Disclaimer: We do not own Final Fantasy IX…
Setting Sail
Zidane looked at the finished boat with satisfaction. It had taken a lot longer then they expected, but him and the two moogles had managed to get it done. The boat looked almost identical to the older one, only it was much stronger.
"So when should we leave?" Zidane asked the two moogles. He knew that they really wanted to go see Eiko, so he decided to drop by Lindblum Grand Castle and bring all the moogles there as a sort of gift.
"We need to pack, kupo, so not until tomorrow morning." Moco said.
"Yeah, that's true." Even though I don't have much to pack. "We should tell everyone that it's ready!"
Everyday had been the same since he got back from the Iifa Tree. He woke up every morning and patrolled the outside of the village. Morrison was right that there were still monsters around, but they were very weak, and very small in number. After his monster hunting duties were over, he would wash up a little to get the smell of blood and sweat off. Then the rest of the evening was dedicated to eating and boat building.
Zidane and his two-moogle companions darted back up to the kitchen where Morrison was helping Momatose set the table. "We're done!" Zidane said triumphantly, as he flopped into a chair.
"Really?! Kupopo!!" Momatose jumped up and down clapping his paws. "Now we can go see Lady Eiko! Kupo!" Zidane smiled at the lot of excited moogles.
"It was about time we finished! We've been working on that thing for two months!"
"When are we leaving, kupo?" Morrison asked him. Zidane agreed to taking the moogles to Lindblum, he was to borrow an airship from Cid and make his way to Alexandria like that.
"Tomorrow, but we have to do an awful lot of preparing tonight." Zidane said.
For hours, all of the moogles and Zidane gathered as many consumables as they could carry for their journey. No one knew how long they would be at sea, so they needed to prepared. When they had finished loading the tiny vessel the whole lot of them were wiped out.
"We should set sail tomorrow morning," Zidane said yawning. Morrison nodded as he set the last piece of equipment (a lantern) in the boat.
"Everyone needs to rest, kupopo! We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, kupo!" Morrison announced. The moogles nodded as did Zidane.
Zidane walked wearily back to his bedroom. He collapsed into his bed immediately. But regardless of how tired he was he just couldn't sleep! Thoughts of Dagger kept him awake.
It's been forever since I've seen her; I wonder how long it's really been? Dagger…after many hours of peaceful reminiscing, Zidane fell asleep.
It seemed like only minutes later when one of the moogles was already pestering him to get out of bed. "It's time, kupo!" Zidane opened his eyes to see Momatose standing over him. Zidane threw his feet over the side of the bed and allowed his eyes to come into focus.
"Alright, I'll be there in a sec." The moogle nodded and left the room. Zidane got up and reached for his clothes that were laying in a pile on the floor. Quickly, he slipped his jeans and vest on, and carried his boots out of his room.
All the moogles were waiting for him at the dock. "Are you ready, kupo?" Mocha asked.
"Almost, hold on." He answered pulling on his boots. "Okay, I've got my dagger," he said looking at his belt, "yup, I'm ready to go as soon as you are!" he said happily.
"Wait! Wait!" Moco hurried down the stairs, "Don't forget me! Kupo!" he implored as Zidane laughed lightly, "I have the map, kupopo!"
"Well then, we couldn't afford to leave you!" Zidane chuckled. Moco shot him an annoyed glance and stepped carefully onto the boat. After the last moogle got onboard, Zidane untied the boat from the dock and grabbed the oars.
Morrison was in charge of the map and compass for the whole three-day journey. The waters remained calm for the most part, much to everyone's liking. However, on the last day, when they were nearing Lindblum waters, they were hit by a sudden squall. The waves tossed the tiny boat everywhere.
"EVERYONE! GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!" Zidane yelled over the crashing waves. The moogles obeyed and every single one of them, held tightly onto the small mast. Zidane grabbed the sides of the boat to the point where his knuckles were turning white, and tried with all his might to balance the boat out.
All the while, with all the waves smacking the boat, Zidane found himself humming the song Dagger had learned as a child. He was surprised to find that it did help calm him down considerably.
Wave after wave smashed into the tiny craft for what seemed like hours. "DON'T LET GO OF THE MAST!" Zidane yelled to the moogles who were still struggling against the wind. As he said this, another wave smacked the boat and filled his mouth with seawater. He spat and sputtered, trying to get the awful taste out of his mouth.
"WE'RE NEARING LINDBLUM! KUPO!" came Momatose's voice. Zidane opened his squinted eyes just enough to be able to see Serpent's Gate. To his horror, he realized that at the speed they were going, they were going to crash into the dock.
Desperatly, Zidane pulled the oars out and put them back into the water, thinking, where are people when you need them? He peered at the empty shore. Not one Lindblum soldier was there. Zidane worked against the waters to try and slow the boat down but nothing worked. The storm was too strong and the small boat missed the dock completely and crashed into the beach. Everything slurred together in Zidane's thoughts and soon he knew no more.
"Zidane! Kupo! Wake up, kupopo!" Moco prodded at him. "Zidane! Morrison, he isn't getting up, kupo!" Morrison poured some water from one of their jugs over him, and Zidane came to.
"What happened?" he asked holding his head, "Is everyone okay?" he looked around, Morrison, Momatose, Chimomo, Moco, and Mocha were all standing around him. Everyone was there and accounted for, "Where is dock patrol when you need them?"
