DISCLAIMER: *singing* I do not own Final Fantasy IX. I feel like a broken record…

Tsuki: Yet another chapter! I'm on a roll.

Zidane: Downhill!

Tsuki: Yes! Wait...no…yes…is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Zidane: Good! ^_^

Tsuki: Well then…yes! ^_^

Dagger: Aren't they just so full of energy and all excited.

Tsuki: Awww, she loves us.

Dagger: Keep reminding me that…Zidane grow up!

Zidane: Don't ruin the mood!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later…

"Remember, back by nine o'clock, no later."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Where we going daddy?"

"I'm taking you to Lindblum."

"Lind…blum? Why we going there dad?"

"To see my friends and deliver these invitations for your mother."

"Nine o'clock Zidane."

"So they're like uncles right?"

"Yup."

"Neat! We have uncies!"

"That's right now let's go. Say goodbye to your mother."

"Bye mom!"

"Bye bye mommy!"

"I mean it Zidane Tribal, by nine o'clock."

"I hear ya Dagger. See ya at nine."

*************************

"You're cheating!"

"No I'm not!"

Marcus grabbed Blank by the wrist and pulled a card from his glove.

"Well now where did that come from?"

"Cheater."

Baku shifted on the couch, kicking Cinna. "Quit it you bums. I'm trying to get some shut eye here."

"Knock, knock."

"Hey! I know that voice!"

They all looked over to find Zidane standing in the doorway.

"Zidane!"

"Hey buddy how ya been?"

"Hey who ya babysitting?"

They all looked down at the two small figures that were clutching to Zidane's legs.

"I'm not babysitting. They're my kids, see they have tails like mine."

"Kids! You had kids! With who?!"

"With Dagger you dolt."

Baku stood up, walking over towards the monkey-tailed trio. "Zidane having kids, never thought I'd see the day you settled down and had a family." He crouched down to be at the kids' level. "Come on out now, I don't bite."

"Much."

"Marcus! Don't scare them!"

Baku looked back up to Zidane. "How old are they?"

"Four, they're twins."

Baku looked back to the boy, who was now standing in front of his father. "and who are you tough guy?"

"I'm Thobias."

Baku shifted his gaze towards the girl, who took one look at him and outstretched her arms towards her father.

"Daddy!"

Zidane bent down, picking her up. "Don't be scared."

"So what's her name?"

"Brianna, but we call her Bri and him Toby."

"Baku stood up, patting Brianna on the head. "Well come on in boy. Sit, stay a while."

"I can only stay for a little while, these two have to be back at noon to take a n-a-p."

"No dad! Can't we stay up with you and mom?"

"Yeah daddy you just back a few days ago, we're not done having fun yet."

"No, no ,no. You're mother would kill me."

"Haha, you're whipped."

"Shut up Marcus."

"So my boy why haven't you brought out the kids earlier?"

"Dagger is just now letting them leave the castle, accompanied of course."

"What about your family?"

"I went to see them earlier in the week. I filled them in on everything. Mikoto wants Kuja to bring her by sometime and I told them to come anytime they want. Oh and I gave them some invitations to some party Dagger is hosting."

Cinna sat down on the table. "What about us?"

"You all are invited too. Of course you can also come whenever you want also. Don't be strangers."

"Cool castle privileges."

"That's really the reason I came." He handed Baku a stack of invitations.

"Well I should probably get back, the trip over here is long and I'd promised Dagger I'd be back by nine."

"Right buddy, we'll see ya at your party."

"Bye Zi."

"See ya man."

"Later tail boy."

"Hey dad can we get something to eat?"

"How many times do I have to feed you guys?"

"A lot daddy!"

Zidane laughed. "Alright, alright."

"Yay!"

Baku smiled as he watched Zidane round the corner with his kids. "I'm glad you've found your happiness son."

*************************

Dagger paced the main hall. "Where is he?!"

"Calm down your Majesty."

"He's two hours late Beatrix! That rat, he probably went drinking with those thieves! He was supposed to be here for that meeting! I told him more than once to be back by nine o'clock no later!"

"Your Majesty, don't you think you're over reacting? You've, after all, been quite a bit stressed out these days."

"Sweetheart! I'm home!"

"Zidane Tribal!"
Zidane's tail stopped its usual swishing motion and fell limp by his boots. "What ever it is, I didn't do it."

"Oh didn't you Mr. Tribal!" Dagger looked down at Zidane's side to her kids who were staring blankly up at their agitated mother. "Beatrix, would you please take the kids to the nursery for their nap?"

"No!"

"No mommy! No nap!"

"Go now!"

"Come on children." Beatrix took a hold of their hands and led them off.

Zidane looked up at his wife, who was glaring at him. "Ummm, okay, you're using that royal tone with me and you keep saying my last name repeatedly. So I assume that I've done something wrong and haven't realized it yet. So I'm just going to say it now, I'm sorry. Now that we've clarified that I'm sorry, what did I do?"

"It's what you didn't do!"

"Okay, what didn't I do?"

"Think back to about ten o'clock this morning!"

"Ummm, still lost."

"The meeting with Regent Cid, the King if Bermecia, High Priest of Cleyra, Queen Stella of Treno, Master Quan, and the leader of Esta Gazo!"

"Oh! Oh yeah, that meeting, yeah, damn."

"Where were you?!"

"Well I uh, you see…"

"Zidane the kingdom is having trouble with all the new border laws! We needed you at that meeting! It was not a request it was an order!"
*********************

The two children sat up in their beds, listening to their parents argue. Thobias slipped out of bed, walking over to Brianna's and taking a hold of her hand.

"Come on Bri. Let's go see."

"Okay Toby."

They slipped out of the room and down the hall, stopping at the corner of the entranceway where they could see their parents.

"So you're giving me orders now? I'm not one of your guards Garnet!"

"Well if you would only be more responsible!"

"I am responsible!"

"You can't even watch your own kids properly!"

"What I'm a bad father now! Is that what you're saying?! That I'm not even responsible enough to take care of our kids?!"

"No father takes his children drinking with him!"

"Is that what you think I was doing?!"

"Yes!"

"Well you're wrong!" Zidane turned from her heading for the castle's exit.

"Zidane where are you going?!"

"Out!"

"Zidane Tribal come back here!"

"Bye!"

Dagger looked down as she felt a tug on her dress, to see Brianna and Thobias standing there with tear trails on their cheeks.

"Mommy where's daddy going?"

"I…I…"

"He's never coming back is he mom? It's your fault, now my dad is gone forever! I hate you!" Thobias ran off down the hall.

"Mommy…what's going on? What's wrong with Toby? Where did daddy go? Mommy?"

Dagger bent down, hugging the little girl as tears started to roll down her own cheeks.

"Mommy?"

"It's alright baby, everything will be okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zidane & Dagger: *standing there with wide eyes and their jaws dropped*

Tsuki: Hehe, enter angst here…            

Zidane: I called her Garnet!

Dagger: I called him a bad father! How dare I!

Zidane: Yeah how dare you!

Tsuki's Ego: mission accomplished

Tsuki: why thank you my ego. *turns to audience* Review onegai! ^_^