~**Eiko's POV, Same Year**~
I leaned against the railing as a soft breeze swept across my face. I was gazing up at the starry sky above thinking about anything that would happen to pass through my mind. So far I hadn't been able to sleep, so the song never came to me. Baku was steering the ship while everyone else was either sleeping or doing their own thing. Ruby went to bed a while before, and soon after Blank "disappeared" into her room. I was old enough to know what was going on, but no one, myself included, dared to bother them about it.
I was starting to get somewhat tired as I saw the Iifa tree in the distance. It was then that my senses became alert again. I leaned slightly over the railing to hopefully get a closer look at it. I guess that Baku saw the same thing I did because he started to slow down and look for a landing spot. I gently closed my eyes, letting my ears take in all the sounds that were floating in the air.
And then, I heard it…
The song of Madi Sari was lightly playing in the air and it got louder every second. It never got louder by much, but it was loud enough to ring in my ears. The voice was soft, soothing, and definitely male. I started to sing in unison with the voice as Baku found a good place to land.
It was pitch black by now, but my horn glowed with a pale, white light that let me see at least five feet in front of me. I jumped off the ship and landed softly on my feet. I knew Baku was yelling at me to wait for him and the rest of the crew, but I just couldn't stand to wait that long. The voice was becoming pained, and hints of tears could be heard. Who ever it was, was crying, and I couldn't stand the sound of his pain any longer. I had to find him quickly.
I began to run closer to the tree and the light on my horn started to become brighter. Whoever was singing was close by and I could sense his presence. The aura coming from him seemed so familiar that I ran faster toward my destination. Baku and the rest of Tantlantus were far behind me, but I didn't care. I had to reach him or else I was sure that we all would lose him forever.
When I finally was able to see him, I saw his tail circle around his waist as he stepped on a ledge. I did the only that that I could at that moment of time before I completely lost my breath. I called out his name.
"Zidane!" I screamed as I saw him step up on the highest ledge.
The song stopped and he turned around to face em just as I hit the ground hard because of lack of energy. I started panting heavily as I rolled onto my back, but I could hear footsteps approaching me from several directions. Tantlantus had arrived, and Zidane was coming closer.
I was too tired and too hurt at that point of time to really speak or make any sudden movements. Before I fell into a deep sleep, I saw Zidane's teary face leaning over me.
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~**Zidane's POV**~
"Zidane!" I quickly turned around at the mention of my name. My eyes were too blurry at the time because of crying for me to tell who it really was. I saw the figure coming toward me fall with a loud thump as she hit the ground. I ran over to her side and looked down at her.
"Eiko…?" I asked out of pure shock. Why had she come here, and why did she appear now after six long years? It didn't make sense to me, but I could tell that it was she. I guess the purple hair and the long horn on her head was a dead give away, but she looked so mature that it truly was shocking to me. I lifted her head up slightly to get a better look at her face in the dark.
Feet were coming closer and I held her protectively. Soon I could see a face that I hadn't seen in years. I stood up holding Eiko in my arms and a small smirk placed itself upon my face. What I would have given to show him the look of surprise on his face. It was priceless, and above all, it was comforting.
"Oh my God," Blank whispered softly to himself as he finally realized who I was. Sure I looked different because the six years did affect me more than anyone had thought. "It's you. What happened to you? What happened to Eiko? Are you ok? How long have you been here?" The many questions flooded my mind and I looked at him with a slightly confused and bedazzled look upon my face.
"On question at a time, please!" I exclaimed as I let out a small laugh. It was so good to see him again. It was good to see them all again. "I'll tell you everything about what happened on the ship. Right now I think that Eiko needs a lot of sleep. She was running all the way here, and she seemed to tired when she fell." I looked down at her angel face again. Her breathing had slowed down, and now she actually seemed like she was sleeping. I looked up at Blank and he nodded.
Ruby, Baku, and Marcus were standing behind him just staring at me in amazement. Walking past Baku slowly, I rested my hand on Ruby's shoulder and gave her my normal impish smile. She smiled back and walked me back to the air ship.
