Heart of an Assassin
An FF9 Alternate Reality Fic
I own my FF9. Key word "MY"
Chapter 3: In Times of Need
*Black Mage Village*
Dagger tossed and turned but her efforts to get some rest were futile.
She just couldn't sleep knowing someone was out to get her. Sure she's tried
very hard to be the best monarch possible for her city but she didn't
control everything. Subordinates had their say in the matter whether she
knew or not but often she was not informed of what was decided.
'No' she thought. 'This can't be true. Alexandria can't be responsible
for all those things Zidane claims.' Her thoughts then turned to the blonde
man who had saved her life earlier.
'He's...tolerable. Mabye I was too hard on him earlier after that
battle. He has great power inside him that mabye even he doesn't know about.
I just when he uses that power it's not on me.'
In the next hut, Zidane was busy plotting how to best bypass defenses
of a castle. After a few hours of pondering, he gave up and laid down.
'It's nice of Dagger to come and join me. I wonder if she has a personal
vendetta against Garnet. I didn't think she was the stealth assassin type.
She's just full of surprises. Beautiful too...'
With that in mind he eventually drifted off.
*Alexandria Castle*
"She's been kidnapped I tell you! Comb this city and leave no stone
unturned!" Steiner was vivid with rage as his knights were more mutinous
than usual. They complained bitterly about being underpaid and overworked.
"You idiots!" Steiner shouted. "How can you think of gil when the queen
is in danger! I want wanted ads on every street corner and in every town on
the continent. Now move!"
They half-heartedly saluted as they jogged out to do their assigned
tasks. Steiner himself went to notify Regent Cid and every other lord and
noble that was aquainted with Garnet.
"Need some help Captain?" Beatrix asked as she appeared through a side
door. "I don't think 12 men are going to have a very good chance of finding
the queen."
Steiner gritted his teeth. What did she want to prove now?
"Very well." he replied reluctantly. "I shall ask for your assistance
on this matter."
"Good. My team is always ready considering that they are treated well."
"Don't push it..."
"Still green as a pickle." Beatrix chuckled as she turned and left
leaving an infuriated Steiner to stare.
*Black Mage Village*
"Hey Zidane! Wake up!"
Zidane jumped out of bed and looked around startled. Vivi laughed as
an annoyed look appeared on Zidane's face.
"Must you do that Vivi? I was having a good dream."
"Oh? What about?"
"Hun? Oh uh...nothing! I forgot!" Zidane replied a little too quickly.
"Hmm ok. Well I just wanted you to get up before the boat leaves."
"What boat?"
"The one for Alexandria..." Vivi replied. Dagger had told him about what
was going on and he was careful to not give anything away. Vivi still found
it hard to believe that his new friend was trying to eliminate Garnet.
'I hope Dagger knows what she's doing' He thought as Zidane left the
tiny hut.
After breakfast, Zidane packed his belongings and looked for Dagger. He
found her singing on top of the windmill.
'What a pretty voice. Everything about her is absolutely stunning.'
Zidane thought to himself as he approached her. She stopped singing as she
saw him.
"Hey you're a great singer!" He complimented. "Don't stop."
At his urging, she continued her song and when it was over, she somehow
found herself leaning against him and his arm around her.
'Mmmm this feels so right' She thought. Suddenly she realized what she
was doing and pulled away quickly.
"S-sorry" she stammered blushing.
Zidane just grinned at her humorously and chuckled.
"Uh I have to go do get my things. I'll meet you on the ship." She said
then walked off.
'What brought that on?' Zidane wondered to himself as he headed towards
their ride.
After chatting with the captain for a while, Zidane waited on deck for
Dagger. She appeared with her hair cut to shoulder length.
At Zidane's inquisit look she explained. "It's so my hair doesn't get in
the way of anything."
"Oh ok. You look different."
'At least he doesn't know I do this to hide my identity.'
*At Sea*
"So you don't get seasick?" Dagger inquired as they watched the sun
slowly set.
"Nope. You?"
