Heart of an Assassin
An FF9 Alternate Reality Fic
Chapter 4: Desparation
*At Sea*
"Hey Zidane, I can see our destination. Did you hear me? Zidane!!"
Dagger sighed as she received no response from he partner. He was fast
asleep on the cot he was lying on. She walked over to him and stared for a
moment.
'He's so lazy' she grinned to herself as she brushed away a golden lock
from his eyes. Dagger tried to shake him awake but to no avail. Finally fed
up, she pushed him off the bed.
Zidane was awake instantly.
"Oww! What did you do that for?" He demanded as he got off the ground.
"Do you realize how long I've been trying to wake you up?" she replied.
"Besides, we're almost there. I spotted land not too long ago."
"Is it Alexandria?"
"I'm not sure but there were a lot of airships flying around. We're near
a big city."
"I guess we'll get off soon. Is your stuff packed?" Zidane asked as he
eyed his own belongings. Almost everyrhing he owned was washed overboard by
Leviathan. The only posessions he had now were his weapons and the clothes
he was wearing.
"I lost everything to that sea monster remember? All I have is a few
gil. Maybe we could restock when we reach a shop." Dagger suggested when she
turned to leave. "I'll be on deck. Meet me there when you're ready."
After she left, Zidane sat back down to think of his present
predicament. They were nearly broke and the only hope seemed to lie in a
quick assassination and getaway. As on instinct, Zidane pulled out his blade
and examined it. The sight gave him confidence as they were his most deadly
tools. Suddenly, the color of the daggers caught his eye. They were now
pulsating a dull gray.
'So they represent the soul of the user.' Zidane thought as he
remembered the words of the weapons dealer. 'I wonder if it will turn white
if I rid the world of Queen Garnet' His thoughts were interupted as the ship
came to a halt. Zidane put his daggers away and headed on deck.
*Alexandria*
"Hey you, get away from the dock!"
It was chaos on the streets of Alexandria as citizens bitterly resisted
martial law being imposed on them with seemingly no reason. Soldiers struggled
to keep grumbling peasants under control and so far it wasn't working.
"Is there a law against fishing?" the kid yelled back.
"There is now. Get back to where you belong."
"I do what I want to. You got a problem??" the kid said as he threw stones
at his target with pinpoint accuracy.
"Damn kids!! Get back here you brat!"
In a nearby bar, 2 soldiers were discussing their current problem.
"So why do we need to keep this city under martial law anyway?" the first
soldier pondered.
"Well this is Steiner's idea. According to him it's the most proficient
way." the second soldier replied.
"Hah! Steiner just makes us knights look bad. Always running around in his
rusty armor."
"That may be true but his word goes until Queen Garnet can be found."
Several heads immediately turned at the last part.
"I can't take much more of this. Where is Queen Garnet!?" the first soldier
yelled a bit too loud for the other's liking. A second later every pair of eyes
were on the man who yelled and looked like he had his foot in his mouth. Within
the hour, every citizen of Alexandria knew that there was no monarch ruling their
city.
*Lindblum Harbor*
"Attention crew and passengers. This is your captain speaking. Due to
internal difficulties in Alexandria, we will be forced to disembark at Lindblum.
Until the problem has been resolved, travel to Alexandria is forbidden. Have a
nice day."
"WHAT?!" Zidane yelled as he heard the anouncement. "This can't be happening!"
Dagger looked annoyed but kept her cool. "It's ok Zidane. This will give us
time to figure out what to do and get some better items for our journey."
"I guess you're right. But how are we supposed to get to Alexandria now?"
"We'll just have to ask some of the locals. I'll find a place to rest while
you get some supplies. I think we'll need it." Dagger suggested as they entered the
main part of the city. "Meet me there in an hour" she pointed to the air cab station.
As Dagger departed, Zidane took a chance to look around. This city was HUGE.
People were busy with their daily routine and took little notice of him.
'Hmm this could be my chance to make some easy money' Zidane pondered as he
approached a well dressed gentleman. With fast movements and quick reflexes, he stole
a wallet filled with various items. Zidane examined the contents after fleeing the
seen unnoticed.