"How is she?" Ruby asked me as I gently tucked Eiko into the small bed that was provided for her. I sat back in a nearby chair and tilted my head backwards. Staring at the ceiling, I let out a long sigh and took my time answering her question. Nothing was wrong with Eiko, and I could tell that, but I was more worried about what was wrong with me. Coming back to the ship was uneasy for me and it felt extremely different than what I had remembered. Then again, it has been six years, why would anything be the same anymore?
Don't worry," I calmly stated. "She'll be ok." I looked over at Ruby and saw that she was relieved.
"What about ya?" I arched my eyebrow and stared at her carefully. The question had caught me off guard and I really didn't know how to answer it. How was I? Frightened? Timid? Worried? Relieved? Happy? I truthfully only knew about how I felt as much as she did. Absolutely nothing.
I gave a slight shrug and looked back at Eiko. She looked relaxed and very content with her surroundings; was it because of me being around again? I remembered her looking like that when she would sleep next to me on our adventures. Silently asleep and she never seemed to worry about anything; even when the little event happened in Pandemonium.
"I guess I'm ok," I finally said. She didn't seem convinced by my answer, and I didn't blame her. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't be convinced either.
"Ok? Is that all? After being isolated for six years, barely having anything to eat or drink, the only company that ya had was ya brother, and now that you're back with your friends, you think that you're only ok?" She gave me a long, hard stare before I finally stood up to hopefully escape her gaze. I didn't like her staring at me like that. It was as if she could read my mind, and that made me feel very uncomfortable.
"I don't know Ruby. Why don't you tell me how I'm feeling," I snapped at her. I glared at her, and then calmed down. Why was I getting angry so quickly? I should have been happy, but I wasn't.
"Look at ya," she walked up to me and placed her small hand on my shoulder. "Ya skin has tanned because of sun exposure. Ya hair has grown longer, ya eyes have darkened, you've grown taller and more muscular, ya skin has thickened, and above all you've learned to love. I can see it in your eyes that you're feeling pain to be away from her. Don't worry, ya time will come." She gave a reassuring smile to me as she walked away and sat beside Eiko's bed once again.
"How has everyone been while I was gone? I'm sure lots of things have changed. How's Dagger, Rusty, and Beatrix? What about everyone else, ne?" I looked at her closely for answers, but she only bowed her head as if she was carefully thinking about what he next answer was going to be.
"I was hoping ya wouldn't ask about that, but ya did. Eiko was supposed to tell ya if we ever did find ya because she would know more about it than we do. Oh, God, it's just been so hard without ya around. I'm sure they'll be glad to see ya, but I'm not so sure than see will… no one is anymore." I walked up behind her and looked down at her. What was she talking about? Who was she talking about, and what really has been going on in the past six years?
"Ruby, what are you talking about?" I asked unsure if I was ready to hear what she was going to tell me. She sucked in a sharp breath, and took her time answering me. She eventually turned around and gave me a long stare before all the information seemed to leak out at once.
"We all didn't know what to do when she came about. I mean, what were we supposed to tell her? How were we supposed to make her understand what ya had to do? Garnet barely understood, and every time she would see Garnet cry over ya, it just made her hate ya more. Everyone tried to talk to her about it, especially Eiko, but no one could get through to her. She even yelled at Garnet, 'I hate him, Mommy!' and even then, she didn't know what to do. God, Zidane, I hope everything will eventually turn out all right because we don't want her hating ya. Ya have to understand we tried, Zidane. We tried! But she wouldn't listen. I'm so, so sorry…" She blurted it al out so quickly, that the only part I really picked up on was somewhere in the middle and close to the end.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded in a sharp tone. I didn't mean for it to come out like it did, but I was so confused by this point, I didn't know what else to do. Ruby couldn't look me in the eye because she could tell that I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
"Even six years ago, ya never knew, did ya?" I stared at her bewildered and totally unaware of what she was talking about. "Ya probably don't even know who I'm talking about. I'm not surprised really. Garnet didn't find out until after ya left as well."
"Who are you talking about, Ruby?" My voice was filled with more pain and confusion every time I spoke. I needed to know what was going on, and I needed to know then.