"Never. I survived thunderstorms and hurricanes in small rafts when I
was a baby."
Zidane looked surprised and thoughtful for a second. "You've really been
through a lot haven't you?"
"Yes I have" She replied. 'You don't know half of it Zidane...' she
thought to herself.
They spent a while in silence and enjoying the other's company even
though they refused to admit it.
Suddenly both were shaken from their own thoughts as a huge force
approached rapidly.
"Do you sense that?"
"Yeah..."
A shadow appeared under the sun's rays as a figure rapidly approached
the slow-moving cargo ship. A blue serpant broke surface as it spread it's
fins and uttered a deafening roar. Water came crashing into the hull with
tremendous force knocking everyone off their feet.
"It's Leviathan!!" The captain screamed. "All crew brace yourselves!"
The huge beast sent even more water into the ship as some members of
the deck crew were swept overboard. It then began closing in on the crew
in the water.
"We've got to do something!" Zidane yelled over the sound of water.
"What can we do?" Dagger screamed back still holding onto the rail.
"I dunno! Anything or we're gone for good!" Zidane replied as he pulled
out his daggers. He quickly leaped at the serpant and cut through the tough
scales under the jaw. Roaring in pain, Leviathan shot streams of water at
its attacker with fury.
"Shit!" Zidane cried before getting knocked down by the force of water.
Dagger quickly used a cure spell on Zidane then proceeded with her own
attack. "Well since it likes water so much...IFRIT!"
An explosion appeared from nowhere and proceeded to burn Leviathan. It
reeled in pain and collapsed in the water. Moments later it was back out and
ready to seek revenge.
"My attack wasn't enough!" Dagger yelled to Zidane. Leviathan summoned
a tidal wave that almost knocked the ship over. Losing her balance, Dagger
fell and slipped to the edge knocking her head against the railing.
Unconsciously, she tumbled into the water below.
"DAGGER!! NOOOO!!"
Zidane turned towards Leviathan with pure, unquestioned fury in his
eyes.
"You fucking bastard!!" Zidane screamed as new energy surged through his
body. For the second time on Gaia Zidane lost control of his conscious
thoughts and let his instincts take control. This time it was a much larger
reaction for Dagger was injured severely by this beast. His partner, his
friend, and maybe even more was hurt by Leviathan. Zidane could stand it no
more as he conjoured up his sleeping inner strength and let it loose.
"GRAND LETHAL!!"
Fire appeared everywhere and consumed everything. The only thing it hurt
however, was Leviathan. It burned and screamed as it's flesh was
disentegrated and consumed under a blanket of flame. With a final yelp, it
fell into the sea and moved no more.
Zidane nearly colapsed as he did the first time he used his hidden power
but his mind wouldn't let him quit. Dagger was still in danger and he would
save her no matter what. Without a second thought, he dove into the ocean.
After a frantic search, Zidane found her unmoving.
'Nooo...' his mind screamed as he swam to her and used his remaining
breath to pull both of them to the surface.
With no time to recover, Zidane refused to quit as he worked to revive
her. Minutes passed as he tried everything he knew. He was about to collapse
from exaustion when Dagger started coughing up seawater. Zidane breathed a
deep sigh of relief as she stirred.
"Wh-where am I?" She asked slowly.
"You're back on the ship after nearly drowning. How do you feel?"
"Ok now thanks to you. But who are you? And...who am I?" She inquired.
"You don't remember!?" Zidane asked shocked.
"No" she said meekly.
"Um well...I'm Zidane. And your name is Dagger."
"I'm Dagger..." She stated more to herself. "So are we friends?" she
looked at him through her eyelashes. At that moment Zidane knew he had never
seen such a beautiful woman in his life. He decided right then and ther that
he would never leave the side of this incredible girl and vowed to protect
and teach her everything she had forgotten.
"Yeah we're friends." Zidane said as he hugged her tight. She snuggled
back into his embrace as they watched the sun set slowly beyond the horizon.