'Well what do we have here? Membership to some cafe. Weird cards with monsters.
5000 gil! Yes!' Zidane's eyes lit up as he pocketed the cash and discarded everything
else. 'I could get used to this.' He thought excitedly as he went off to search for
another victim.
Dagger walked towards a building marked inn.
'I guess we could stay here for the time being.' she thought as she approached
the innkeeper.
"Hi, I'd like a room here for 1 night please."
"100 gil please." came the cold reply.
"Umm... I only have 56 with me."
"Well I'll tell you what." the innkeeper said with a sly grin. "Make it
worthwhile and I'll let you stay for that much."
"Make what worthwhile?"
"Here let me show you..." he said as he approached her.
Suddenly realization hit Dagger and her eyes narrowed. With lightning fast
movements, she bashed him over the head with her Tiger Racket. There was a sickening
crack as the man slumped to the floor. Whether he was unconscious or dead she didn't
know but didn't care. Without a second thought she took the keys to the room upstairs
and left.
In a matter of minutes, Zidane managed to collect over 14000 gil. 'Just one
more time' he thought as he saw an old woman selling pickles. Her purse was sitting
on a cart nearby and she paid no attention to it. Acting quickly, Zidane grabbed it
and ran off. Turning a corner, he opened the purse and dumped out the contents.
After searching through the items, Zidane found 3 gil.
'Damn it!' he cursed silently. 'That was worthless!' Suddenly a letter caught
his eye. He pulled it out of the bag and began reading.
Dear Grandma,
How are you? We're fine. Thank you for the wonderful Christmas presents you
bought us. They are really fun to play with. We know you don't make much money
selling pickles and that is why your gift was the most special of all. Thanks again.
Love,
Jenny and Tommy
As he finished reading the letter, Zidane felt a pang of guilt.
'I just stole a measily 3 gil from a grandma who used all her money to buy
gifts. What the hell am I thinking?' Looking around to see if anyone saw what he
was doing, he placed all the items on the ground back into the purse. As Zidane
walked around the corner, he saw the old woman standing around in hot weather
selling pickles. After watching for a few minutes, his feeling of guilt increased
tenfold. Without thinking, he pulled 4000 gil from his pocket, stuffed it in
the purse, and secretly returned it.
After asking where the item shop was, Zidane quickly moved through the crowded
streets. There was commotion ahead but he paid little attention as he thought about
his actions.
'I just lost 4000 gil. Why do I feel better now?' he wondered when suddenly he
bumped into someone. There was a crowd of people in front of a building that was on
fire.
"Hey what's going on here?" Zidane demanded.
"The item shop is on fire! Alice is still in there!" someone replied.
'Shit! Now I'll never get what I need! Unless...' Without paying attention to
warnings, he charged head on into the burning inferno. Strangly, Zidane felt no heat
from the flames as his daggers were absorbing it.
'Wow! These were some investment!' he thought excitedly as he searched through
the blaze. Faintly, heard a woman's cry in the back room. Kicking down the door,
Zidane quickly approached where she was making her last stand.
Seeing him walk through the fire, she managed to choke out one phrase.
"Are you an a-angel?"
'Well I am Garland's Angel of Death but thats irrelavent' he thought. "Come on!
Let's get out of here!" he yelled through the background noise. Picking her up, Zidane
retraced his trail and ran out the front ignoring the fire that was burning.
Yells and cheers were heard as he steped out the front entrance.
"Shiva!"
Suddenly ice shards bombarded the building and shattered, instantly putting out
the flames. The crowd was speechless as they witnessed summoning power for the first
time.
'Only one person I know has that kind of power' Zidane thought as he turned to
see Dagger standing there admiring her work with a grin.
"You're not playing hero all by yourself are you?" she teased as Zidane walked
towards her.
"Of course not! We're in this together." Zidane smiled back.
"Good. Well anyway I found a place where we can stay for a while. The service was
awful but I don't think we have to worry about that anymore." She stated.
"I guess we could stay tonight and leave afterwards. We'll head out tomorrow
after I get some supplies elsewhere."
They walked together towards the inn with the entire town gawking at what appeared
to be two real life messiahs.
End of chapter 4. I still don't own FF9.
