~**Zidane's POV**~
"Jade!" I called out as I continued to run after her. I could tell that the crowd was trying to move out of our way because a straight, clear path was available for us to run on after she left the stage. Damnit! How could I not see something like this coming? I should have known that she wasn't going to take it too lightly. I was such a fool in believing that everything was going to be ok when I showed up. I shouldn't have been so stupid…
I was lucky that I was faster than she was because it wasn't long before I finally was able to catch up with her. I quickly reached out and wrapped my arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She let out a small yelp and started to scream and kick. This only made me fall onto my back, but I didn't let go. Nothing in this world could have possibly made me let go of her just then.
"Let go of ME!" she screamed as she kicked me hard in the gut. I was winded and let out a small gasp of air, but I still held on. When I finally got my breath back, I turned her over and stared straight into her teary eyes. Their green color was faded and only the redness of her eyes showed. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and I just stared at her for seemed like forever. She no longer kicked or screamed or cried, we just stared, searching for all the answers to each other's questions in our eyes.
After a long while, I found my answer, and I let her go. She ran off to the inside of the castle as soon as I heard Garnet approach me. I slowly sat up as I felt Garnet wrap her arms around me, sobbing her heart out. Jade… I shook my head and held Garnet back. Maybe with time, the wounds would heal…
"Jade, sweetie, please come out!" I heard Garnet beg as she stood outside Jade's room. Four hours had passed after the play, but Jade still had not left her room. No sound was heard from it except for the sound of a small music box gently playing. Garnet was still a mess ever since the play ended. I could only imagine how she felt about her daughter's actions, but everyone was used to it. Were these the kinds of events that went on while I was gone? Is this what my disappearance had caused?
I leaned against the wall closest to Garnet and Jade, slowly letting out a heavy sigh. I knew only I could fix this situation, but I didn't know how, and I didn't know how long it would take. Garnet rested her head on the door after she stopped calling out to Jade. Her breathing was short and ragged, and I knew she was going through a lot of stress at that time, but I had a clearer idea of how to help her. I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms. She closed her eyes and leaned against me, hoping that the pain would go away.
"It's ok. Give her some time and I know she'll come around. It's harder for her to adjust to things like this, but I think when I first talked to her I knocked some sense into her. Don't worry about it, just give her space for now," I whispered into her ear while rubbing her arms. She simply nodded and placed her hand over mine.
"I know she needs time and space, but how long and how much? I'm so afraid of what this could do to her even though I've prayed for it everyday. I just wish things could have been easier…" She looked down at the ground with a slight pout on her face. I used two of my fingers to lift up her chin and to make her look at me. I gave her a small smile and stroked the side of her face.
"Hey," I started, "I thought I told you not to worry. She's a strong girl and can take care of herself. I know she'll be fine. I'm worried about you though…" I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, which she gladly returned. "I think you should get some rest, and we can hold off the feast till a later date, ok?" She pulled away and turned around to face me.
"Yes, sleep does sound like a good idea. I'll make sure to inform Quina when we will actually hold the feast." I nodded, and turned to walk off to my room that Beatrix showed to me earlier. "Wait…!"
I stopped and looked at Garnet before asking, "What is it?" Garnet walked up to me and grabbed one of my hands, holding it to her chest. Her eyes were staring at the ground as if she was in deep thought. I didn't know what she wanted me to wait for, but when she looked up into my eyes, I got a slight idea. She moved closer and whispered loud enough so that only I could hear.
"I want you to stay with me tonight… Please…" I could see in her eyes how much she needed me, an I was glad that I was back home with her… Home… This is where I wanted to be…
"Sure," I said with a slight smile while I gently squeezed her hand. She smiled back and slowly lead me to her room. Not that I needed directions. As a thief you learn your way around places very quickly, other wise you can't get in and out of a building as fast as you want to. I still remembered my way to her room though, even after not being in the castle for seven years.
