Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy IX characters but my
characters are my own creations and I do own the rights to them.
Chapter Sixteen: Found
Zidane kneeled on the ground panting. Sweat dripped from his face and the dagger clutched in his hand was smeared with blood. Next to him Garnet and Eiko finished up the monster they were fighting. The head of the beast was round with horns and glaring eyes. The body was well muscled and marked with scars from previous battles. Garnet stood back and used her racket to send a ball of magical air floating towards the beast. It connected with its head. The monster cried out in pain and fell to the ground before disappearing.
Eiko wiped some sweat from her forehead. She wearily sat down on the grass and put her flute in her lap. Vivi came and joined the small group.
"Where are all these monsters coming from?" Garnet questioned Zidane. Zidane merely hung his head and shrugged his shoulders. Garnet stared at Zidane before casting a Cure spell on him.
"Thanks Garnet," Zidane said, standing up. "I don't know where these things are coming from but I've never seen anything like them before. Not to mention the fact that there are tons of them."
Eiko sadly shook her head and said, "How are we ever going to find Phina in this mess. We don't even have a clue where she is."
Vivi's soft voice spoke up, "Well, someone from the marketplace said that that Xavier guy lived in a cave in the mountains so that's where we're headed."
"But we don't even know which mountain. For all we know he could be living on a different continent!" Eiko shrieked throwing her hands in the air. Eiko was as frustrated as everyone else and she couldn't keep it to herself any longer.
"Calm down, Eiko. He's got to be living fairly close to Alexandria. There's no way he could travel back and forth between his cave and the marketplace if he lived too far away, right?" Garnet's calm voice soothed the little princess. Sitting down next to Eiko she put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. Zidane looked at the scene before him and turned away. The anger that had been in his eyes at the castle returned. He was going to kill this Xavier guy. That was a promise.
Zidane started to head away towards the nearest mountain knowing the others would soon follow. The nine warriors had split into two groups thinking it would be easier to find Phina. Zidane, Vivi, Eiko, and Garnet had gone off in one direction while Steiner, Beatrix, Amarant, Freya, and Quina went in another. So far neither group had had any luck. There was nothing that belied the presence of the missing woman. Not a scrap of clothing or even a piece of hair. It was like Phina had never existed.
Zidane's thoughts twirled in his brain as he continued forward. He didn't know how he was going to find Phina. For all he knew she was dead. But he didn't want to think like that. He couldn't think like that. He didn't think he could bear to live without her smile, her shining eyes, or her kind personality. Zidane found it almost funny that he had fallen in love with someone so fast. Since the day that he had brought her to the castle he knew there something special about her. And it wasn't her mysterious past and abilities.
Zidane's thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into to something very solid that hadn't been there before. He stumbled backwards before getting his bearings and examining what he had run into. It turned out to be a girl about his age. Her blond hair was shaggy and fell over her crystal blue eyes that were very, very shocked. She wore a loose white dress with sleeves that swallowed up her hands. But perhaps the weirdest feature was the monkey tail that stuck out from behind her dress. Zidane gaped openly at the girl as she gazed around.
"Where am I?" she asked him in a monotone voice. Zidane couldn't answer her. His brain was in overdrive trying to figure out how a Genome had suddenly appeared in front of him. Garnet, Vivi, and Eiko came running up and stopped behind their stunned friend. They were also staring at the girl.
"Where am I?" the Genome asked again. Vivi was finally able to get his mouth working.
"You're on the planet Gaia," Vivi said trying not to startle the girl. She gazed at him, her eyes clearly showing confusion. They stood watching each other for a minute before the Genome's eyes turned dull and glassy again, as most of her species eyes were. Turning her back to the four warriors the girl started to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Vivi shouted at her.
Without looking back the girl replied, "To find my own kind." She sounded as if she had stated the obvious. The astonished four-some watched the Genome until she had disappeared into the horizon.
"What the hell is going on?" Zidane gasped to his companions.