End of chapter 3. As always thanks for reading :)
An FF9 Alternate Reality Fic
I own my FF9. Key word "MY"
Chapter 3: In Times of Need
*Black Mage Village*
Dagger tossed and turned but her efforts to get some rest were futile.
She just couldn't sleep knowing someone was out to get her. Sure she's tried
very hard to be the best monarch possible for her city but she didn't
control everything. Subordinates had their say in the matter whether she
knew or not but often she was not informed of what was decided.
'No' she thought. 'This can't be true. Alexandria can't be responsible
for all those things Zidane claims.' Her thoughts then turned to the blonde
man who had saved her life earlier.
'He's...tolerable. Mabye I was too hard on him earlier after that
battle. He has great power inside him that mabye even he doesn't know about.
I just when he uses that power it's not on me.'
In the next hut, Zidane was busy plotting how to best bypass defenses
of a castle. After a few hours of pondering, he gave up and laid down.
'It's nice of Dagger to come and join me. I wonder if she has a personal
vendetta against Garnet. I didn't think she was the stealth assassin type.
She's just full of surprises. Beautiful too...'
With that in mind he eventually drifted off.
*Alexandria Castle*
"She's been kidnapped I tell you! Comb this city and leave no stone
unturned!" Steiner was vivid with rage as his knights were more mutinous
than usual. They complained bitterly about being underpaid and overworked.
"You idiots!" Steiner shouted. "How can you think of gil when the queen
is in danger! I want wanted ads on every street corner and in every town on
the continent. Now move!"
They half-heartedly saluted as they jogged out to do their assigned
tasks. Steiner himself went to notify Regent Cid and every other lord and
noble that was aquainted with Garnet.
"Need some help Captain?" Beatrix asked as she appeared through a side
door. "I don't think 12 men are going to have a very good chance of finding
the queen."
Steiner gritted his teeth. What did she want to prove now?
"Very well." he replied reluctantly. "I shall ask for your assistance
on this matter."
"Good. My team is always ready considering that they are treated well."
"Don't push it..."
"Still green as a pickle." Beatrix chuckled as she turned and left
leaving an infuriated Steiner to stare.
*Black Mage Village*
"Hey Zidane! Wake up!"
Zidane jumped out of bed and looked around startled. Vivi laughed as
an annoyed look appeared on Zidane's face.
"Must you do that Vivi? I was having a good dream."
"Oh? What about?"
"Hun? Oh uh...nothing! I forgot!" Zidane replied a little too quickly.
"Hmm ok. Well I just wanted you to get up before the boat leaves."
"What boat?"
"The one for Alexandria..." Vivi replied. Dagger had told him about what
was going on and he was careful to not give anything away. Vivi still found
it hard to believe that his new friend was trying to eliminate Garnet.
'I hope Dagger knows what she's doing' He thought as Zidane left the
tiny hut.
After breakfast, Zidane packed his belongings and looked for Dagger. He
found her singing on top of the windmill.
'What a pretty voice. Everything about her is absolutely stunning.'
Zidane thought to himself as he approached her. She stopped singing as she
saw him.
"Hey you're a great singer!" He complimented. "Don't stop."
At his urging, she continued her song and when it was over, she somehow
found herself leaning against him and his arm around her.
'Mmmm this feels so right' She thought. Suddenly she realized what she
was doing and pulled away quickly.
"S-sorry" she stammered blushing.
Zidane just grinned at her humorously and chuckled.
"Uh I have to go do get my things. I'll meet you on the ship." She said
then walked off.
'What brought that on?' Zidane wondered to himself as he headed towards
their ride.
After chatting with the captain for a while, Zidane waited on deck for
Dagger. She appeared with her hair cut to shoulder length.
At Zidane's inquisit look she explained. "It's so my hair doesn't get in
the way of anything."
"Oh ok. You look different."
'At least he doesn't know I do this to hide my identity.'
*At Sea*
"So you don't get seasick?" Dagger inquired as they watched the sun
slowly set.
"Nope. You?"