Her room seemed bigger than I last remembered, but it hadn't changed much over the years. She still had the large bed and the small dresser right beside it, and, of course, the single window facing toward the town. I shut the doors quietly and lifted her onto the bed. Garnet took of the hair tie and let her hair fan out underneath her as she lied down. Her dark brown hair made her skin look so much lighter than it actually was, but damn, it made her look so beautiful…
I climbed next her in her bed and let my hand run down the side of her body. In response, she arched her body toward my hand and let out a sigh. I just stared at her, taking in every part of her with my eyes, never wanting to look away. Kissing her bare shoulder, I pulled her closer to me and ran my hands down her back. Rolling over and pulling me with her, Garnet kissed me hard on the lips when I was now on top of her. She was so demanding and so fragile at that point, I had to stay with her, and I didn't want to leave.
I kissed her back and wrapped my arms around her. Sliding my tongue into her mouth, I made her back arch so her chest was pushing into mine. 'Heh, just like last time,' I thought to myself as I continued to kiss her deeply. She pulled away with a different look in her eyes.
"For years, I've needed someone's love, Zidane, and I know I could have gotten it from several different men," she said as she kept looking at me. I wasn't quite sure was she was talking about or what she was aiming at, but I never said a word and just kept on listening. "But I never wanted them, for I knew in the long run, it would only hurt me. I really didn't need just anyone's love… I needed yours, and now that you're back, I need you to help me forget those seven years of pain."
I kissed her neck and softly whispered, "I'll do anything for you, Dagger." I heard her softly moan as I kissed her neck again. Her skin was so flushed and warm, and her scent, I thought I was going to die in the sweetness of it. She ran her hand down my back, and her touch was electrifying. It sent sparks down my spine, and if I wasn't kissing her neck, I would have let out a low moan. God, I can't believe I almost forgot what kind of spell this woman could put on me.
She held onto me tighter, letting her hands travel over my back and sliding into my hair. I could feel my temperature rising as I let my tongue lap at her neck, trying to slightly bruise her skin and leave my mark. I could hear her moaning from deep within her throat, and it only made me more excited and impatient. I gently slid my hands down the sides of her body to her waist and slowly started to knead her flesh. It was then that she wrapped her legs around my waist and pressed her hips against mine. Not even kissing her neck could prevent the low growl that came from my mouth. Damn, I forgot what she could do to me, but there are so many things that I could do to her…
I slowly began to rock my hips against hers, trying to build her up for almost no reason. Maybe it was just to hear her moan my name, which she did. Her breathing became shallower, and every time I moved against her, she would either say my name or just moan, both of which would ring in my ears and flow throughout my body. I finally stopped when I thought that she was becoming too loud.
Grabbing her chin, I pressed my mouth to hers in a hard, passionate way that would take her breath away, yet would make her have a taste of bliss. When I pulled back, I looked down into her soulful eyes. Her face was flushed a bright red, and her breathing had gone back to normal. She stared back at me with a look in her eyes that I couldn't explain. A thick silence filled the room, and the only sounds that I could hear were our breathing and my heartbeat that was going a mile a minute. Garnet swallowed and continued to stare at me before she decided to speak again.
"Zidane, I…" she softly began when I stroked her face lightly, "…Make love to me." When I looked at her then, I no longer saw the young princess with a wild spirit that I had fallen in love with years ago. Instead, I saw a Queen, a young woman who would die for me and loved me with all her heart. A young woman with wisdom and beauty that surpassed every other woman that I ever lied eyes on, and I knew that I wanted to be with this woman forever.
"Ok, Dagger… As you wish…" I smiled down at her and cupped her cheek with my hand. Her face was still crimson and glowing from the faint candlelight. I straddled her waist and kissed her lips gently while wrapping my arms around her waist and sliding my hand into her hair. Whatever fire she held back before, she was letting lose now. I could almost taste her passion on her lips, and it filled me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back with all the love that she had. Her touch burned my skin, and her lips lit my soul. Seven long years, this is what I missed… My beautiful Dagger…
That night, I made love to my queen and washed away all her pain as soon as the lights went out…
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~**Jade's POV**~
The morning after my father came back, I checked up on my mother to see how she was. I expected her to be asleep, and that much was true. What I didn't expect to see was my father asleep next to her… naked. Of course, I didn't see anything, for I shut the door quickly and I ran back to my room. I knew it wasn't going to be hard for my mother to accept Zidane back into her heart. She loved him, and nothing would ever change that, but I couldn't accept him that easily. The pain ran too deep for me, and one little appearance wouldn't heal anything. It didn't heal anything for my mother either, but he had ways of proving his love to her, ways to heal her, and he did.