"I don't know but I think we should hurry and find Phina. She may know something," Garnet said. She helped Zidane up and the group started off again. They entered the mountains around sunset and the going started to get tough. Boulders blocked their way and the winding trail that they took became narrower and narrower. The path was hard to see even in the daylight but they didn't let that stop them. Zidane was still in the lead trying to make the going easier for his friends in any way possible. There was something about the twisting track that they were on that seemed almost suspicious. The path was quite obviously there and the boulders that they came upon were out of place. It was almost as if they had been put there on purpose.
They stopped for the night on a ridge. Everybody settled down to sleep except Zidane. He had first watch. He sat down and positioned himself on the edge of the cliff with his feet dangling over the side. Gazing at the moon he let his thoughts wander again. He had nothing else to do. They had reached the end of the path. It led nowhere else. It just stopped. He found it odd but it did make sense if it didn't actually lead anywhere. Sighing he observed his surroundings trying to pick up the lost trial.
Glancing to his left he spotted a dark hole in the side of the mountain. Rubbing his eyes he looked again to make sure he wasn't fooling himself. It was still there and with the moon ever rising higher into the night sky, the hole became clearer and more defined. Jumping up Zidane rushed over to the other side of the cliff. It was blocked with boulders but again they seemed oddly out of place. He examined them carefully and found a gap between the two stones.
He judged the hole and figured that he might just be able squeeze through. He didn't have anything to lose. Sucking in his breath he stuck his head into the gap and squirmed until his shoulders had passed through. Sucking in an even bigger breath he pulled his arms the rest of the way and pushed against the rocks. He popped out like a cork and landed heavily on the fresh path on the other side. Zidane stood up and brushed himself off before jogging down the path towards the opening in the mountain.
When he reached the entrance of the hidden cave, Zidane peered in cautiously. Inside the entry way it was dark but Zidane saw a faint orange glow coming from the back of the cave. He tiptoed inside and ran into a doorway. The wooden frame that in-closed the opening was thin and hard to see. Zidane cursed under his breath as he rubbed his sore shin. Using his hands to feel around he stepped through the doorway and made his way into a hall where the limestone had been smoothed. His soft steps echoed around him.
Finally he found his way to the orange glow that he had been following down the hallway. Inside he found a chair sitting by a fireplace with a fire in it. That had been the light he had followed. The couch across from the chair was worn but still in fashion. His attention was drawn to none of these as he had spotted Phina lying asleep on the floor with her hands and feet bound. Rushing over to her he started to shake from her sleep.
"Phina! Wake up!" his voice came out in a hoarse whisper. Slowly the emerald eyes that he loved about her opened, still clouded with sleep.
"Zidane?" she mumbled. Phina rubbed her eyes before sitting up with Zidane's help. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. When she opened them they were no longer clouded from her sleep.
"It's really you, isn't it?" she gasped. Zidane pulled her into tight embrace that almost knocked the wind from her chest.
"I'm so glad you're alright. I was so scared you might have been hurt," he whispered softly in her ear. Phina would have hugged him back but her hands were still tied.
"It's okay, Zidane. I'm fine. Now do you want to actually be useful and get me out of these ropes?" her voice asked in an equally soft whisper. Zidane pulled back from the hug and took out his dagger, quickly slicing through the ropes that held Phina captive. Once her hands were free, Zidane cut the ropes around her feet as well. Phina massaged her wrists trying to get the blood flowing into them again.
"Let's get out of here," Zidane said as he stood up. He held out a hand to Phina but she didn't take it. She sat on the floor gazing into the fire with her back to him. If he had been in front of her he would have seen the rage in her eyes. But there was something else. Fear.
"Listen, we've got to get out of here now before that guy wakes up. Something weird is going on. On the way up here we ran into all sorts of monsters and even a Genome! We have to find out what's wrong and stop it! Whatever it is," Zidane said urgently. The way Phina was looking into the fire scared him. It was as if she was a whole new person and he wasn't sure if he liked the change that had occurred. Her shoulders were rigid and he thought he saw them trembling. Her hands were clenched in tight fists at her sides where she sat. The fire combined with the darkness of the room made shadows in Phina's hair. They jumped and danced. They seemed to have a life of their own.
"What's a Genome?" came the soft question that almost startled Zidane.
"That's not important and it would take too much time to explain. Time that we don't have!" Zidane was on the verge of raising his voice but in the nick of time he remembered the situation that they were in.