"Never. I survived thunderstorms and hurricanes in small rafts when I
was a baby."
Zidane looked surprised and thoughtful for a second. "You've really been
through a lot haven't you?"
"Yes I have" She replied. 'You don't know half of it Zidane...' she
thought to herself.
They spent a while in silence and enjoying the other's company even
though they refused to admit it.
Suddenly both were shaken from their own thoughts as a huge force
approached rapidly.
"Do you sense that?"
"Yeah..."
A shadow appeared under the sun's rays as a figure rapidly approached
the slow-moving cargo ship. A blue serpant broke surface as it spread it's
fins and uttered a deafening roar. Water came crashing into the hull with
tremendous force knocking everyone off their feet.
"It's Leviathan!!" The captain screamed. "All crew brace yourselves!"
The huge beast sent even more water into the ship as some members of
the deck crew were swept overboard. It then began closing in on the crew
in the water.
"We've got to do something!" Zidane yelled over the sound of water.
"What can we do?" Dagger screamed back still holding onto the rail.
"I dunno! Anything or we're gone for good!" Zidane replied as he pulled
out his daggers. He quickly leaped at the serpant and cut through the tough
scales under the jaw. Roaring in pain, Leviathan shot streams of water at
its attacker with fury.
"Shit!" Zidane cried before getting knocked down by the force of water.
Dagger quickly used a cure spell on Zidane then proceeded with her own
attack. "Well since it likes water so much...IFRIT!"
An explosion appeared from nowhere and proceeded to burn Leviathan. It
reeled in pain and collapsed in the water. Moments later it was back out and
ready to seek revenge.
"My attack wasn't enough!" Dagger yelled to Zidane. Leviathan summoned
a tidal wave that almost knocked the ship over. Losing her balance, Dagger
fell and slipped to the edge knocking her head against the railing.
Unconsciously, she tumbled into the water below.
"DAGGER!! NOOOO!!"
Zidane turned towards Leviathan with pure, unquestioned fury in his
eyes.
"You fucking bastard!!" Zidane screamed as new energy surged through his
body. For the second time on Gaia Zidane lost control of his conscious
thoughts and let his instincts take control. This time it was a much larger
reaction for Dagger was injured severely by this beast. His partner, his
friend, and maybe even more was hurt by Leviathan. Zidane could stand it no
more as he conjoured up his sleeping inner strength and let it loose.
"GRAND LETHAL!!"
Fire appeared everywhere and consumed everything. The only thing it hurt
however, was Leviathan. It burned and screamed as it's flesh was
disentegrated and consumed under a blanket of flame. With a final yelp, it
fell into the sea and moved no more.
Zidane nearly colapsed as he did the first time he used his hidden power
but his mind wouldn't let him quit. Dagger was still in danger and he would
save her no matter what. Without a second thought, he dove into the ocean.
After a frantic search, Zidane found her unmoving.
'Nooo...' his mind screamed as he swam to her and used his remaining
breath to pull both of them to the surface.
With no time to recover, Zidane refused to quit as he worked to revive
her. Minutes passed as he tried everything he knew. He was about to collapse
from exaustion when Dagger started coughing up seawater. Zidane breathed a
deep sigh of relief as she stirred.
"Wh-where am I?" She asked slowly.
"You're back on the ship after nearly drowning. How do you feel?"
"Ok now thanks to you. But who are you? And...who am I?" She inquired.
"You don't remember!?" Zidane asked shocked.
"No" she said meekly.
"Um well...I'm Zidane. And your name is Dagger."
"I'm Dagger..." She stated more to herself. "So are we friends?" she
looked at him through her eyelashes. At that moment Zidane knew he had never
seen such a beautiful woman in his life. He decided right then and ther that
he would never leave the side of this incredible girl and vowed to protect
and teach her everything she had forgotten.
"Yeah we're friends." Zidane said as he hugged her tight. She snuggled
back into his embrace as they watched the sun set slowly beyond the horizon.
End of chapter 3. As always thanks for reading :)