Disclaimer: Can I stop writing these now?  …Okay, this is the last one, this disclaimer will the last the entire duration of this fic…I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters or related places.  They all belong to Squaresoft ('cept Amy and Zak, they're mine!) ^_^

Archangel_666: Sorry it's taking forever with updating our stories, but if you want an excuse we have one.  Our hometown was just hit with a tornado, so needless to say, our minds have been in different places.  I'm going to try and post Swapping Souls very soon, but we still haven't finished the second chapter…we aren't sure how to end it.  Lol.  So, please bear with us a little longer.

Oblivion viruses: Thanks for the praise!  I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much!

Serenesweetie06: Finally made it all the way to the end, eh?  Thanks for reading the story, though you don't know much about FF9 (Everyone, this is a buddy of mine!  She is sooo cool!) ^_^

Jenlo: Sorry about not updating fast enough (like stated above) but I really do try to update whenever I can.  You have to believe me with that.  Now that the school play is finally over, that means I'll have more spare time, so the updates should be quicker.  That's my hope at least!

Laine: I'm glad you thought that the last chapter was funny.  You see, that's normally all we write so, it was good going back to the old familiar stuff again!  Being depressing is…well…depressing!

A/N: Okay, everyone has at least heard of my Beta-Reader, Noelle, right?  (Since I've mentioned her ump-teen times…).  Now she has posted a fanfic over own (sort of).  She is writing lyrics to her favorite Final Fantasy songs.  So far, the only one she has posted is Kuja's Theme (based off of my Kuja ^_^).  She is working on Tantalus and the Rose of May.  Please, check out her stuff and review it!  Her username is Save-the-Queen. 

Memories In the Castle

Hesitantly, Zidane looked out of the Red Rose's cockpit window.  He was finally hovering in front of Memoria.  A structure built from his own memories.  Now, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to go on with the plan.

"Mikoto", he turned to his sister, "I'm going in alone.  I need to deal with this by myself."

The female Genome rolled her eyes, "So you insist.  But this is my problem too!"

Zidane shook his head, "If I find anything out, I'll let you know.  I promise."

A promise is better than nothing I suppose, she sighed as she watched her older brother pilot the ship into the giant pink sphere.

"Once you drop me off, I need you to steer the ship back out of Memoria," Zidane told Mikoto. 

"But-"

"Mikoto!  Please!  I need to do this alone, for me," he pleaded.  However, Zidane's sister didn't answer.  Taking her silence as an 'okay', he continued to fly the ship.  Not much longer afterwards, the airship was flying over the familiar castle.

Carefully, Zidane landed it in front of the gargantuan building.  Before setting foot outside, he looked at Mikoto a second time.  "Goodbye."

Her eyes, filled with sorrow locked onto his gleaming with determination.  "How will you get back?" she asked, holding back the tears that were threatening to overflow.

Staring off somewhere in the distance, he replied, "The Invincible," Without any more conversation, he stepped off of the Red Rose and onto the long sidewalk that stretched up to Memoria's gates.

He knew all too well what he would find in that castle, and secretly wondered if he would be able to handle it.  Shaking all doubt from his head, he ran the length of the sidewalk.

Zidane found himself standing at the doors much sooner than he had wished.  He felt as if something in the back of his mind was holding him back.  But, whatever that feeling meant, he disregarded it.

Bravely, he pushed the doors open and poked his head through.  "Garland!" he called stepping though the vast doorway.  The familiar entryway remained silent.  I knew it, this isn't going to help me, he sighed.

Angrily, he turned on his heel for the door when he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye.  Cautiously, the Genome glanced over his shoulder and what he saw astonished him.

The entire room erupted in a flash of gold light.  It was so bright that he had to squint his eyes to see anything.  Not much longer after, the glow subsided and he could make out what was going on.

Slowly his eyes opened and he looked around.  The familiar surroundings immediately clued Zidane into his location.  Conde Petie.

"Geez…all s/he ever thinks about is food," the familiar voice surprised him, and he spun around in place.  Not too far from him stood a party of four: Dagger, Vivi, Quina and himself.

Quina had just run right past him, s/he was on its way into the village.

"Well, all you ever think about is girls…" Dagger retorted as she started walked up the bridge.

As she passed by Zidane, he held out a hand to her, trying to just touch her.  She was so beautiful and he missed her with his whole heart.  Dagger passed right through his outstretched hand.

"Uh, that's right!  My mind is filled of thoughts of…you!" Zidane would have laughed at his own attempt to woo her, had his eyes not welled up.  He blinked the tears away and continued to watch.

It was silent for a while between Vivi and the younger Zidane.  Eventually Vivi shook his head, straightened his hat and started walking up the bridge as well.

"…Maybe I'm trying to hard," the other Zidane mumbled, smiling.  Then, he followed Vivi up to the village.

Still trying to hold back tears, Zidane tagged along behind.  The party of three was greeted at the entrance.  Quina had obviously gotten inside.

"Rally-ho!" one of the dwarves shouted, jumping up and down.  Making himself comfortable by leaning against the wall, the spectator continued to watch his memory.

"Wh-What's with these little guys?" the other Genome asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Wr-Wraly-ho?" Dagger attempted.

"Rhallie-who?" Vivi tried as well.

"Rally-ho!" several dwarves chorused, then they stepped aside, allowing both to enter the village.

Zidane had tried to enter with them, but a dwarf stepped in his path.  "Rally-ho!"

"Oh come on…"

"Rally-ho's oor sacred greetin'!" the stubborn dwarf explained.