For me it was harder. I barely knew him, and I know he's only known about me for a short while. I wanted to know more about him, but I still wanted nothing to do with him. At that time, I was filled with so many different emotions, I didn't know what I truly felt about my father coming back. I wanted him to come back, to be a part of my life, so I would hurt, and my mother's life, so she wouldn't cry. That was all I wanted, and I still hated him even though I got it.
Maybe it was just fear of something I didn't understand. I didn't know or understand him, so I was afraid of how he could effect the castle's lifestyle. How would the kingdom like my mother marrying a thief? I guess they didn't mind too much because they were all cheering for them at the play, but I could still remember the dead silence that came after when I walked onto the stage. More people knew about his arrival than I thought, and I knew that Eiko knew a lot more about it than anyone else did. Maybe that was why she wouldn't talk to me before the play. Was she trying to not give it away?
I walked over to my dresser and placed my hands on the smooth wood. Two things were on that dresser, both of which were important to me. One was the golden tiara that my mother had given me the day before, the other was an old music box that I got for my first birthday. It was a small music box with a dancing moogle on it that spun whenever the box played. This was how I learned the song of Madain Sari; Mother made someone specially build it so that song would play whenever I started to cry or become sad. It always helped, and I started to use it every time I felt lonely or depressed. I even used it yesterday.
Picking up the small music box, I walked over to my bed and wound it up. As the music started to softly play, I watched the moogle dance. It's soft melody filled the room, and I gently began to hum the tune as well. The song slowly let more stress out of my body, and I sighed. Just as the tune was ending, I heard a loud knock come from my door.
"It's open!" I shouted, hoping that it was mother coming in to check up on me. She always did every morning. I got up and placed the music box back on my dresser and smoothed back my hair with my hands. I neglected to brush it this morning because I was hoping that Mother would be able to. I heard the door open and softly shut, but I was still looking at the music box. I didn't need to turn around, I knew it was Mother, but normally she would have said something when she walked into my room…
I turned around and held my breath as soon as I saw whom it was. Zidane leaned against the door and hung his head. His medium length blonde hair hung around his face and covered his eyes. He wore his loose blue pants that he wore the day before, even the belt that was too big for his waist. The only thing different was that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and anyone could tell now that his skin was clearly darker than my mother's, but so was mine. In fact, my skin was only about a shade lighter than his was.
He looked up and I could see a hint of sadness and pride glittering in his eyes. A small smile came upon his face as he looked at me. Was he proud? Was I what he expected? Or did he expect nothing and he was just happy to see me? I didn't know, but I didn't feel uneasy under his gaze, I just felt different.
"Mornin', Jade. I heard you when you walked into Dagger's room, but I didn't want to move because I was afraid of waking her," He calmly stated as he moved away from the door. Dagger? Is that what he called my mother? I stood motionless by my dresser and I never took my eyes off of him. I could see his tail behind him, moving as if it had a mind of its own. He leaned against a nearby wall and looked over at me. His eyes shined the same brilliant green that mine did. Mother was right; I looked more like him that I did her.
"What do you want?" I hissed at him with slight venom in my voice. He wasn't affected by it at all and just calmly replied to my question.
"I just wanted to get to know you a little bit better. After all, we both know nothing more than simple stories about each other, but if you want me to leave, just say so. I don't want to waste your time." His voice was smooth and even. I was surprised that he wasn't mad at me because I said I hated him. In fact, I was more surprised that he cared more about my feelings than his own personal desires. I just kept staring at him, speechless.
I wanted him to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him to go. "Um… You can stay if you want…" I slowly stated as I looked at him with an uncertain look in my eyes. He nodded and I sat down on a small vanity chair near the dresser that I was standing by. I picked up my gold tiara and began to play with in my hands. I was nervous sitting near a total stranger, but he wasn't a stranger. Zidane was my father.
