----This chapters a bit shorter and I'm sure you'll thank me for it. Disclaimer again. I STILL don't own anything of Squaresofts. Okay? Alright-- -

It only took him a few moments to prepare. He walked slowly past eiko, whom jumped up and down and followed him, attempting to get an answer by pulling and tugging at him. He simply told her to talk to Dagger, and not to worry about him...finally the frustrated girl gave up and decided to just go back to the young queen, hoping to find an answer. Zidane slowly turned the knob to his room. walking into Zidanes room was an instant trip to a small tantalus hideout. He had it set up so it felt like home, he didn't even have a bed...just a hammock that hung over a bunch of his things, He asked polietly that the servents not clean up his room. "I'm not royalty or anything...just a lucky guy who gets to stay here...I don't need someone cleaning up after me" He grabbed three small viles from a wooden table in his room and placed them inside of a bag. "Wonder if I forgot something..." He said, looking around. "Oh! I almost forgot" He jumped up to balance on his hammock, swaying back and forth as he reached up to the small section above his bed, grabbing two daggers. "It's been a while girls" He said, twirling them around before he sheathed them and flipped backwards off the hammock. "Let's hope I don't have to use you two". He didn't want to have to use them at all. His only family member left was Mikoto since things with Kuja obviously didn't work out. He sighed as he left his room, thinking of Dagger once more. He wasn't going to be there to protect her, but he knew Beatrix and Steiner would do their best. "I'll protect all of you. Even if I die trying. I won't give up damn it.."

He didn't say goodbye, he just couldn't bear to see his Dagger in tears again, knowing he caused it. So he just left...without a word to her. He was permitted to use any airship he wished and chose a small but fast ship that was given to Alexandria as a present for helping rebuild Cleyra. He wasn't very sure how to navigate it himself so he was forced to bring a pilot along with him. He spent the ride inside, because the ship was too small to permit him to walk outside. His eyes were fixed at the ground, watching it move with him. there was no more mist, and in a haunting way Zidane always thought that the Mist Continent was much more beautiful with it. Crossing over the ocean he watched as the dark blue chocobos swam freely through the water, headed towards chocobos lagoon. They were so free and beautiful, no family problems...just free. A long sigh escaped his lips as he took out one of his daggers and began to clean it. A thought came to him and he quickly sheathed it. "I don't wanna have to use these.." He thought as he put them back... "Mikoto loves me, and..." His mind trailed off as they landed in front of the forest. "Sir, I'm afraid I can't land in the forest...it is against all rules to land in a forest because trees might be..." "It's alright. Don't get all formal, I can walk the rest of the way." Zidane stood up and helped himself to leave the airship. It had been a long time since he'd seen the desolate area of the Outer Continent...in fact...way too long. Trees surrounded him as he walked through the forest. Luckily since the mist left there were hardly any monsters so he was lucky enough to not encounter anything. He looked around for the village and saw a single owl fly away. "Must have made a wrong turn.." Zidane turned around and began to walk the other way...this time no owls could be heared and he looked over to see a familiar village.

The Black Mage Village went over many changes through the months, in fact Zidane hardly noticed it at first. He was greeted by Black mage Number 66. "Zidane. We are all glad to have you return! You bring good news I hope." "Actually I came to see Mikoto..." His attention was quickly averted to a young genome girl singing and planting flowers. "Theyve got feeling now..." The Black mage watched the young genome "Yes, they have succeded in much since we took them in." Zidane smiled, ignoring the mage and walking further into the village. He was amazing and couldn't even come to words...the genomes were laughing and talking and...having so much fun. "We aren't empty vessels..." Zidane walked through the village, ignoring everything but the genomes, watching them live...watching them...be alive. He knew they could do it. He smiled until he came to Black Mage 1. "Hey..." The mage turned to look at him. "Zidane, youre arrival is surprising, yet pleasant" "Actually I just came to... Hey...the genomes...they're doing real well don't ya think?" The mage looked out into the village. "They fit in quite well, and are lucky to not have an experation date as us mages do...I will be the first to go..." The mage looked down, full of sorrow. "Gee...I'm sorry..." Zidane said, quite unsure of what to say to him. "Uhh...do you know where Mikoto is? It's kinda important..." "She was near the cemetary last I saw her." He said, turning to leave. "Thanks." Zidane ran out to the cemetary, only to find his younger sister sitting beneath the large statue of the tiny mage.

