I'm Coming Back To You
Chapter 1- Determination
Disclaimer: *sniff* I *wail* don't *sob* own *sob sob* Final *sob* Fantasy *howl* Nine *sniff*. Just so you know, I don't own it's song, "Melodies of Life", either. I just wanted to throw it in here, 'cuz Zidane needs a little comfort. *sniff* Poor Ziddy.
AN: Ooh, first chapter. A little more into the story. I've decided to make this a Zidane/Garnet fic. That means I'll switch POVs between the two in the chapters. But you'll only know who's POV it is unless you've got some common sense or you read my long and boring ANs. ^.^ In this chapter, it's Zidane's POV, but I guess it's pretty obvious. (Also, if you didn't know, POV is "Point of View". I guess I'm known for stating the obvious…maybe I'll get an award or something.) I also have a key because usually the italicization doesn't work when I upload the darned thing, and plus you need to know the difference between a word that's just being emphasized and a thought. OK, I'll let you read now.
Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)
/…/ thoughts
"…" words
*…* action
Pain.
Pain. So much pain.
Pain. It hurts.
Pain.
/Where am I?/ I sat up and immediately winced. I clutched my side, and doubled over. /Ooh…it _hurts_…/ Gingerly, I felt around with my fingers and located a small bump in my skin. /Great. I must've broken some ribs. One or two, likely./ My head also throbbed, and I realized it was oozing blood. /Can't get any worse than this./ Unfortunately, as I stood up, I found that I was wrong. /Ugh. Even a sprained ankle. How'm I gonna get out of here?/
I limped a few steps forward and tumbled over something. Letting out a small cry of frustration, I propped myself back up and struggled to clear away the dirt to reveal…a body. The lifeless body of my brother(in a sense), Kuja. The one who had chosen to save me, instead of him. He would have called it his one and only act of selflessness.
With a grimace, and a great deal of effort, I managed to drag him to the corner of the small enclosure that served as my prison, and buried him in a shallow hole. "Rest well. I hope you go somewhere and be happy…I hope you actually get to live. You never got a chance in this life." Then I rose to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. Hmm. A lot of roots and dirt. That was just about it. I began to take inventory of what little supplies I still had. There was my Ultima Weapon (a miracle it wasn't harmed), my clothes, my intellect (*grin*), and a Gysahl Pickle. I chewed thoughtfully on the pickle and began to wonder what I was supposed to do next.
Well, I had to get out of the stupid tree first. I finished up the pickle and unsheathed my Ultima Weapon, feeling a little dizzy. Maybe I could chop my way out…I slashed at the roots and earthen walls before me, but it only caused more and more dirt to fall on top of me. /I'm gonna have to stop,/ I thought grimly, replacing my blade, /before I bury myself. No good in doing that./ I wanted to get back to Dagger. And anyway, Kuja had given me a second chance, and I wasn't about to spoil it by doing something wholly ridiculous.
"If only Kuja didn't have to give up his second chance," I said to myself, and then the pain, which had been nagging me ever since I woke up, overtook me. I gasped and sat down…on something hard, like glass. I reached down and picked it up, then nearly jumped for joy. A Hi-Potion! It must've tumbled from my pocket when the roots shifted and I fell. I uncorked the bottle and raised it to my lips, sipping the healing concoction and restoring energy into my body. Suddenly my head stopped aching and it didn't hurt to breathe anymore. I grinned, satisfied, and scanned the floor for any other lost treasures. Nope, none.
Now I could take my mind off the pain and think about what to do. I took out my weapon again and leaned against a root. There was no way out…
Anger burned inside me. Frustration. Discouragement. In a sudden burst of outrage, I drove my Ultima Weapon into the root I was resting on, yelling out. Everything stilled. The room had always been silent, but now it was worse. I stood, breathing hard. Then I sighed. It did no good to get mad. Anger was not my way out. I shook my head and tried to calm myself. What made me feel good? Of course…Dagger. Dagger, my beloved Dagger. We had been through a lot together, and though I had not really told her, straight out, "I love you", I did, and with all my heart. I wondered if she loved me back.
I felt a wave of happiness and bliss wash over me, just imagining her face, her gorgeous smiling face, giving me support. And so, taking a deep breath, I sang:
Alone for a while, I've been searching through the dark
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart
To weave by picking up the peaces that remain
Melodies of life—love's lost refrain
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said good-bye
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?
Let them ring out loud 'til they unfold
As the last notes died away, I hung my head and licked my lips. Now I missed Dagger so much that it hurt. But, at least I had managed to strengthen my resolve. I _will_ get back to Dagger, and everyone else. Not just for me, but for Kuja, and the whole of Gaia. For Dagger. Turning to my Ultima Weapon, I yanked it out of the root with a new determination.
/I'm coming back to you, Dagger. Will you wait for me?/
I paused. Of course she'd wait. It's not like she'd go and find another boyfriend before I get back, would she…? I shook my head. "No! She'll wait. I'm coming, Dagger, I'm coming."
Suddenly, the root beside me moved. I gasped and stumbled backwards, landing on my rear with a thud. The plant began to writhe and shift, showering a new layer of soil onto me. I shook it off and out of my hair and lap, then jumped up to avoid an oncoming root. /What's happening?!/
A hole in the side of my prison burst open, revealing the blazing sunlight. I shielded my eyes and ducked another root, then tried to scramble up and over the roots to get to the hole. Taking one last glance at my brother's body, I took a mightly leap and tumbled out into the open. A great rumbling noise. I looked up to see the Iifa Tree moving, pulsing, as if it were alive. In a sense it was…but shouldn't it have died with Kuja? And the crystal…
Remembering my peril, I dodged another growth and slipped. The ground in front of me split open and I was pushed toward it so that my face hung over the fissure. Trying not to fall in was a difficult task. I leaped to my feet—ignoring the pain in my side which had now returned—and rolled sideways, blindly, and my head hit something hard.
The world went black.
/Dagger./
AN: Doesn't Zidane seem a little obsessed with Dagger here? Well, I know he is and everything, but he doesn't seem to a give a potato wedge about anyone else. Well, sure, he said stuff about Kuja maybe, but that doesn't count _that_ much. *Kuja's theme starts to play* *R_Stardust whacks Black Licorice Chocobo Sweetie, her cousin, on the head and screams, "I knew I'd regret printing out the piano notes of that song for you!"* Oh, remember to REVIEW. Now that you've actually got something to review about (some prologues are so vague there's nothing to write except, "That was nice, keep on going"), I wanna hear from you!!! 'Cuz I'll stop writing if ya don't. Well, I'll keep writing, but I won't post my work…if no one likes it. SO TELL ME YOU LIKE IT. If you don't, TELL ME THAT, TOO. But tell me what I'm doing wrong, because if you don't, I won't know how to fix it. Contstructive criticizm, please! (Don't just say, "It sucks." Say something like, "I can't understand what you're saying, you don't describe it well enough." ^.- But be nice!)
Ja ne, minna-san! Until next time!