He was looking around my room as if something was missing. Of course, he didn't get up, but he was just looking with his eyes as if something was misplaced, something was wrong. I didn't know what he was trying to find, but I figured I would let him ask before I would say anything. He was so strange and so different from how my mother acted. Only God knows how those two ended up getting together.
"That's interesting," he stated half to himself. He slowly got up and wandered around my room, looking at almost every inch of it. What was he doing? Before I got to ask, he asked me a question. "Why is your room as plain as you mother's? Don't you have any toys or friends who give you presents and decorations? I find it quite odd that you don't have any toys besides that music box, especially at your age…"
I too looked around my room and noticed the lack of toys. I never really noticed before. Maybe that was because I was so used to it. The only toyish gift I remembered getting was the music box and most didn't notice that, but why did he? These were things about him that I was noticing that no story could have prepared me for.
"You sound like your mother when you sing. Did she teach you that song?" He turned to me, holding my mother's copy of I Want To Be Your Canary in his hands. She gave me that copy when I was six and old enough to read. Even though it was too advanced for me, I still read it and I was almost done. I almost had forgotten about his question until my music box started to play on its own.
"Um…" I began when I was quite startled by the sudden noise. "Yes, she taught me the song when I was about four. I've been singing it ever since. Have you ever heard Mother sing it?" Maybe I could learn more about him and the relationship he has with Mother. After all, she never really told me that much with the stories that she's shared.
He sighed and sat down on my bed once again. "I've heard it several times. I even asked her to sing it so I could sleep. The first time though was in the Village of Dali. I heard her in the middle of the night, but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I didn't ask her about it till the next day, but I got to hear her sing it again in Lindblum. I need to ask her to sing it again for me sometime soon." He got lost in thought for a moment. He wasn't as bad as I thought he was, and I guess he was almost everything my mother said he was… almost…
"Did you and Mother always get along?" I asked with interest. I always heard how much she loved him the whole time, but maybe it was time for me to hear it from another point of view. What he said shocked me, but I figured as much.
"Always? Oh hell no! She couldn't stand me most of the time. We got into more fights than I would like to remember. I always used to hit on her, but she either ignored me, or slammed it back in my face. When I first met her, I told her that she looked like the one I was waiting for all my life, but I was just saying it to stall her. It wasn't until later that I realized that it was true. I dunno when she fell for me, but she did." He was staring off into space when he finished that last sentence. But the next one caught me off guard. "And you should have seen her in her orange jumpsuit. I mean damn, she looked good!"
I didn't notice why he said that until I saw a shadow under the door move away quickly after. 'That was probably Mother,' I stated to myself when I saw the smirk on his face. He looked back at me and let out a sigh. I was enjoying his company, something I didn't expect to happen. He placed the book down on my bed and started to flip through the pages.
"How far in this did you get?" He was trying to find my bookmark. I walked over and flipped to the page I was on. He quickly read over the page running his hand down the old paper. I bit my lip and held my hands behind my back as I slowly began to sway back and forth.
"I'm on the last chapter," I calmly replied. I saw him nod, as he closed the book. Getting up, he put it away and turned around to face me. Maybe, I would get used to him being in the castle, but not today. I still didn't know him, not enough, not yet. I headed for the door and looked over my shoulder at him. "Breakfast should be ready by now. Are you coming? Maybe we can talk more then." He simply smiled and walked to me.
"Sure," he stated. "And then before you go to sleep, I'll read you the last chapter of your book. Is that ok with you?" He asked as we both walked through the door. He shut it quietly and looked down at me.
"That'd be great," I said with a warm smile on my face. I reached for his hand as we walked down the hallway to the kitchen. He was different than what I expected, but I was glad. Things were going to be different around the castle…
(A/N: they've met, and now they're talking!!! O.o;;; ::pulls out bag of popcorn:: I think something's gonna happen... maybe, maybe not, depends on how many of you like it so far. If people actually like it [my God it's amazing if you do!] I promise I wont' do anything to make this like an action/adventure, I'm keeping this pure drama D but umm... Leave your reviews and I'll update sooner! bai bai!)