"I'm talking about Jade, Zidane. I'm talking about… ya… daughter…" Those words hit me like a sharp smack across the face. My daughter?! That must have meant that Dagger was pregnant the last time I saw her. But I didn't know. I don't think that anyone knew about it then. But she must have been six by now, and her name was Jade. Jade… God, she must be beautiful.
"What does she look like?" I asked out of simple curiosity.
"She looks like a perfect mix between ya and Garnet. She has ya eyes, ya tail, Garnet's horn and hair color, besides the strands of gold in it that come from ya. And she acts like ya a whole lot. In fact, so much like ya, it's uncanny, but she resents ya. Everything about ya she hates and no one knows why. I even heard from Eiko that she tried to cut off her tail to rid any trademarks of ya from her body. It was so sad, and Garnet didn't speak for a week. She refused to believe that it happened, or that anything outside of her room existed. It's so sad. Garnet misses you so much, and I can tell it hurts her to hear her daughter proclaim how much she hates ya."
I leaned against the closest wall and slumped to the floor. All of this information was coming too quickly, and I couldn't take it all in at once. Jade hated me… My own daughter, flesh and blood, hated me, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. I slammed my fist against the wooden floor and hung my head in defeat. It hurt so much to hear the she RESENTED me.
Tears swelled up in my eyes, and my breathing became jagged. I curled up into a ball and wrapped my arms and my tail around my legs. I felt so weak and vulnerable at that point of time. It hurt so much and I felt alone and bare, like a little kid with no parents to guide him. I closed my eyes and held back any tears that I had. Resting my head on my arm, I let my body tremor.
"Ruby, go…"
"Zidane, I-" she began, but I cute her off.
"Just go…" She opened her mouth to speak again, but shut it knowing that I would only yell at her in return. She quietly left the room and myself alone. It hurt so much to be hated by someone who you should love. It toyed with my brain and numbed my soul. I didn't want to be apart of this reality anymore. I wanted to be with Dagger, in the arms of the one I trusted. In all my years, I've never felt so much pain.
And then it came. The tears slid past my eyelids, and I cried. I was left in the room with only the sounds of Eiko's breathing and my sobbing. Years of repression fell with each tear, but only new pain and sorrow filled the gap that the repressed tears had left…
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~~**Eiko's POV, Present Time**~
"…So after that, Tantlantus decided to have him play as Marcus as a special surprise for Dagger and Jade. He was so worried that Dagger had found someone else, but now he's ok with that. You can't tell either one alright?" I asked giving Beatrix a hard glance. She simply nodded still trying to absorb what was going to happen in the play today. I wasn't surprised by her reaction to it. It was something that was predetermined.
"I should really go check up on Garnet and Jade. They should be finished getting ready by now. Plus the play is starting in an hour and already the nobles are starting to overflow the place. I wonder if Quina is finished with the dinner yet. There's so much to worry about around this time of year, and with this added surprise, the commotion is going to be even bigger. I just hope that Garnet doesn't have a heart attack from it and that eventually Jade can get over her hatred." I nodded in agreement as I hopped off the small stone that I was sitting on while telling my story to Beatrix.
My legs were tired and I had a long stretch before standing up. Beatrix began to walk away slowly, but I caught her attention before she left.
"Nice to see you again, and take care!" I called out to her. She smiled and nodded.
"You too, Eiko!" I heard her say in response as I she was walking away. I was now left alone near the grave thinking quietly to myself as time slowly passed by. I really hoped that the play was going to be a great success. I also hoped that Garnet would be able to be happy for once. She seemed so distant and unaware of what was going on in the outside world a few years after our adventure. She kept mainly to herself and taking care of Jade with all of her heart. Of course, she would naturally do that as a mother, but when I saw her look at Jade, I saw the same happy glance that she would give to Zidane on our travels. Only a couple things were certain; she loved Zidane more than anyone could understand, and whatever she saw in him, it was reflected in her daughter.