"We have time."
"No, we don't! We have to get out of here!"
"Just tell me what a Genome is," Phina's voice sounded far away. It was almost as if she was possessed. Zidane let out a noise of frustration.
"A Genome is a person from another world. They come from a place called Terra. I'm one of them," Zidane gritted his teeth at the last sentence. He had never hated his brothers and sisters but he pitied them. They were not like him. They didn't have free wills. He felt awful about it but there wasn't anything he could do. He was just different.
"Then it has begun." Phina's eerie voice echoed throughout the room. Zidane could almost feel the temperature drop at the words that she had stated. Something was seriously wrong with her. He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. Phina looked back at him, her eyes wide. Under his gentle touch, Zidane could feel the woman shaking.
"Zidane, he scares me. But I hate him so much. What am I going to do?"
Zidane pulled his hand back from her shoulder with a jerk. She looked so helpless and confused. That was definetly not Phina. Her entire body spoke of exhaustion, fear, and anger. The eyes that were usually so happy were now bottomless pits terror and fury.
"What did he do to you?" Zidane demanded.
"He didn't do anything to me. He just. . ." Phina's voice trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to tell him yet. The memories that Xavier made her relive were still too painful.
"Tell me."
Phina knew there would be no arguing her way out of changing his mind and letting the subject be. So she simply didn't say anything. Standing up, Phina made her way to the entrance of the room. At the door, her thin sword leaned against the wall where Xavier had put it. She smirked when she picked it up. The man was far too confident for his own good. He should have destroyed the sword when he had the chance. Nothing would stop her now.
Zidane saw the smirk and let a grin of his own creep onto his face. Finally it was time for some payback.
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Whew! Finally done with Chapter 16. Wow! Is it really that long. It's hard for me to believe that I was actually able to write that much for just one chapter because normally their pretty short or at least I think so.
By the way thanks to icewater-angel for all the reviews (I didn't put it at the beginning because I want people to enjoy the story, that way they can skip the A/N's if they want). They really boosted my very low self-esteem.
NOTE TO SELF: cut the comedy bit. I suck at it!
Chapter Sixteen: Found
Zidane kneeled on the ground panting. Sweat dripped from his face and the dagger clutched in his hand was smeared with blood. Next to him Garnet and Eiko finished up the monster they were fighting. The head of the beast was round with horns and glaring eyes. The body was well muscled and marked with scars from previous battles. Garnet stood back and used her racket to send a ball of magical air floating towards the beast. It connected with its head. The monster cried out in pain and fell to the ground before disappearing.
Eiko wiped some sweat from her forehead. She wearily sat down on the grass and put her flute in her lap. Vivi came and joined the small group.
"Where are all these monsters coming from?" Garnet questioned Zidane. Zidane merely hung his head and shrugged his shoulders. Garnet stared at Zidane before casting a Cure spell on him.
"Thanks Garnet," Zidane said, standing up. "I don't know where these things are coming from but I've never seen anything like them before. Not to mention the fact that there are tons of them."
Eiko sadly shook her head and said, "How are we ever going to find Phina in this mess. We don't even have a clue where she is."
Vivi's soft voice spoke up, "Well, someone from the marketplace said that that Xavier guy lived in a cave in the mountains so that's where we're headed."
"But we don't even know which mountain. For all we know he could be living on a different continent!" Eiko shrieked throwing her hands in the air. Eiko was as frustrated as everyone else and she couldn't keep it to herself any longer.
"Calm down, Eiko. He's got to be living fairly close to Alexandria. There's no way he could travel back and forth between his cave and the marketplace if he lived too far away, right?" Garnet's calm voice soothed the little princess. Sitting down next to Eiko she put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. Zidane looked at the scene before him and turned away. The anger that had been in his eyes at the castle returned. He was going to kill this Xavier guy. That was a promise.
Zidane started to head away towards the nearest mountain knowing the others would soon follow. The nine warriors had split into two groups thinking it would be easier to find Phina. Zidane, Vivi, Eiko, and Garnet had gone off in one direction while Steiner, Beatrix, Amarant, Freya, and Quina went in another. So far neither group had had any luck. There was nothing that belied the presence of the missing woman. Not a scrap of clothing or even a piece of hair. It was like Phina had never existed.