"Jade!" I called out as I continued to run after her. I could tell that the crowd was trying to move out of our way because a straight, clear path was available for us to run on after she left the stage. Damnit! How could I not see something like this coming? I should have known that she wasn't going to take it too lightly. I was such a fool in believing that everything was going to be ok when I showed up. I shouldn't have been so stupid…
I was lucky that I was faster than she was because it wasn't long before I finally was able to catch up with her. I quickly reached out and wrapped my arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She let out a small yelp and started to scream and kick. This only made me fall onto my back, but I didn't let go. Nothing in this world could have possibly made me let go of her just then.
"Let go of ME!" she screamed as she kicked me hard in the gut. I was winded and let out a small gasp of air, but I still held on. When I finally got my breath back, I turned her over and stared straight into her teary eyes. Their green color was faded and only the redness of her eyes showed. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and I just stared at her for seemed like forever. She no longer kicked or screamed or cried, we just stared, searching for all the answers to each other's questions in our eyes.
After a long while, I found my answer, and I let her go. She ran off to the inside of the castle as soon as I heard Garnet approach me. I slowly sat up as I felt Garnet wrap her arms around me, sobbing her heart out. Jade… I shook my head and held Garnet back. Maybe with time, the wounds would heal…
"Jade, sweetie, please come out!" I heard Garnet beg as she stood outside Jade's room. Four hours had passed after the play, but Jade still had not left her room. No sound was heard from it except for the sound of a small music box gently playing. Garnet was still a mess ever since the play ended. I could only imagine how she felt about her daughter's actions, but everyone was used to it. Were these the kinds of events that went on while I was gone? Is this what my disappearance had caused?
I leaned against the wall closest to Garnet and Jade, slowly letting out a heavy sigh. I knew only I could fix this situation, but I didn't know how, and I didn't know how long it would take. Garnet rested her head on the door after she stopped calling out to Jade. Her breathing was short and ragged, and I knew she was going through a lot of stress at that time, but I had a clearer idea of how to help her. I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms. She closed her eyes and leaned against me, hoping that the pain would go away.
"It's ok. Give her some time and I know she'll come around. It's harder for her to adjust to things like this, but I think when I first talked to her I knocked some sense into her. Don't worry about it, just give her space for now," I whispered into her ear while rubbing her arms. She simply nodded and placed her hand over mine.
"I know she needs time and space, but how long and how much? I'm so afraid of what this could do to her even though I've prayed for it everyday. I just wish things could have been easier…" She looked down at the ground with a slight pout on her face. I used two of my fingers to lift up her chin and to make her look at me. I gave her a small smile and stroked the side of her face.
"Hey," I started, "I thought I told you not to worry. She's a strong girl and can take care of herself. I know she'll be fine. I'm worried about you though…" I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, which she gladly returned. "I think you should get some rest, and we can hold off the feast till a later date, ok?" She pulled away and turned around to face me.
"Yes, sleep does sound like a good idea. I'll make sure to inform Quina when we will actually hold the feast." I nodded, and turned to walk off to my room that Beatrix showed to me earlier. "Wait…!"
I stopped and looked at Garnet before asking, "What is it?" Garnet walked up to me and grabbed one of my hands, holding it to her chest. Her eyes were staring at the ground as if she was in deep thought. I didn't know what she wanted me to wait for, but when she looked up into my eyes, I got a slight idea. She moved closer and whispered loud enough so that only I could hear.
"I want you to stay with me tonight… Please…" I could see in her eyes how much she needed me, an I was glad that I was back home with her… Home… This is where I wanted to be…
"Sure," I said with a slight smile while I gently squeezed her hand. She smiled back and slowly lead me to her room. Not that I needed directions. As a thief you learn your way around places very quickly, other wise you can't get in and out of a building as fast as you want to. I still remembered my way to her room though, even after not being in the castle for seven years.