Talking with her about the past was really interesting, and sometimes down right scary. I understood why Jade was so affected by it because Dagger just couldn't understand that she had to let go. But now I couldn't even consider that an option because the fact was that Zidane WAS back, and he could be a part of her life once again. That wasn't what I was worried about. I knew Dagger would accept him with open arms and never think twice about taking him back after so many years, but I knew from Jade's point of view that it wasn't going to be so easy. After she's lived almost eight years of her life with a single mother who ruled over a kingdom while still mourning over the past. All of the sudden, her father figure makes his first appearance in her life, and her mother expects things to run just as smoothly. I knew that wasn't going to happen; the sad thing was, so did Jade and Zidane.
I can still remember the look on his face when he first asked me about her, and it totally caught me off guard. I didn't even know who told him or how he found out, but his face showed so much emotional pain, I didn't really know what to say. The years had been hard on him, and even one quick glance could tell anyone that. He looked almost completely different, if it weren't for the tail and his signature imp smile. But when I looked at him then, I only saw a twenty-four year-old adult who lost seven years of his life to pain and torment because of being separated from his soul mate.
It was hard to explain his daughter to him; I don't think I've ever seen him so close to tears. The only thing that puzzled me was I didn't know that he was crying because he had a beautiful daughter, or because he had this daughter that hated him with a passion.
I haven't spoken to him since, but what I've heard from Ruby so far was that he was slowly getting better. His emotional scars were deep, but they were healing. I wasn't surprised to hear that he already had a hard blow to his heart when Kuja died. As much as they hated each other at one point, they were still brothers, and Zidane still cared.
The wind gently picked up and I looked at the sky. It was getting dark and it was almost time for the play. So much would be happening that night; I could almost sense the sparks in the sky because of the up coming tension. Everyone would have to improvise here on out no matter if they were in a play or not. No matter what was going to happen, I could almost guarantee that no one would be prepared for it.
Emotions would be unpredictable, and I knew there was only one thing to worry about. Zidane would be accepted by Dagger, by the kingdom, and by all of his friends. The only thing that I was concerned about was whether or not he would be accepted and cherished by the one person that should matter most in his life.
Of all the tests he's had to take to prove himself worthy, the hardest and most unforgiving one would be Jade…
I leaned against the railing as a soft breeze swept across my face. I was gazing up at the starry sky above thinking about anything that would happen to pass through my mind. So far I hadn't been able to sleep, so the song never came to me. Baku was steering the ship while everyone else was either sleeping or doing their own thing. Ruby went to bed a while before, and soon after Blank "disappeared" into her room. I was old enough to know what was going on, but no one, myself included, dared to bother them about it.
I was starting to get somewhat tired as I saw the Iifa tree in the distance. It was then that my senses became alert again. I leaned slightly over the railing to hopefully get a closer look at it. I guess that Baku saw the same thing I did because he started to slow down and look for a landing spot. I gently closed my eyes, letting my ears take in all the sounds that were floating in the air.
And then, I heard it…
The song of Madi Sari was lightly playing in the air and it got louder every second. It never got louder by much, but it was loud enough to ring in my ears. The voice was soft, soothing, and definitely male. I started to sing in unison with the voice as Baku found a good place to land.
It was pitch black by now, but my horn glowed with a pale, white light that let me see at least five feet in front of me. I jumped off the ship and landed softly on my feet. I knew Baku was yelling at me to wait for him and the rest of the crew, but I just couldn't stand to wait that long. The voice was becoming pained, and hints of tears could be heard. Who ever it was, was crying, and I couldn't stand the sound of his pain any longer. I had to find him quickly.
I began to run closer to the tree and the light on my horn started to become brighter. Whoever was singing was close by and I could sense his presence. The aura coming from him seemed so familiar that I ran faster toward my destination. Baku and the rest of Tantlantus were far behind me, but I didn't care. I had to reach him or else I was sure that we all would lose him forever.
When I finally was able to see him, I saw his tail circle around his waist as he stepped on a ledge. I did the only that that I could at that moment of time before I completely lost my breath. I called out his name.
"Zidane!" I screamed as I saw him step up on the highest ledge.
The song stopped and he turned around to face em just as I hit the ground hard because of lack of energy. I started panting heavily as I rolled onto my back, but I could hear footsteps approaching me from several directions. Tantlantus had arrived, and Zidane was coming closer.
