Hello. Me again!
Whew! 'bout time I got another chapter up, eh?
Since I'm still getting reviews from this story it got me in the mood to write another chapter. This one is quite a bit shorter than my other chapters but hopefully its still up to your standards.
Good news, I GOT SPELL CHECK! No more suffering through my horrible spelling skills. Grammar is a totally other issue though but I don't think I'm too bad in that department. Anyway, review if you like and I guess that's it for me.
Thanks to all those who have reviewed before!
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The morning came too soon for both Dagger and Zidane as the sun found its way into the small room through cracks in the makeshift blinds Zidane had constructed. Dagger had woken up before Zidane but had forgotten where she was. She had felt a pair of hands around her middle and began panicking, causing Zidane to wake with a start. After calming her down and reassuring her nothing was going to happen to her while he was around they settled back down in hopes of catching a few more minutes of sleep before it was stolen from them. Zidane knew Dagger was going to be in trouble if she wasn't at the castle before Steiner, personally, set out to look for her. He pulled Dagger closer to him, not wanting to move, and wondering if Rusty was even aware she was missing. He knew Beatrix knew but doubted she would tell Rusty. He didn't have to wonder very long before his bedroom door explode open with Steiner standing on the other side, looking very pissed.
Dagger bolted up to a sitting position while Zidane merely raised himself so his one hand was holding his weight up on the bed while his other was still around Daggers waist, his head was just behind Daggers shoulder and looking very bored.
"YOU!" Steiner bellowed pointing his hand violently past Dagger. Zidane let his forehead drop to Daggers shoulder and let an array of colourful vocabulary leave his mouth in a mumble. Dagger dropped her head into her hands and mumbled a few choice words of her own before Steiner was given another chance to say anything.
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"If I throw a stick, will you go away?" Zidane asked, voice muffled by his hands over his face, obviously very bored with the situation.
"How –dare you!" Steiner stammered. "Why, I never-"
"Look, I told you everything." He interrupted "Just ask her! We didn't do anything alright." He snapped. Steiner jabbed his finger in Zidanes face
"Get rid of that attitude, it wont work with me."
"I don't have an attitude; I have a personality you can't handle." Zidane crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the chair he was forced into. Steiner was practically seething with rage. Zidane wasn't telling him anything, well, nothing he wanted to hear anyway and was being a smart-ass to boot. Steiner hated smart-asses. He leaned down until he was face to face with Zidane.
" I really, really dislike you right now." He spoke through his teeth and this caused Zidane to smiled.
"You may pretend to dislike me," he began "but deep, deep down, you know you hate me." Before Steiner could do anything Beatrix burst through the door.
"What, on gods green earth, is the meaning of this Steiner!" She yelled, causing Steiner to shrink back in fear upon hearing her voice. "Today is my day off! Do you understand! OFF!" Beatrix advanced on Steiner, cornering him "So why the hell did Princess Garnet send a message to my room, which woke me up from a much needed sleep, saying you have, yet again, put Zidane under arrest for doing nothing!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" She bellowed, slapping him up-side the head. Zidane smirked. "Get that smirk off your face right now!" She snapped at Zidane without turning around. The smirk quickly disappeared off his face. Now quite red in the face and very displeased she gave each a look, its warning clear as crystal. "Both of you, GROW UP!" She than slammed her fist on the table near the wall, turned on her heel and slammed the door shut with a definite thud.
"I blame you" Zidane said, no longer bored. Steiner began to stutter indignantly.
"What! Me? But-but, it…its not my fault!"
"I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame you. There's a difference." Zidane tapped him on the head and gave a quick wave over his shoulder "Catch ya later Rusty." And with that Zidane left the room that he spent most of his one sided conversations with Rusty in, glad to get that over with.
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"I think we're jinxed." Came Daggers depressing comment from behind Zidane. They were sitting back to back in the grass, She picking a flower apart in her hands and he watching a beetle find its way through the maze the grass created. They had found their way to her garden to get out of the way of Beatrix's deadly rampage through the castle, (she seemed to be having a great time scaring all those who came within a 10 meter radius of her), and Steiner who was looking for reason to kick Zidane out of the castle and avoid Beatrix at the same time. Both Beatrix and Steiner had forbidden Dagger to leave the castle but they didn't specify on whether Zidane had to go or not so he automatically assumed not, much to Daggers relief and Steiner's chagrin.
"I don't think jinxed is the word." Came his reply. "Its more like, 'I think were doomed'." She caught the joking tone in his voice and jabbed him in the back with her elbow.
"I'm trying to have a serious conversation here." She stated. He smiled and she could feel him shrug behind her.