Her room seemed bigger than I last remembered, but it hadn't changed much over the years. She still had the large bed and the small dresser right beside it, and, of course, the single window facing toward the town. I shut the doors quietly and lifted her onto the bed. Garnet took of the hair tie and let her hair fan out underneath her as she lied down. Her dark brown hair made her skin look so much lighter than it actually was, but damn, it made her look so beautiful…
I climbed next her in her bed and let my hand run down the side of her body. In response, she arched her body toward my hand and let out a sigh. I just stared at her, taking in every part of her with my eyes, never wanting to look away. Kissing her bare shoulder, I pulled her closer to me and ran my hands down her back. Rolling over and pulling me with her, Garnet kissed me hard on the lips when I was now on top of her. She was so demanding and so fragile at that point, I had to stay with her, and I didn't want to leave.
I kissed her back and wrapped my arms around her. Sliding my tongue into her mouth, I made her back arch so her chest was pushing into mine. 'Heh, just like last time,' I thought to myself as I continued to kiss her deeply. She pulled away with a different look in her eyes.
"For years, I've needed someone's love, Zidane, and I know I could have gotten it from several different men," she said as she kept looking at me. I wasn't quite sure was she was talking about or what she was aiming at, but I never said a word and just kept on listening. "But I never wanted them, for I knew in the long run, it would only hurt me. I really didn't need just anyone's love… I needed yours, and now that you're back, I need you to help me forget those seven years of pain."
I kissed her neck and softly whispered, "I'll do anything for you, Dagger." I heard her softly moan as I kissed her neck again. Her skin was so flushed and warm, and her scent, I thought I was going to die in the sweetness of it. She ran her hand down my back, and her touch was electrifying. It sent sparks down my spine, and if I wasn't kissing her neck, I would have let out a low moan. God, I can't believe I almost forgot what kind of spell this woman could put on me.
She held onto me tighter, letting her hands travel over my back and sliding into my hair. I could feel my temperature rising as I let my tongue lap at her neck, trying to slightly bruise her skin and leave my mark. I could hear her moaning from deep within her throat, and it only made me more excited and impatient. I gently slid my hands down the sides of her body to her waist and slowly started to knead her flesh. It was then that she wrapped her legs around my waist and pressed her hips against mine. Not even kissing her neck could prevent the low growl that came from my mouth. Damn, I forgot what she could do to me, but there are so many things that I could do to her…
I slowly began to rock my hips against hers, trying to build her up for almost no reason. Maybe it was just to hear her moan my name, which she did. Her breathing became shallower, and every time I moved against her, she would either say my name or just moan, both of which would ring in my ears and flow throughout my body. I finally stopped when I thought that she was becoming too loud.
Grabbing her chin, I pressed my mouth to hers in a hard, passionate way that would take her breath away, yet would make her have a taste of bliss. When I pulled back, I looked down into her soulful eyes. Her face was flushed a bright red, and her breathing had gone back to normal. She stared back at me with a look in her eyes that I couldn't explain. A thick silence filled the room, and the only sounds that I could hear were our breathing and my heartbeat that was going a mile a minute. Garnet swallowed and continued to stare at me before she decided to speak again.
"Zidane, I…" she softly began when I stroked her face lightly, "…Make love to me." When I looked at her then, I no longer saw the young princess with a wild spirit that I had fallen in love with years ago. Instead, I saw a Queen, a young woman who would die for me and loved me with all her heart. A young woman with wisdom and beauty that surpassed every other woman that I ever lied eyes on, and I knew that I wanted to be with this woman forever.
"Ok, Dagger… As you wish…" I smiled down at her and cupped her cheek with my hand. Her face was still crimson and glowing from the faint candlelight. I straddled her waist and kissed her lips gently while wrapping my arms around her waist and sliding my hand into her hair. Whatever fire she held back before, she was letting lose now. I could almost taste her passion on her lips, and it filled me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back with all the love that she had. Her touch burned my skin, and her lips lit my soul. Seven long years, this is what I missed… My beautiful Dagger…
That night, I made love to my queen and washed away all her pain as soon as the lights went out…
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~**Jade's POV**~
The morning after my father came back, I checked up on my mother to see how she was. I expected her to be asleep, and that much was true. What I didn't expect to see was my father asleep next to her… naked. Of course, I didn't see anything, for I shut the door quickly and I ran back to my room. I knew it wasn't going to be hard for my mother to accept Zidane back into her heart. She loved him, and nothing would ever change that, but I couldn't accept him that easily. The pain ran too deep for me, and one little appearance wouldn't heal anything. It didn't heal anything for my mother either, but he had ways of proving his love to her, ways to heal her, and he did.