I was too tired and too hurt at that point of time to really speak or make any sudden movements. Before I fell into a deep sleep, I saw Zidane's teary face leaning over me.
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~**Zidane's POV**~
"Zidane!" I quickly turned around at the mention of my name. My eyes were too blurry at the time because of crying for me to tell who it really was. I saw the figure coming toward me fall with a loud thump as she hit the ground. I ran over to her side and looked down at her.
"Eiko…?" I asked out of pure shock. Why had she come here, and why did she appear now after six long years? It didn't make sense to me, but I could tell that it was she. I guess the purple hair and the long horn on her head was a dead give away, but she looked so mature that it truly was shocking to me. I lifted her head up slightly to get a better look at her face in the dark.
Feet were coming closer and I held her protectively. Soon I could see a face that I hadn't seen in years. I stood up holding Eiko in my arms and a small smirk placed itself upon my face. What I would have given to show him the look of surprise on his face. It was priceless, and above all, it was comforting.
"Oh my God," Blank whispered softly to himself as he finally realized who I was. Sure I looked different because the six years did affect me more than anyone had thought. "It's you. What happened to you? What happened to Eiko? Are you ok? How long have you been here?" The many questions flooded my mind and I looked at him with a slightly confused and bedazzled look upon my face.
"On question at a time, please!" I exclaimed as I let out a small laugh. It was so good to see him again. It was good to see them all again. "I'll tell you everything about what happened on the ship. Right now I think that Eiko needs a lot of sleep. She was running all the way here, and she seemed to tired when she fell." I looked down at her angel face again. Her breathing had slowed down, and now she actually seemed like she was sleeping. I looked up at Blank and he nodded.
Ruby, Baku, and Marcus were standing behind him just staring at me in amazement. Walking past Baku slowly, I rested my hand on Ruby's shoulder and gave her my normal impish smile. She smiled back and walked me back to the air ship.
"How is she?" Ruby asked me as I gently tucked Eiko into the small bed that was provided for her. I sat back in a nearby chair and tilted my head backwards. Staring at the ceiling, I let out a long sigh and took my time answering her question. Nothing was wrong with Eiko, and I could tell that, but I was more worried about what was wrong with me. Coming back to the ship was uneasy for me and it felt extremely different than what I had remembered. Then again, it has been six years, why would anything be the same anymore?
Don't worry," I calmly stated. "She'll be ok." I looked over at Ruby and saw that she was relieved.
"What about ya?" I arched my eyebrow and stared at her carefully. The question had caught me off guard and I really didn't know how to answer it. How was I? Frightened? Timid? Worried? Relieved? Happy? I truthfully only knew about how I felt as much as she did. Absolutely nothing.
I gave a slight shrug and looked back at Eiko. She looked relaxed and very content with her surroundings; was it because of me being around again? I remembered her looking like that when she would sleep next to me on our adventures. Silently asleep and she never seemed to worry about anything; even when the little event happened in Pandemonium.
"I guess I'm ok," I finally said. She didn't seem convinced by my answer, and I didn't blame her. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't be convinced either.
"Ok? Is that all? After being isolated for six years, barely having anything to eat or drink, the only company that ya had was ya brother, and now that you're back with your friends, you think that you're only ok?" She gave me a long, hard stare before I finally stood up to hopefully escape her gaze. I didn't like her staring at me like that. It was as if she could read my mind, and that made me feel very uncomfortable.
"I don't know Ruby. Why don't you tell me how I'm feeling," I snapped at her. I glared at her, and then calmed down. Why was I getting angry so quickly? I should have been happy, but I wasn't.
"Look at ya," she walked up to me and placed her small hand on my shoulder. "Ya skin has tanned because of sun exposure. Ya hair has grown longer, ya eyes have darkened, you've grown taller and more muscular, ya skin has thickened, and above all you've learned to love. I can see it in your eyes that you're feeling pain to be away from her. Don't worry, ya time will come." She gave a reassuring smile to me as she walked away and sat beside Eiko's bed once again.