An FF9 Alternate Reality Fic
Chapter 4: Desparation
*At Sea*
"Hey Zidane, I can see our destination. Did you hear me? Zidane!!"
Dagger sighed as she received no response from he partner. He was fast
asleep on the cot he was lying on. She walked over to him and stared for a
moment.
'He's so lazy' she grinned to herself as she brushed away a golden lock
from his eyes. Dagger tried to shake him awake but to no avail. Finally fed
up, she pushed him off the bed.
Zidane was awake instantly.
"Oww! What did you do that for?" He demanded as he got off the ground.
"Do you realize how long I've been trying to wake you up?" she replied.
"Besides, we're almost there. I spotted land not too long ago."
"Is it Alexandria?"
"I'm not sure but there were a lot of airships flying around. We're near
a big city."
"I guess we'll get off soon. Is your stuff packed?" Zidane asked as he
eyed his own belongings. Almost everyrhing he owned was washed overboard by
Leviathan. The only posessions he had now were his weapons and the clothes
he was wearing.
"I lost everything to that sea monster remember? All I have is a few
gil. Maybe we could restock when we reach a shop." Dagger suggested when she
turned to leave. "I'll be on deck. Meet me there when you're ready."
After she left, Zidane sat back down to think of his present
predicament. They were nearly broke and the only hope seemed to lie in a
quick assassination and getaway. As on instinct, Zidane pulled out his blade
and examined it. The sight gave him confidence as they were his most deadly
tools. Suddenly, the color of the daggers caught his eye. They were now
pulsating a dull gray.
'So they represent the soul of the user.' Zidane thought as he
remembered the words of the weapons dealer. 'I wonder if it will turn white
if I rid the world of Queen Garnet' His thoughts were interupted as the ship
came to a halt. Zidane put his daggers away and headed on deck.
*Alexandria*
"Hey you, get away from the dock!"
It was chaos on the streets of Alexandria as citizens bitterly resisted
martial law being imposed on them with seemingly no reason. Soldiers struggled
to keep grumbling peasants under control and so far it wasn't working.
"Is there a law against fishing?" the kid yelled back.
"There is now. Get back to where you belong."
"I do what I want to. You got a problem??" the kid said as he threw stones
at his target with pinpoint accuracy.
"Damn kids!! Get back here you brat!"
In a nearby bar, 2 soldiers were discussing their current problem.
"So why do we need to keep this city under martial law anyway?" the first
soldier pondered.
"Well this is Steiner's idea. According to him it's the most proficient
way." the second soldier replied.
"Hah! Steiner just makes us knights look bad. Always running around in his
rusty armor."
"That may be true but his word goes until Queen Garnet can be found."
Several heads immediately turned at the last part.
"I can't take much more of this. Where is Queen Garnet!?" the first soldier
yelled a bit too loud for the other's liking. A second later every pair of eyes
were on the man who yelled and looked like he had his foot in his mouth. Within
the hour, every citizen of Alexandria knew that there was no monarch ruling their
city.
*Lindblum Harbor*
"Attention crew and passengers. This is your captain speaking. Due to
internal difficulties in Alexandria, we will be forced to disembark at Lindblum.
Until the problem has been resolved, travel to Alexandria is forbidden. Have a
nice day."
"WHAT?!" Zidane yelled as he heard the anouncement. "This can't be happening!"
Dagger looked annoyed but kept her cool. "It's ok Zidane. This will give us
time to figure out what to do and get some better items for our journey."
"I guess you're right. But how are we supposed to get to Alexandria now?"
"We'll just have to ask some of the locals. I'll find a place to rest while
you get some supplies. I think we'll need it." Dagger suggested as they entered the
main part of the city. "Meet me there in an hour" she pointed to the air cab station.
As Dagger departed, Zidane took a chance to look around. This city was HUGE.
People were busy with their daily routine and took little notice of him.
'Hmm this could be my chance to make some easy money' Zidane pondered as he
approached a well dressed gentleman. With fast movements and quick reflexes, he stole
a wallet filled with various items. Zidane examined the contents after fleeing the
seen unnoticed.
'Well what do we have here? Membership to some cafe. Weird cards with monsters.