For me it was harder. I barely knew him, and I know he's only known about me for a short while. I wanted to know more about him, but I still wanted nothing to do with him. At that time, I was filled with so many different emotions, I didn't know what I truly felt about my father coming back. I wanted him to come back, to be a part of my life, so I would hurt, and my mother's life, so she wouldn't cry. That was all I wanted, and I still hated him even though I got it.
Maybe it was just fear of something I didn't understand. I didn't know or understand him, so I was afraid of how he could effect the castle's lifestyle. How would the kingdom like my mother marrying a thief? I guess they didn't mind too much because they were all cheering for them at the play, but I could still remember the dead silence that came after when I walked onto the stage. More people knew about his arrival than I thought, and I knew that Eiko knew a lot more about it than anyone else did. Maybe that was why she wouldn't talk to me before the play. Was she trying to not give it away?
I walked over to my dresser and placed my hands on the smooth wood. Two things were on that dresser, both of which were important to me. One was the golden tiara that my mother had given me the day before, the other was an old music box that I got for my first birthday. It was a small music box with a dancing moogle on it that spun whenever the box played. This was how I learned the song of Madain Sari; Mother made someone specially build it so that song would play whenever I started to cry or become sad. It always helped, and I started to use it every time I felt lonely or depressed. I even used it yesterday.
Picking up the small music box, I walked over to my bed and wound it up. As the music started to softly play, I watched the moogle dance. It's soft melody filled the room, and I gently began to hum the tune as well. The song slowly let more stress out of my body, and I sighed. Just as the tune was ending, I heard a loud knock come from my door.
"It's open!" I shouted, hoping that it was mother coming in to check up on me. She always did every morning. I got up and placed the music box back on my dresser and smoothed back my hair with my hands. I neglected to brush it this morning because I was hoping that Mother would be able to. I heard the door open and softly shut, but I was still looking at the music box. I didn't need to turn around, I knew it was Mother, but normally she would have said something when she walked into my room…
I turned around and held my breath as soon as I saw whom it was. Zidane leaned against the door and hung his head. His medium length blonde hair hung around his face and covered his eyes. He wore his loose blue pants that he wore the day before, even the belt that was too big for his waist. The only thing different was that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and anyone could tell now that his skin was clearly darker than my mother's, but so was mine. In fact, my skin was only about a shade lighter than his was.
He looked up and I could see a hint of sadness and pride glittering in his eyes. A small smile came upon his face as he looked at me. Was he proud? Was I what he expected? Or did he expect nothing and he was just happy to see me? I didn't know, but I didn't feel uneasy under his gaze, I just felt different.
"Mornin', Jade. I heard you when you walked into Dagger's room, but I didn't want to move because I was afraid of waking her," He calmly stated as he moved away from the door. Dagger? Is that what he called my mother? I stood motionless by my dresser and I never took my eyes off of him. I could see his tail behind him, moving as if it had a mind of its own. He leaned against a nearby wall and looked over at me. His eyes shined the same brilliant green that mine did. Mother was right; I looked more like him that I did her.
"What do you want?" I hissed at him with slight venom in my voice. He wasn't affected by it at all and just calmly replied to my question.
"I just wanted to get to know you a little bit better. After all, we both know nothing more than simple stories about each other, but if you want me to leave, just say so. I don't want to waste your time." His voice was smooth and even. I was surprised that he wasn't mad at me because I said I hated him. In fact, I was more surprised that he cared more about my feelings than his own personal desires. I just kept staring at him, speechless.
I wanted him to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him to go. "Um… You can stay if you want…" I slowly stated as I looked at him with an uncertain look in my eyes. He nodded and I sat down on a small vanity chair near the dresser that I was standing by. I picked up my gold tiara and began to play with in my hands. I was nervous sitting near a total stranger, but he wasn't a stranger. Zidane was my father.