"How has everyone been while I was gone? I'm sure lots of things have changed. How's Dagger, Rusty, and Beatrix? What about everyone else, ne?" I looked at her closely for answers, but she only bowed her head as if she was carefully thinking about what he next answer was going to be.
"I was hoping ya wouldn't ask about that, but ya did. Eiko was supposed to tell ya if we ever did find ya because she would know more about it than we do. Oh, God, it's just been so hard without ya around. I'm sure they'll be glad to see ya, but I'm not so sure than see will… no one is anymore." I walked up behind her and looked down at her. What was she talking about? Who was she talking about, and what really has been going on in the past six years?
"Ruby, what are you talking about?" I asked unsure if I was ready to hear what she was going to tell me. She sucked in a sharp breath, and took her time answering me. She eventually turned around and gave me a long stare before all the information seemed to leak out at once.
"We all didn't know what to do when she came about. I mean, what were we supposed to tell her? How were we supposed to make her understand what ya had to do? Garnet barely understood, and every time she would see Garnet cry over ya, it just made her hate ya more. Everyone tried to talk to her about it, especially Eiko, but no one could get through to her. She even yelled at Garnet, 'I hate him, Mommy!' and even then, she didn't know what to do. God, Zidane, I hope everything will eventually turn out all right because we don't want her hating ya. Ya have to understand we tried, Zidane. We tried! But she wouldn't listen. I'm so, so sorry…" She blurted it al out so quickly, that the only part I really picked up on was somewhere in the middle and close to the end.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded in a sharp tone. I didn't mean for it to come out like it did, but I was so confused by this point, I didn't know what else to do. Ruby couldn't look me in the eye because she could tell that I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
"Even six years ago, ya never knew, did ya?" I stared at her bewildered and totally unaware of what she was talking about. "Ya probably don't even know who I'm talking about. I'm not surprised really. Garnet didn't find out until after ya left as well."
"Who are you talking about, Ruby?" My voice was filled with more pain and confusion every time I spoke. I needed to know what was going on, and I needed to know then.
"I'm talking about Jade, Zidane. I'm talking about… ya… daughter…" Those words hit me like a sharp smack across the face. My daughter?! That must have meant that Dagger was pregnant the last time I saw her. But I didn't know. I don't think that anyone knew about it then. But she must have been six by now, and her name was Jade. Jade… God, she must be beautiful.
"What does she look like?" I asked out of simple curiosity.
"She looks like a perfect mix between ya and Garnet. She has ya eyes, ya tail, Garnet's horn and hair color, besides the strands of gold in it that come from ya. And she acts like ya a whole lot. In fact, so much like ya, it's uncanny, but she resents ya. Everything about ya she hates and no one knows why. I even heard from Eiko that she tried to cut off her tail to rid any trademarks of ya from her body. It was so sad, and Garnet didn't speak for a week. She refused to believe that it happened, or that anything outside of her room existed. It's so sad. Garnet misses you so much, and I can tell it hurts her to hear her daughter proclaim how much she hates ya."
I leaned against the closest wall and slumped to the floor. All of this information was coming too quickly, and I couldn't take it all in at once. Jade hated me… My own daughter, flesh and blood, hated me, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. I slammed my fist against the wooden floor and hung my head in defeat. It hurt so much to hear the she RESENTED me.
Tears swelled up in my eyes, and my breathing became jagged. I curled up into a ball and wrapped my arms and my tail around my legs. I felt so weak and vulnerable at that point of time. It hurt so much and I felt alone and bare, like a little kid with no parents to guide him. I closed my eyes and held back any tears that I had. Resting my head on my arm, I let my body tremor.
"Ruby, go…"
"Zidane, I-" she began, but I cute her off.
"Just go…" She opened her mouth to speak again, but shut it knowing that I would only yell at her in return. She quietly left the room and myself alone. It hurt so much to be hated by someone who you should love. It toyed with my brain and numbed my soul. I didn't want to be apart of this reality anymore. I wanted to be with Dagger, in the arms of the one I trusted. In all my years, I've never felt so much pain.