With great effort, Zidane stood up. His legs felt like jelly, but luckily he had no injuries. Unfortunately, the moogles hadn't gotten off so easily. They were covered with cuts and bruises.
"I have some potions with me, hold on…" Zidane said as he searched the dock where all their goods were scattered. However, when he found the shattered remains of several bottles, he realized the flasks that held the potions broken in the crash.
"I hope Cid and Eiko have some potions stocked." Zidane shrugged. The moogles followed him into Serpents Gate and rode the cable car to the base floor of the castle.
"Is this Lady Eiko's new home, kupo?" Chimomo asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, lucky little booger isn't she?" the moogles nodded with their mouths agape. "Well follow me then…" he led them onto the elevator and rode it to the top floor. When they stepped off they followed the hall to Cid's throne room.
"Halt!" one of the soldiers stopped them. "Where do you think you are going you ruffian?"
"We need to see Cid." Zidane tried to explain.
"And Lady Eiko! Kupo!" Morrison spoke up.
"Regent Cid is busy, and what is it that you want with the Lady Eiko?" the soldier said standing firmer than before.
"Her friends are here to see her." Zidane pointed to the moogles. The man's eyes lifted off of Zidane and darted to the group of uncomfortable looking moogles.
"I cannot allow you to see the Lady." I hoped I wouldn't have to pull a stunt like this anymore, oh well.
"Alright then, I understand." Zidane said looking upset. "But before we leave, can you do me a favor?" the man nodded and followed Zidane down a hall. When he was positive that no one could see him, Zidane spun around and knocked him out using the hilt of his dagger. "Sorry man, but I have to see Eiko." He explained to the unconscious man as he stripped him of his uniform.
The moogles rounded a corner and saw the soldier laying on the floor, and Zidane hurriedly putting the soldier's uniform on. "Zidane! Kupo! What do you think you are doing, kupopo?" Momatose scolded him.
"Hey, you want to see Eiko don't ya?" Zidane asked as he slipped the cloak over his head. As soon as he finished, he ran down the hall with the group of moogles following closely behind. They got back onto the elevator and went down to the middle floor.
"I think she might be in the guest room." Zidane explained. When the group sprinted into the room, they saw that Zidane's inquiries were correct; Eiko was sitting on the floor playing with a new doll.
"What is it?" she asked looking up. "Chimomo! Momatose! Moco! Mocha! Morrison! You're all here!" she exclaimed standing up. "How did you find them?"
Zidane pulled off the uniform and Eiko squealed happily. "Zidane! You're alive!" He nodded and the six year old ran up to hug him. "We all thought you were dead, have you seen Dagger yet?"
"No, I'm on my way to Alexandria right now though. Do you think Cid will mind if I borrow one of his ships?"
"Well, uh…" Eiko stared down at her feet nervously and glanced back up at Zidane. "The Hilda Garde is still being developed. He wanted to reconstruct it more like the Invincible."
"Oh…" So much for that plan. "So where is the Invincible?"
"We left it in Memoria, remember?" Damn!
"Well, I guess I'll be payin' the boys at Tantalus a little visit." He said scratching his head. "I hope Cid doesn't mind having pets." He winked at the moogles who looked extremely offended.
"Bye Zidane! Good luck!" Eiko waved as he left the room.
"And don't be tellin' Dagger just yet! I want it to be a surprise!"
"Okay!" she agreed.
That sucks. Oh well, the boys'll always be there for me. I'm sure they can give me a ride to Alexandria on the Prima Vista or something. Zidane was trying to think optimistically as he walked through the streets of the Theatre District. Lindblum looked so much better than it did before. Everything had been completely restored and looked better than what it used to.
Finally, Zidane reached the hideout. He opened the door and stepped inside to find everyone, Cinna, Blank, Marcus, Ruby, Zero, Benero and Baku all sitting around the table enjoying a feast. Or at least they had been enjoying the feast. When Zidane walked in, Blank spit his beer out of his mouth, spraying everyone at the table.
"Zidane?!" his eyes were wide and disbelieving. Angry murmurs were coming from everyone at the table as they wiped the beer up off them. "Is it really you?"
"What are ya talkin' bout Blank hun?" Ruby asked as she looked up from her soaked shirt. "Oh ma' God! Zidane! You're back!" This got everyone at the table's attention. Everyone swerved around in their chairs to get a better look.
"Zidane!" Baku exclaimed getting up, "Ya ol' scumbag! Where ya been?"
Zidane went into a long description of everything that had happened. How Kuja had died, and how he lived with the moogles for a few months. The whole lot sat there and listened to his story with their mouths hanging wide open. "But now, my only worry is getting to Alexandria." He finished.
"Well, aren't you in luck?" Marcus said laughing. "We're leaving for Alexandria in a few days. We're gonna perform 'I Want to be Your Canary' for Princess Garnet's official crowing." He explained.
"Are you serious?! Boss, can I go with you?" Baku looked Zidane in the eye. He could tell that Zidane really wanted to go to Alexandria.
"I'm sorry Zidane." He said shaking his head, "You know the rules, you can only come if yer plannin' on bein' in the show." Zidane's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "So yer playin' the lead role!" Baku laughed and hit him on the back. "Ya should've seen yer face!"
Zidane laughed weakly as Marcus shoved the script into his hands. "I'll help ya with the lines." He said winking.
"Thanks guys." Zidane said, "Now, Blank, scoot over and hand me a beer!"
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So, that's chapter two. Please review. We need the praise! Thanks!