He was looking around my room as if something was missing. Of course, he didn't get up, but he was just looking with his eyes as if something was misplaced, something was wrong. I didn't know what he was trying to find, but I figured I would let him ask before I would say anything. He was so strange and so different from how my mother acted. Only God knows how those two ended up getting together.
"That's interesting," he stated half to himself. He slowly got up and wandered around my room, looking at almost every inch of it. What was he doing? Before I got to ask, he asked me a question. "Why is your room as plain as you mother's? Don't you have any toys or friends who give you presents and decorations? I find it quite odd that you don't have any toys besides that music box, especially at your age…"
I too looked around my room and noticed the lack of toys. I never really noticed before. Maybe that was because I was so used to it. The only toyish gift I remembered getting was the music box and most didn't notice that, but why did he? These were things about him that I was noticing that no story could have prepared me for.
"You sound like your mother when you sing. Did she teach you that song?" He turned to me, holding my mother's copy of I Want To Be Your Canary in his hands. She gave me that copy when I was six and old enough to read. Even though it was too advanced for me, I still read it and I was almost done. I almost had forgotten about his question until my music box started to play on its own.
"Um…" I began when I was quite startled by the sudden noise. "Yes, she taught me the song when I was about four. I've been singing it ever since. Have you ever heard Mother sing it?" Maybe I could learn more about him and the relationship he has with Mother. After all, she never really told me that much with the stories that she's shared.
He sighed and sat down on my bed once again. "I've heard it several times. I even asked her to sing it so I could sleep. The first time though was in the Village of Dali. I heard her in the middle of the night, but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I didn't ask her about it till the next day, but I got to hear her sing it again in Lindblum. I need to ask her to sing it again for me sometime soon." He got lost in thought for a moment. He wasn't as bad as I thought he was, and I guess he was almost everything my mother said he was… almost…
"Did you and Mother always get along?" I asked with interest. I always heard how much she loved him the whole time, but maybe it was time for me to hear it from another point of view. What he said shocked me, but I figured as much.
"Always? Oh hell no! She couldn't stand me most of the time. We got into more fights than I would like to remember. I always used to hit on her, but she either ignored me, or slammed it back in my face. When I first met her, I told her that she looked like the one I was waiting for all my life, but I was just saying it to stall her. It wasn't until later that I realized that it was true. I dunno when she fell for me, but she did." He was staring off into space when he finished that last sentence. But the next one caught me off guard. "And you should have seen her in her orange jumpsuit. I mean damn, she looked good!"
I didn't notice why he said that until I saw a shadow under the door move away quickly after. 'That was probably Mother,' I stated to myself when I saw the smirk on his face. He looked back at me and let out a sigh. I was enjoying his company, something I didn't expect to happen. He placed the book down on my bed and started to flip through the pages.
"How far in this did you get?" He was trying to find my bookmark. I walked over and flipped to the page I was on. He quickly read over the page running his hand down the old paper. I bit my lip and held my hands behind my back as I slowly began to sway back and forth.
"I'm on the last chapter," I calmly replied. I saw him nod, as he closed the book. Getting up, he put it away and turned around to face me. Maybe, I would get used to him being in the castle, but not today. I still didn't know him, not enough, not yet. I headed for the door and looked over my shoulder at him. "Breakfast should be ready by now. Are you coming? Maybe we can talk more then." He simply smiled and walked to me.
"Sure," he stated. "And then before you go to sleep, I'll read you the last chapter of your book. Is that ok with you?" He asked as we both walked through the door. He shut it quietly and looked down at me.
"That'd be great," I said with a warm smile on my face. I reached for his hand as we walked down the hallway to the kitchen. He was different than what I expected, but I was glad. Things were going to be different around the castle…
(A/N: they've met, and now they're talking!!! O.o;;; ::pulls out bag of popcorn:: I think something's gonna happen... maybe, maybe not, depends on how many of you like it so far. If people actually like it [my God it's amazing if you do!] I promise I wont' do anything to make this like an action/adventure, I'm keeping this pure drama D but umm... Leave your reviews and I'll update sooner! bai bai!)