And then it came. The tears slid past my eyelids, and I cried. I was left in the room with only the sounds of Eiko's breathing and my sobbing. Years of repression fell with each tear, but only new pain and sorrow filled the gap that the repressed tears had left…
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~~**Eiko's POV, Present Time**~
"…So after that, Tantlantus decided to have him play as Marcus as a special surprise for Dagger and Jade. He was so worried that Dagger had found someone else, but now he's ok with that. You can't tell either one alright?" I asked giving Beatrix a hard glance. She simply nodded still trying to absorb what was going to happen in the play today. I wasn't surprised by her reaction to it. It was something that was predetermined.
"I should really go check up on Garnet and Jade. They should be finished getting ready by now. Plus the play is starting in an hour and already the nobles are starting to overflow the place. I wonder if Quina is finished with the dinner yet. There's so much to worry about around this time of year, and with this added surprise, the commotion is going to be even bigger. I just hope that Garnet doesn't have a heart attack from it and that eventually Jade can get over her hatred." I nodded in agreement as I hopped off the small stone that I was sitting on while telling my story to Beatrix.
My legs were tired and I had a long stretch before standing up. Beatrix began to walk away slowly, but I caught her attention before she left.
"Nice to see you again, and take care!" I called out to her. She smiled and nodded.
"You too, Eiko!" I heard her say in response as I she was walking away. I was now left alone near the grave thinking quietly to myself as time slowly passed by. I really hoped that the play was going to be a great success. I also hoped that Garnet would be able to be happy for once. She seemed so distant and unaware of what was going on in the outside world a few years after our adventure. She kept mainly to herself and taking care of Jade with all of her heart. Of course, she would naturally do that as a mother, but when I saw her look at Jade, I saw the same happy glance that she would give to Zidane on our travels. Only a couple things were certain; she loved Zidane more than anyone could understand, and whatever she saw in him, it was reflected in her daughter.
Talking with her about the past was really interesting, and sometimes down right scary. I understood why Jade was so affected by it because Dagger just couldn't understand that she had to let go. But now I couldn't even consider that an option because the fact was that Zidane WAS back, and he could be a part of her life once again. That wasn't what I was worried about. I knew Dagger would accept him with open arms and never think twice about taking him back after so many years, but I knew from Jade's point of view that it wasn't going to be so easy. After she's lived almost eight years of her life with a single mother who ruled over a kingdom while still mourning over the past. All of the sudden, her father figure makes his first appearance in her life, and her mother expects things to run just as smoothly. I knew that wasn't going to happen; the sad thing was, so did Jade and Zidane.
I can still remember the look on his face when he first asked me about her, and it totally caught me off guard. I didn't even know who told him or how he found out, but his face showed so much emotional pain, I didn't really know what to say. The years had been hard on him, and even one quick glance could tell anyone that. He looked almost completely different, if it weren't for the tail and his signature imp smile. But when I looked at him then, I only saw a twenty-four year-old adult who lost seven years of his life to pain and torment because of being separated from his soul mate.
It was hard to explain his daughter to him; I don't think I've ever seen him so close to tears. The only thing that puzzled me was I didn't know that he was crying because he had a beautiful daughter, or because he had this daughter that hated him with a passion.
I haven't spoken to him since, but what I've heard from Ruby so far was that he was slowly getting better. His emotional scars were deep, but they were healing. I wasn't surprised to hear that he already had a hard blow to his heart when Kuja died. As much as they hated each other at one point, they were still brothers, and Zidane still cared.
The wind gently picked up and I looked at the sky. It was getting dark and it was almost time for the play. So much would be happening that night; I could almost sense the sparks in the sky because of the up coming tension. Everyone would have to improvise here on out no matter if they were in a play or not. No matter what was going to happen, I could almost guarantee that no one would be prepared for it.
Emotions would be unpredictable, and I knew there was only one thing to worry about. Zidane would be accepted by Dagger, by the kingdom, and by all of his friends. The only thing that I was concerned about was whether or not he would be accepted and cherished by the one person that should matter most in his life.
Of all the tests he's had to take to prove himself worthy, the hardest and most unforgiving one would be Jade…