"You alone questioned life. The rest of us selfishly searched to extened our lives. You took advantage of what you had and did all you can to make your life mean something. You found the life we all wished to have, and did not mistreat it. If only we could all be like you, our experation dates would be more like passages... ...To a paradise we deserve. Thank you Vivi Ornitier"

Zidane watched her sit beneath the statue. It seemed as if she was full of sorrow, yet somehow he had a feeling that she was happy at the same instant. "He was a great guy..." Zidane walked up behind Mikoto. She turned to look at her brother, surprised that he was there and a little startled because most in the village knew better then to disturb her while she was deep in thought. "Oh...I wasn't very aquainted with him... But I'm sure he was wonderful..." Mikoto stood up to shake Zidanes hand, to which he responded with a hug. "Is that any way to treat your big brother?" Zidane stepped back. "You look good...youve been eating your veggies right?" His voice had a hint of laughter in it. Mikoto didn't find this funny at all, after all she didn't want his fake kindness. "You didn't bring your friends? And youre always telling me how important friends are..." Mikoto walked from the graveyard, directly past him. She was thrilled to see her brother of course, but Mikoto was a bit more perceptive then many thought, and she knew the instant she saw Zidane that he was about to confront her. Zidane ran after her and grabbed her shoulder. "Sometimes, family is more important" "Family?" Mikotos eyes lowered down to the ground and she took his hand, tugging him through the village silently. "Where are you.." Zidane didn't struggle against her, but wondered where she was taking him. "Be quiet. Youll see." The Mages and Genomes didn't give them a bother as they passed, just going about their daily business...which even while he was being rushed, fascinated Zidane to the bone. They soon came to a small hut in the corner of the village. Zidane studied it from the outside, and it looked familiar. She opened the door and a smile spread across Zidanes face, for it had been a while since he'd seen Chocobos.

A large beautiful golden chocobo stood proudly in the corner, more magestic then any other creature could possibly be. Beneath him, a thin graceful red chocobo slept, her wings wrapped around about four little yellow chocobos. "Kweehh!" "Kwehh!", they cried...and the mother nudged them softly. Zidane looked at Mikoto, who seemed unable to even smile at this adorible sight. "So why'd you bring me here?" He asked, kneeling down to pet the female chocobo's head. Mikoto stared blankly at the golden chocobo as she extended a hand to stroke it gently. "See this? How the father chocobo watches over the mother and children? How he loves her? How together...they made...life. ?" Zidane nodded, still not seeing her point. "Things work that way Mikoto. I'm sure Garland taught you abou-" "Not that! I'm not finished. " She stepped away from the golden chocobo causing him to let out a loud "KWEEHHH!" "We were made Zidane...not by love...not by a unity. We were made from hate, and just because it was the same way...doesn't make us family." Mikoto looked away from him. She had raised the chocobos since she'd been in the village and loved how family oriented they were, but it depressed her simple soul for the one reason that she never had a 'family'. "Who cares why we were made? The mages were made for war, and they live in a peaceful village. You and I, were made to bring chaos to Gaia and everyday we wake up to keep it alive. As far as I'm concerned...youre my little sis'" He put his hand on her shoulder lovingly. "Vivi thought this too, but just cause our family is different then theirs..." His head nodded towards the now all sleeping chocobos. "...Doesn't mean it isn't real" Mikoto stayed silent for a long moment, then looked up at him, her eyes were no longer as blank as they were when he first met her on Bran Bal. "You and I, we share blood. We were made exactly the same..." "So ya see? We are related. Stop being so dramatic and just accept that youre stuck with me" Zidane patted his chest, a smile on his face. Mikoto didn't seem very amused. "But what if Garland used different.." "So?" "...Then technically...we wouldn...." Zidane cut her off, he was getting tired of this nonesense. "The little facts mean a lot to you huh?" Mikoto responded with a small nod. Zidane took out his dagger, twirling it around in his hand. "So lets fix it" Mikoto looked at him afraid and started to back away. "Aw come on, you don't trust your brother?" Zidane said, taking her arm and turning it over. She stared at her own arm, then her eyes moved back up to his. "For family..?" She said, realizing what he was doing. Zidane made a small cut on the underside of her forearm, the thick blood sliding down her pale arm as if it would on a human...he only cut enough to make her bleed..not wanting to hurt her. He smiled and stepped back a little, pressing the dagger into the underside of his own forearm and sliding it down slowly as the skin sliced apart perfectly, red flowed down his arm, dripping down onto the wooden planks beneath them. He looked up at her, pressing both their arms together and holding them tight. "For family..." The two of them stood their in silence, his blood, the blood he had shed for everyone he loved, the blood he planned to shed to keep his sister safe, now combining with her own new blood...this new unexperienced blood...which he would show the world to. For, his sister. He knew that their blood was exactly the same, but he also knew there was no way he could convince his sister of that. Even if their family had no mother, no father, and no loving home to return to...they always would have eachother. After a long while, they stpped back from eachother...blood smeared across their arms. Mikoto smiled at him. "If it wasn't before. It is now. Thank you Zidane." She walked outside of the hut, Zidane following. He was getting a little tired of her just walking off like that. He rubbed his arm with his hand as they walked down to the small stream. "Maybe I shouldn'tve cut myslef so deep" He joked, washing his arm off in the stream beside her. The red liquid slowly dissolved into the water...becoming nothing.