5000 gil! Yes!' Zidane's eyes lit up as he pocketed the cash and discarded everything
else. 'I could get used to this.' He thought excitedly as he went off to search for
another victim.
Dagger walked towards a building marked inn.
'I guess we could stay here for the time being.' she thought as she approached
the innkeeper.
"Hi, I'd like a room here for 1 night please."
"100 gil please." came the cold reply.
"Umm... I only have 56 with me."
"Well I'll tell you what." the innkeeper said with a sly grin. "Make it
worthwhile and I'll let you stay for that much."
"Make what worthwhile?"
"Here let me show you..." he said as he approached her.
Suddenly realization hit Dagger and her eyes narrowed. With lightning fast
movements, she bashed him over the head with her Tiger Racket. There was a sickening
crack as the man slumped to the floor. Whether he was unconscious or dead she didn't
know but didn't care. Without a second thought she took the keys to the room upstairs
and left.
In a matter of minutes, Zidane managed to collect over 14000 gil. 'Just one
more time' he thought as he saw an old woman selling pickles. Her purse was sitting
on a cart nearby and she paid no attention to it. Acting quickly, Zidane grabbed it
and ran off. Turning a corner, he opened the purse and dumped out the contents.
After searching through the items, Zidane found 3 gil.
'Damn it!' he cursed silently. 'That was worthless!' Suddenly a letter caught
his eye. He pulled it out of the bag and began reading.
Dear Grandma,
How are you? We're fine. Thank you for the wonderful Christmas presents you
bought us. They are really fun to play with. We know you don't make much money
selling pickles and that is why your gift was the most special of all. Thanks again.
Love,
Jenny and Tommy
As he finished reading the letter, Zidane felt a pang of guilt.
'I just stole a measily 3 gil from a grandma who used all her money to buy
gifts. What the hell am I thinking?' Looking around to see if anyone saw what he
was doing, he placed all the items on the ground back into the purse. As Zidane
walked around the corner, he saw the old woman standing around in hot weather
selling pickles. After watching for a few minutes, his feeling of guilt increased
tenfold. Without thinking, he pulled 4000 gil from his pocket, stuffed it in
the purse, and secretly returned it.
After asking where the item shop was, Zidane quickly moved through the crowded
streets. There was commotion ahead but he paid little attention as he thought about
his actions.
'I just lost 4000 gil. Why do I feel better now?' he wondered when suddenly he
bumped into someone. There was a crowd of people in front of a building that was on
fire.
"Hey what's going on here?" Zidane demanded.
"The item shop is on fire! Alice is still in there!" someone replied.
'Shit! Now I'll never get what I need! Unless...' Without paying attention to
warnings, he charged head on into the burning inferno. Strangly, Zidane felt no heat
from the flames as his daggers were absorbing it.
'Wow! These were some investment!' he thought excitedly as he searched through
the blaze. Faintly, heard a woman's cry in the back room. Kicking down the door,
Zidane quickly approached where she was making her last stand.
Seeing him walk through the fire, she managed to choke out one phrase.
"Are you an a-angel?"
'Well I am Garland's Angel of Death but thats irrelavent' he thought. "Come on!
Let's get out of here!" he yelled through the background noise. Picking her up, Zidane
retraced his trail and ran out the front ignoring the fire that was burning.
Yells and cheers were heard as he steped out the front entrance.
"Shiva!"
Suddenly ice shards bombarded the building and shattered, instantly putting out
the flames. The crowd was speechless as they witnessed summoning power for the first
time.
'Only one person I know has that kind of power' Zidane thought as he turned to
see Dagger standing there admiring her work with a grin.
"You're not playing hero all by yourself are you?" she teased as Zidane walked
towards her.
"Of course not! We're in this together." Zidane smiled back.
"Good. Well anyway I found a place where we can stay for a while. The service was
awful but I don't think we have to worry about that anymore." She stated.
"I guess we could stay tonight and leave afterwards. We'll head out tomorrow
after I get some supplies elsewhere."
They walked together towards the inn with the entire town gawking at what appeared
to be two real life messiahs.
End of chapter 4. I still don't own FF9.