Zidane's thoughts twirled in his brain as he continued forward. He didn't know how he was going to find Phina. For all he knew she was dead. But he didn't want to think like that. He couldn't think like that. He didn't think he could bear to live without her smile, her shining eyes, or her kind personality. Zidane found it almost funny that he had fallen in love with someone so fast. Since the day that he had brought her to the castle he knew there something special about her. And it wasn't her mysterious past and abilities.
Zidane's thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into to something very solid that hadn't been there before. He stumbled backwards before getting his bearings and examining what he had run into. It turned out to be a girl about his age. Her blond hair was shaggy and fell over her crystal blue eyes that were very, very shocked. She wore a loose white dress with sleeves that swallowed up her hands. But perhaps the weirdest feature was the monkey tail that stuck out from behind her dress. Zidane gaped openly at the girl as she gazed around.
"Where am I?" she asked him in a monotone voice. Zidane couldn't answer her. His brain was in overdrive trying to figure out how a Genome had suddenly appeared in front of him. Garnet, Vivi, and Eiko came running up and stopped behind their stunned friend. They were also staring at the girl.
"Where am I?" the Genome asked again. Vivi was finally able to get his mouth working.
"You're on the planet Gaia," Vivi said trying not to startle the girl. She gazed at him, her eyes clearly showing confusion. They stood watching each other for a minute before the Genome's eyes turned dull and glassy again, as most of her species eyes were. Turning her back to the four warriors the girl started to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Vivi shouted at her.
Without looking back the girl replied, "To find my own kind." She sounded as if she had stated the obvious. The astonished four-some watched the Genome until she had disappeared into the horizon.
"What the hell is going on?" Zidane gasped to his companions.
"I don't know but I think we should hurry and find Phina. She may know something," Garnet said. She helped Zidane up and the group started off again. They entered the mountains around sunset and the going started to get tough. Boulders blocked their way and the winding trail that they took became narrower and narrower. The path was hard to see even in the daylight but they didn't let that stop them. Zidane was still in the lead trying to make the going easier for his friends in any way possible. There was something about the twisting track that they were on that seemed almost suspicious. The path was quite obviously there and the boulders that they came upon were out of place. It was almost as if they had been put there on purpose.
They stopped for the night on a ridge. Everybody settled down to sleep except Zidane. He had first watch. He sat down and positioned himself on the edge of the cliff with his feet dangling over the side. Gazing at the moon he let his thoughts wander again. He had nothing else to do. They had reached the end of the path. It led nowhere else. It just stopped. He found it odd but it did make sense if it didn't actually lead anywhere. Sighing he observed his surroundings trying to pick up the lost trial.
Glancing to his left he spotted a dark hole in the side of the mountain. Rubbing his eyes he looked again to make sure he wasn't fooling himself. It was still there and with the moon ever rising higher into the night sky, the hole became clearer and more defined. Jumping up Zidane rushed over to the other side of the cliff. It was blocked with boulders but again they seemed oddly out of place. He examined them carefully and found a gap between the two stones.
He judged the hole and figured that he might just be able squeeze through. He didn't have anything to lose. Sucking in his breath he stuck his head into the gap and squirmed until his shoulders had passed through. Sucking in an even bigger breath he pulled his arms the rest of the way and pushed against the rocks. He popped out like a cork and landed heavily on the fresh path on the other side. Zidane stood up and brushed himself off before jogging down the path towards the opening in the mountain.
When he reached the entrance of the hidden cave, Zidane peered in cautiously. Inside the entry way it was dark but Zidane saw a faint orange glow coming from the back of the cave. He tiptoed inside and ran into a doorway. The wooden frame that in-closed the opening was thin and hard to see. Zidane cursed under his breath as he rubbed his sore shin. Using his hands to feel around he stepped through the doorway and made his way into a hall where the limestone had been smoothed. His soft steps echoed around him.
Finally he found his way to the orange glow that he had been following down the hallway. Inside he found a chair sitting by a fireplace with a fire in it. That had been the light he had followed. The couch across from the chair was worn but still in fashion. His attention was drawn to none of these as he had spotted Phina lying asleep on the floor with her hands and feet bound. Rushing over to her he started to shake from her sleep.