"You didn't come here just to share your blood with me. Why are you here?" Mikoto stood up, shaking her wet arm off. Zidane gave her a forced smile, how was he supposed to tell her why he was here? "Maybe we should go for a walk in the forest or something. I don't wanna freak out the mages..." Mikoto stared at him blankly. "It's about the seal to Terra isn't it?" Mikoto had a strange look in her eyes, as if she had known all along. Zidane cocked his head to the side, jumping a little. "Woah. How did you know!?" "When you are raised on Terra...your senses of such things are a little better. Plus...Ive noticed mist.." "Mist!? But how!?" "Calm yourself Zidane." Mikoto began to walk again, crossing the small bridge. Zidane followed her as she had expected. "I also know that you came to blame me. Correct?" She stopped before coming to another hut and turned to face him. "Some brother..." Zidane looked down, kicking the wood beneath him a little. "Mikoto I just came to ask you what happened. I mean...what am I supposed to think? Only someone from Terra can open it and we're the only ones..." Mikoto cut him off quickly, her voice sharp and angry. "Don't be so stupid Zidane! You know better then that. You know that I wanted nothing more then a normal life and yet you come to blame me for opening up the very world that held my soul captive!? How could you..." She looked down, her voice had softened towards the end. Zidane looked up at her, she was still such an innocent girl... "Mikoto...what was I supposed to think?" Mikoto stayed silent...so silent that Zidane didn't notice her leave. "Mikot-" He looked up, noticing she left. "HEY!" He said, running up to catch her. "Stop leaving like that okay?" Mikoto didn't even notice he was there, as she continued to walk back to the graveyard. "Come on...Don't get all mad. I just wanted to talk to you about it" Mikoto sat down beneath the statue of Vivi, pulling her legs up and resting her chin on her knees. "Go home to your queen Zidane. Go home to your sheltered life of guards and stone walls..." Zidane looked up at the sky, then back down at him. "A place to call home..." He sighed softly, sitting down next to her. "Ya know...home can't really be contained in stone walls. My home is Gaia, with Dagger, and Eiko, and all my friends." He paused for a second and turned his head to look at her. "And you. Now listen...I believe you. But you gotta help me find out how the seal opened...alright?" Mikoto laughed softly, and looked at him. "You haven't figured it out yet?" Mikoto looked back down to the ground. Zidane thought for a moment...the only other possiblity was...no. That couldn't happen. "He died. I saw it with my own two eyes. I was there" "But where did you leave his body Zidane? Where did you leave his body?" Mikoto had thought this through since the moment she felt the seal open, and although it was hard for her to believe...she knew it had to be true. "In the...Iifa Tree...I couldn't bring him back. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get out of there by myself? I couldn't just carry him.." "You left an empty genome vessle in the area where souls are transported and expected him to stay dead!?" Mikoto almost screamed at him. She was getting angry now at her brothers stupidity, how could he be so dense to not see how it worked. "The tree was destroyed" Zidane stood up, realizing that this was a mistake. Mikotos logic made no sense to him. "You aren't making any sense. Stop making things up like a..." "A child?" Mikoto laughed. "I'm only trying to help you" Zidane shook his head and walked away. "I'll do it myself" He walked from the graveyard, pushing past mages and genomes angrily. He pretended not to be upset to tell Black Mage Number 66 goodbye before he stormed out and into the forest. Back in the village Mikoto stared blankly at the sun...her eyes were still that of a genomes... blank. "Zidane...If youre will to live was that strong. You'd have done the same thing.."