Disclaimer: I do not own FFIX Square does but the children are mine mostly let's just put it this way all the peeps that you have a clue as to who they are belong to Square but the peeps that make you go who the hell is that? Those are mine so enjoy!!!
Dedication***I dedicate this to Traci she's my friend my Oreo Sis we've been through so much and yet we have never face to face. She has always cheered me when I felt ill mannered as I her I don't know how I ever lived without knowing her as I do now. So Traci if your reading this I want you to know that you're my best friend, forever…..
"Cedar we'll be in Alexandria soon, we're a few hours early because I need to visit some people around town. You need to stay away from the castle. Some of the guards are quite fidgety about people they aren't familiar with and since the last time you were here you were still in pigtails they won't recognize you," Blank lectured. Cedar wasn't listening very carefully, she was too busy staring at the tall castle blade out the port.
"Cedar are you listening to me?!" Blank huffed causing Cedar to turn and look at the man she called 'father.'
"Yeah, yeah I heard ya," she sighed. "But I'm gonna meet Caron at the docks is that ok? I'm not gonna have my head removed for that am I?"
"As long as you stay by the docks and don't pick a fight with anyone, can you control your sunny disposition until after we visit Zidane?" Blank said, turning around.
"Yes, Sir!" Cedar said standing upright and saluting Blank as if she was a solider. "I shan't let you down! I will control my somewhat maniacal manner and lead us to victory!" she grinned, barely able to contain herself. Blank rolled his eyes and started towards the door.
"Remember Cedar! No monkey business!" he said over his shoulder.
"Hey I'm not Zidane!" she retorted.
"Very funny, I mean it Cedar, stay out of trouble," and with that Blank shut the door. Cedar frowned and turned back toward the small window in the bunk she shared with Fayore.
"Humph, I don't see why dad doesn't trust me, I don't get in that much trouble. Do I Fayore?" she said to the small carbuncle that sat on the bed.
"I'm not answering that," Fayore stated in her pixie-like voice. Cedar turned and stared at the little creature.
"Hey your spost to be on my side!" Cedar huffed.
"I am, I said that I won't answer that question that's all," Fayore replied, a neutral look on her small face.
"Argh! Whatever!" Cedar replied, throwing her arms into the air and turning to see the ship lowering to dock. Cedar grinned and spun around.
"We're here!" she cried running towards the door, pausing to allow Fayore to hop onto her arm. The young cat girl ran through the deck to the pole that allowed quick access to the lower decks. She jumped through the hole and ran to the off load deck. She could see the dock they were going to land at in a matter of minutes.
As Cedar stood impatiently at the open port waiting to land, she saw an armor clad woman with deep Cerulean hair walking across the landing. Psyche Cedar thought, remembering one of the knights that worked under her old friend, Caron. I can ask Psyche to get Caron for me, Cedar grinned. But she'll be gone by the time this tub lands, guess I'll have to take the express route.
"Fayore, hang on tight we're going down now," Cedar said walking to the back of the loading/unloading deck.
"Cedar no you can't," the carbuncle pleaded, but it was too late; Cedar ran and launched herself off the platform and into a free fall. She had jumped at an angle so after falling for about fifty feet the young woman caught the chain a tenant at the castle was holding, she kicked her left foot onto the chain and used it to steady herself; then, she slid down the chain link and jumped into the air before she hit the poor man at the bottom. Flipping through the air with agile perfection she landed on her feet and ran to the young soldier.
"Psyche! Hey!" Cedar yelled pushing her short hair away from her face. The warrior turned and smiled her black eyes finding the person calling her name.
"Hello, Cedar! Been a long time, hasn't it?" she smiled. Cedar grinned as Fayore jumped from her shoulder.
"Yeah, hey Psyche can you go get Caron for me? I need to talk to her," Cedar asked dropping to the steps that lead to the gondola docks.
"Of course, I'll go get the captain right away," Psyche smiled hurrying off. Cedar smiled and turned her attention to the city across the water. A lot quieter here than in Lindblum, she thought, pushing away a strand of crimson hair that had blown into her face from the gentle breeze. She took in the scene of the whitewashed houses, the red tile roofs and the water that surrounded the whole town and smiled. She could have sat there forever if she hadn't been interrupted by the abrupt intrusion of two Pluto Knights.
"Who are you?" came suddenly from behind Cedar. She stood, spinning around, giving herself a mental kick for not hearing them, and looked at the two men who had clanked up behind her. She reconised one face from beneath the rusty armor the Pluto Knights dawned, Haagen. But the other she could not tell, he looked new; broad jaw, dark eyes, he almost looked like…Steiner's son? Figures, mum's the General and dad's the Pluto Captain only fitting that the son be in the military too.
"So your Haagen, and you are, Steiner's son, am I right?" Cedar casually replied, ignoring the question she had been formerly asked. The knights looked slightly angered by her ignorance.
"The question is who are you?" Haggen asked.