"Phina! Wake up!" his voice came out in a hoarse whisper. Slowly the emerald eyes that he loved about her opened, still clouded with sleep.
"Zidane?" she mumbled. Phina rubbed her eyes before sitting up with Zidane's help. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. When she opened them they were no longer clouded from her sleep.
"It's really you, isn't it?" she gasped. Zidane pulled her into tight embrace that almost knocked the wind from her chest.
"I'm so glad you're alright. I was so scared you might have been hurt," he whispered softly in her ear. Phina would have hugged him back but her hands were still tied.
"It's okay, Zidane. I'm fine. Now do you want to actually be useful and get me out of these ropes?" her voice asked in an equally soft whisper. Zidane pulled back from the hug and took out his dagger, quickly slicing through the ropes that held Phina captive. Once her hands were free, Zidane cut the ropes around her feet as well. Phina massaged her wrists trying to get the blood flowing into them again.
"Let's get out of here," Zidane said as he stood up. He held out a hand to Phina but she didn't take it. She sat on the floor gazing into the fire with her back to him. If he had been in front of her he would have seen the rage in her eyes. But there was something else. Fear.
"Listen, we've got to get out of here now before that guy wakes up. Something weird is going on. On the way up here we ran into all sorts of monsters and even a Genome! We have to find out what's wrong and stop it! Whatever it is," Zidane said urgently. The way Phina was looking into the fire scared him. It was as if she was a whole new person and he wasn't sure if he liked the change that had occurred. Her shoulders were rigid and he thought he saw them trembling. Her hands were clenched in tight fists at her sides where she sat. The fire combined with the darkness of the room made shadows in Phina's hair. They jumped and danced. They seemed to have a life of their own.
"What's a Genome?" came the soft question that almost startled Zidane.
"That's not important and it would take too much time to explain. Time that we don't have!" Zidane was on the verge of raising his voice but in the nick of time he remembered the situation that they were in.
"We have time."
"No, we don't! We have to get out of here!"
"Just tell me what a Genome is," Phina's voice sounded far away. It was almost as if she was possessed. Zidane let out a noise of frustration.
"A Genome is a person from another world. They come from a place called Terra. I'm one of them," Zidane gritted his teeth at the last sentence. He had never hated his brothers and sisters but he pitied them. They were not like him. They didn't have free wills. He felt awful about it but there wasn't anything he could do. He was just different.
"Then it has begun." Phina's eerie voice echoed throughout the room. Zidane could almost feel the temperature drop at the words that she had stated. Something was seriously wrong with her. He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. Phina looked back at him, her eyes wide. Under his gentle touch, Zidane could feel the woman shaking.
"Zidane, he scares me. But I hate him so much. What am I going to do?"
Zidane pulled his hand back from her shoulder with a jerk. She looked so helpless and confused. That was definetly not Phina. Her entire body spoke of exhaustion, fear, and anger. The eyes that were usually so happy were now bottomless pits terror and fury.
"What did he do to you?" Zidane demanded.
"He didn't do anything to me. He just. . ." Phina's voice trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to tell him yet. The memories that Xavier made her relive were still too painful.
"Tell me."
Phina knew there would be no arguing her way out of changing his mind and letting the subject be. So she simply didn't say anything. Standing up, Phina made her way to the entrance of the room. At the door, her thin sword leaned against the wall where Xavier had put it. She smirked when she picked it up. The man was far too confident for his own good. He should have destroyed the sword when he had the chance. Nothing would stop her now.
Zidane saw the smirk and let a grin of his own creep onto his face. Finally it was time for some payback.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Whew! Finally done with Chapter 16. Wow! Is it really that long. It's hard for me to believe that I was actually able to write that much for just one chapter because normally their pretty short or at least I think so.
By the way thanks to icewater-angel for all the reviews (I didn't put it at the beginning because I want people to enjoy the story, that way they can skip the A/N's if they want). They really boosted my very low self-esteem.
NOTE TO SELF: cut the comedy bit. I suck at it!