"If ye dinnae say 'Rally-ho', then ye cannae enter Conde Petie, hametoon o' the dwarves," a female villager said.

"Now, wait just a minute here!" Zidane said holding his hands up.

"Rally-ho!" the dwarf repeated a little more demanding than before.

Giving in, Zidane smiled, "…Rally-ho…"

"Rally-ho!  Ye can pass!" as the memory Zidane ran insidem, the real one stood away from the wall and walked inside as well.  Grateful that he wouldn't be forced to put up with that crazy 'Rally-ho!' formality.

He decided that he didn't want to follow himself, he wanted to see Dagger again.  For several minutes he searched all over, he found her inside the hotel.

"Excuse me…" she said softly upon entering.

"Soon, Ah'm gonna have tae find a wife fer me wee William," one dwarf was explaining to a table-full of others.

"No lassie wants yir William fer a man!" a girl dwarf laughed.  Noticing Dagger in the doorway, she pointed a chubby thumb over her shoulder, "Well, what's wrong wi' this ootsider lass right here?"

Looking uncomfortable, Dagger smiled, "Um, hi.  I was wondering if—"

"Aye, she is a bonnie lass at that," the first dwarf remarked rubbing his chin in thought, interrupting Dagger in the process.

"But she's awful small tae send tae the Sanctuary," another female dwarf pointed out.

"Look at her!  She's a mickle bigger'n ye, Ah ken!" joked the dwarf next to her.

"I'm not marrying anybody!" Dagger yelled, stamping her foot.

Now Zidane couldn't help but smile, even as a tear rolled down his cheek.

All at once, the small hotel started glowing gold.  Shielding his eyes, Zidane waiting for it to stop.

End of memory number one, he told himself.  Sure enough, he was back in the same entrance room of Memoria.  This could take a while. 

~ ~

Psh, he really expects me to stay here?  Mikoto thought as she looked out the Red Rose's cockpit window.  Zidane was almost at Memoria's doors.  She would follow him.  She wanted to know what was wrong too!

Carefully, and as quietly as possible, she sprinted behind her brother, still keeping a considerable distance between them.  Finally, they got to the gates.

Zidane stood in front of them for a while before opening them.  Mikoto hurried in before the doors shut her out.  Sneakily, she slunk to the shadows in a corner to watch Zidane.

He had begun looking around as if something in the utterly boring room was interesting him.  Also, he was doing a series of strange movements.  Reaching out to nothing, leaning against walls, and staring into oblivion.  But, among all of these, the one thing she really couldn't understand was why he cried silent tears thought the whole thing.

Almost ten minutes later, it seemed like he snapped out of it.  He mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't understand then he left the room.

Maybe I shouldn't follow him, she thought as she watched him go.  Still, her curiosity got the best of her, and she continued to trail him.

~ ~

Quietly, Zidane started up one of the many stairways.

"ZIDANE!!" the surroundings around him dissolved and he found himself standing on the stairs of Alexandria castle.  Completely out of reflex, he followed the voice, he knew who it was.  He knew what he would be seeing next.

The door to his old bedroom was flung open, as his memory ran inside.  "ZIDANE!" she cried again.

Peering through the doorway he saw what he expected.  Dagger lay in bed, clutching her swollen stomach.  "Call the doctor!" she pleaded, wincing.

Looking nervous, Zidane grasped her hand in his and with his spare hand picked up the telephone on the bedside table.

"Dr. Tot?!  It's time!" he simply stated.  From where Zidane stood watching he could hear fast babbling coming from the phone.  But, even almost one hundred years later he could remember the doctor's exact words.

"Congratulations Your Majesty, I'll be there soon.  In the meantime stay by her and try to keep her calm." 

Zidane watched as he slammed the phone down, then looked nervously into his wife's eyes.  He left his post by the doorway and walked to the other side of her bed.

"Zidane," she whimpered grabbing tightly onto his hand.  Zidane bit his lower lip as Dagger crushed his hand.  Nevertheless, he tolerated it, knowing what she was feeling had to be worse.

"You'll be fine," he said brushing the hair away from her eyes and smiling reassuringly.  She tried to smile as well, but another contraction hit and she yelped instead.

Watching this all over again gave Zidane a pang of sadness in his heart.  He knew she was in plain and he couldn't do anything about it!  Tot lived all the way in Treno, so it took him a while to get there, and he remembered the whole time he waited, he was afraid that he might have to deliver the baby himself.

Even though it was just a memory, and he was invisible and matter-less, he placed a hand on Dagger's forehead like she would do to him when he was sick.  He didn't know if it was real or his imagination, but he could swear he saw her smile up at him.

All at once her eyes darted back to the Zidane that held her hand.  Her eyes got wide and she started to panic.  "She's coming!  Oh my God, Zidane she's coming!"

His heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what to do!  Hurriedly he got in front of her.  "Are you sure?" he asked.

Grimacing, she nodded.

Zidane sighed, his wife and his daughter's lives rested in his hands.

"Alright, alright.  Stay calm!  I'm right here, everything will be…" the sound died out and slowly Memoria came back into focus. 

His face now tear stained, Zidane looked upward.  "That's IT!  I've had it Garland!  Answer me, I know you're here!"

Silence followed his statement for a long time, but finally a hoarse voice spoke up.  Yes, I am here.

~ ~

Memoria is going to last a few chapters.  But I'm going to keep up with the whole pattern and go ahead and write another "A Voice From the Past" chapter.  Those are just as important as the present chapters!  So, this one I wrote at almost 10:30 at night.  Didn't finish it until about midnight.  My parents weren't all too thrilled.  ^_^ Read and review!