"I am a person, who happens to be here, standing in front of quite possibly the two lowest life-forms on this planet," Cedar replied wisely, the two knight's faces turned red as they both roughly grabbed Cedar's arms.
"Alright wise ass your coming with us," Steiner's kid said gruffly.
"He speaks!" Cedar said as the two knights began to drag her towards the palace.
"Hey take it easy jeez, this fabric is designer Lindblum!" Cedar complained as the knights continued to push her along. They suddenly stopped and tried to force Cedar to bow.
"Hey, if I need to bow I can do it myself!" she said, easily escaping the grasp of the two knights. She looked up and recognized
"Zidane!" she cried, flinging herself into the king's arms. She hugged the man she knew since she had been little and stood back.
"Cedar? Jeez you've grown! Haagen, Steiner, back down, it's okay this is an old friend of mine," Zidane said, dismissing the knights. The two men saluted the king and walked away.
"Steiner? You mean Timmy? The annoying kid that always ran around with his wooden sword trying to be just like his dad?" Cedar asked looking after the iron-clad men.
"Yeah can't say he's changed much, sorry when he and Haagen get together, watch out! No commoner is safe!" Zidane laughed. Cedar looked back at the king and smiled.
"So where's Blank? I came down to say hi but all I find is you," Zidane said.
"Dad? He said that he had some errands to run and he'd be back before the show," Cedar said looking around for Caron.
"Yeah… so how are you guys doing, I haven't seen you since… you know," Zidane said falling into a silly adult game. Cedar looked back at the man and frowned. She hated it when adults did that, avoiding the subject by implying instead of coming out and saying it, as if they were afraid of hurting her feelings.
"Zidane! If you are implying that you haven't seen me since Ruby died you don't have to avoid it! She died when I was twelve I am sixteen now. I've gotten over it; I'm not gonna break down and cry," she spat rudely, staring up into the king's blue eyes.
"No you never have been the one to dwell on sadness…" Zidane sighed looking away from the girl.
"That's because I have nothing to be sad about, I'm healthy and alive so I'm gonna live," Cedar said, more spunky than she had intended. "Anyways who am I gonna be sorry for? I'm sure mum is in a lot less pain where she is now than before she died," Cedar said, remembering when her mother had died, burned alive when the aircab she had been in crashed and burst into flames. She had gotten out but died a week later from the burns. Cedar had wanted to cry but she'd never been able to, she had tried many times before. But it never seemed like she could.
She squeezed her eyes shut remembering how awful her mother had looked in the hospital bed her skin charred and burned, deep cracks of flesh covered in blood all over her body. She had been in so much pain. Cedar still remembered the last words struggled to be spoken. Live your life full, and may the gods lead you to happiness… then she had died. They had buried her by that cherry tree and Cedar visited it constantly. Cedar suddenly felt Zidane's arms around her, the way he had hugged her at the funeral; sadness and pain in his embrace. She looked up at him and saw tears in his eyes.
"I knew Ruby, for a long time, she was like a sister to me," he whispered. Cedar smiled up at the king.
"I knew her a while too, she was like a mother to me," she said her voice on the edge of humor. Zidane laughed and stepped away from the girl. He wiped his tears away and smiled at Cedar.
"You really do act a little like her," he said. Cedar grinned and turned around suddenly remembering the little creature amiss.
"FAYORE!!!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YA??!!!!" she yelled as loud as she could making more than one guard look up in alarm at the girl.
"….over here," came the timid reply of the carbuncle as she stepped from behind a shrub to Cedar's left.
"Fayore, get your purple ass over here!" Cedar said looking at the small figure as it timidly approached the young woman. She jumped onto Cedar's shoulder and smiled weakly.
"Are you mad at me for ditching you?" Fayore asked. Cedar stared at the little creature in disgust.
"Sure as hell, I'm pissed! If you ever do that again I will kick your arse so hard you'll kiss the moons!" Cedar said angrily to the little carbuncle. "Well now that that's settled, see ya around Ziddy, we better get back to the ship, it takes me forever to get into costume and it looks as if Caron ain't showin' up so if you see her tell 'er I'll see her at dinner," Cedar said, walking back towards the ship she had gotten off earlier.
"We're eating dinner here?" Fayore asked. Cedar looked at her little partner and frowned.
"Well well, and you tell me to pay attention during briefings," she snickered to the little carbuncle who grinned sheepishly.
"Well…" she trailed off looking down at her oversized paws. Cedar grinned again and scratched behind the ear of her little friend.
"Yeah, gonna get to see Zion again bet he's a real cutie now seventeen hmm last time we saw him he was seven? Wow ten whole years…"
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Author's note: yeah special ain't it? LoL well R&R please and read all my fics!!! I need to feel loved!! Heeheee but I already do! *hugs all her readers* you guys are soo cool and totally rock for just reading and if your reply you kick ass!!!! Okay well than I'm gonna work more on this.
Ja ne!!