingers with hers. Garnet's chin trembled and she gave Zidane's hand a squeeze.

" Clarke!! " Garnet screamed. " Go get Dr. Tot and Steiner. Tell them to hurry and bring them outside.. "

Clarke saluted and took off quickly.

" Zidane... Z-zidane? I'm here... don't worry, we're going to get Dr. Tot to look after you... " she murmured softly to him, stroking the top of his hand with her thumb as she watched him look at her through half lidded eyes.

" D-dagger... " Zidane whispered hoarsely, a small impish smile touching his lips, but ending in a grimace as he sucked in a sharp breath and let out a cry of pain through tightly clenched teeth. " I-I'm so sorry, Dagger... "

Garnet shook her head, " Zidane.. save your strength! Don't speak... we'll talk after. When you're well... not injured like this. What happened to you? " she asked him, reaching out to brush some of his hair from his bruised up face.

Zidane swallowed and then closed his eyes as he brought the back of Garnet's hand to his mouth, his shallow gasps of breath fanning across her hand, sending shivers down her spine as she watched his painfully expression. She squeezed his hand and then took her hand from his to slide her arm under his back and slowly lift him off the ground.

Zidane let out a yelp from his ribs and Garnet cringed, trying to get a better hold on him as she draped his right arm around her neck and then wrapped her arm around his back, beginning to stand him up slowly and feebly so she could meet Steiner half way. Zidane sucked in another sharp breath through clenched teeth as he leaned on Garnet.

" I didn't mean it, D-dagger... " he whispered into her ear as he leaned his head on her shoulder.

Garnet grunted as she tried to walk Zidane to the castle, " W-what didn't you mean, Zidane? "

Zidane opened his mouth to say something, but Steiner came running up to them, demanding to know what the hell happened to him as he grabbed him from Garnet, Clarke taking over her place as they began to half drag, half walk him into the castle. She just pushed them all out of her mind, including Zidane, but not his last words....

" I didn't mean it, D-dagger... "

What did he mean by them?

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Author's Note: You're all probably wondering what's going to happen with this fic now. I mean... I'm all sure you know who Gabrielle belongs too. But... the question here that needs to be answered is, what the hell happened to Zidane? How the hell did he happen to become all... beaten & bruised? I mean... he could've been fighting Kuja for the past six years, right? Impossible! *shrugs* obviously, there's some new dude... man, I gotta stop making up so many characters, it's going to fry my brain.

Author's Note: I won't be making anymore chapters for anymore stories. I can't type. It kills my thumb to type right now, but I figured that I had to get this chapter out. I sliced my thumb open along the first joint in the shape of a deep cresent moon. *frowns* I was doing dishes... -_-;; stuck my whole hand in a small thin glass... yeah, yeah. Call me stupid all you want.. I was suppose to go get stitches, but I have a thing about needles and stuff like that, so I declined the stitches offer and I'm going to support a huge battlescar on my thumb. *shrugs* at least I can try to get chapters out for you... which I wil do. Promise!! :)