"Sorry."
"But seriously though, I can picture the gods, sitting up there on their clouds, or stars, or whatever Gods sit on, and just watching.
'Oh, look, guys!' one would gasp. 'Look, look! It's that Dagger girl! She's happy again!'
'You're kidding me!' The next would say. 'Dammit! Can't that girl take a hint!'
'Geez,' I can picture a third complaining. 'We've got to do something about that. Why doesn't she just stay miserable like a good little mortal?!'
Yeah . . . I can see it."
Zidane began laughing.
"Aww, come on Dagger, its not that bad." He said poking her in the side, "we're together now aren't we? And Beatrix and Steiner are no where 'round. Its not like you have to impress some suitor in an hour." Dagger became suddenly very quite and this worried Zidane. Especially since he just mentioned suitors. "Dagger?" he asked, turning around to face her. Her face bore no expression as she looked up to meet Zidanes eyes.
"Do you remember yesterday when I came over." He nodded slowly, not quite catching where she was going with all of this. "Do you remember how I tried to tell you something but couldn't find the proper words?" He nodded again, not liking the sound of her voice. She gave an exasperated sigh and seemed to be composing herself.
"Dagger?" Zidane asked again.
"Their- their making me pick a suitor." She blurted, suddenly finding the grass very, very interesting. Zidane pulled back in shock.
"What!" He gasped. "I-I.."
"Gods, this wasn't the way things were suppose to work out!" She gave another exasperated sigh and fell back on to the grass so she was now staring at the sky. Zidane looked hurt. "well….say something." She almost pleaded.
"Your giving up?" he asked, still in shock. She gave him an apologetic look.
"What do you expect me to do?" She defended "I have people pulling at me left and right to make the right choices and I'm so exhausted from fighting them, I just don't want to fight any more."
"So of course the easiest thing to do is give in." He was on his feet now, headed towards the exit, clearly upset.
"Zidane!" Dagger raced to her feet to try and catch up with him. "Can't you at least pretend to be happy for me?"
"Yay." He said with a complete lack of enthusiasm. Dagger grabbed him around the arm roughly to turn him around, only then realizing how much taller he actually was compared to her.
"What's the matter with you?" She shouted jabbing him in the chest.
"Me!? What's the matter with you!? For 8 months you have bitched and moaned and complained about having to spend five minutes with theses guy's and suddenly someone tells you that you have to pick one and that's it? You give in? What happened to the Dagger I knew that didn't take orders from anyone. Especially when it concerned her personal life." It wasn't said as a question but somehow he still expected an answer from her.
"Why do you care all of a sudden? I was simply telling you, as one friend to another. I wasn't asking for your permission." Zidane winced at her words.
"Just friends huh?" He asked and turned to make his way to the door again, obviously not pleased with the way the conversation turned.
"Dammit Zidane! If you have a problem with me don't walk away!" He stopped his stride and turned to look at her but maintained the distance he had put between them.
"You want to know what my problem is? You cant seem to make up your god-damn mind! That's my problem! I'm tired of playing guessing games with you Dagger-"
"Excuse me!?" Zidane didn't think Dagger could look more offended. "I'm playing guessing games!? These meetings with suitors are mandatory Zidane! I thought you understood that! Not like your little excursions with your many girlfriends. God knows what you do with them when I'm not around. What were there names again? Mandy, Lena, Phallon, Ashley….." She had her hand off and was ticking the names off with her fingers. "Shall I continue?" Dagger closed the distance between them rapidly and was jabbing him in the chest repeatedly with her index finger. Zidane rolled his eyes.
"Gee Dagger, never pegged you for the jealous type. Gods, even Rusty has more self control than that." His tone was thick with criticism. She shot him a glare as the tears pushed their way to the surface no matter how hard she fought them back. Zidane grabbed her hand by the wrist to stop her from jabbing him.
"So why don't you go and marry Steiner than!" She hollered.
"Because I'm not in love with Steiner!" He hollered back.
Daggers eyes widened as she place her free hand to her heart automatically, surprise evident on her face. Zidanes eyes were dead set on hers, fully aware of what he just admitted.
"Zidane-" she began, but was cut short when his mouth came crashing down on hers, putting on hold whatever thought she was about to speak.
The kiss, although it was anything but sweet, ended much too soon for both of them. Resting his forehead against hers he almost sounded like a lost child.
"Please-please don't choose-" but it was his turn to be cut short. Dagger didn't think she would ever stop kissing him. She didn't want to. He could feel her smile against his mouth.
"I think I'd much rather be in love with you."
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