~Chapter Three~
They had joined again in Garnet's room. Zidane had gone back and slipped his shirt back on and Garnet was sitting on a couch in her room under a blanket, waiting for him. He sat next to her and began to tell her his story.
"After the Hilde Garde took off, I went back and found Kuja. He felt really terrible about what he had done. He had arranged for the Hilde Garde and the Red Rose to be in the area where we were to pick us up. I told him what he wasn't as bad of a person as he thought he was. Then he died." Zidane paused, looking at her. She was listening closely, sympathy on her face.
"After that, the tree closed in on itself. The roots came rushing into the center and closed around us. Even then, I still leaned over and shielded his body."
"Is that what the scars are from?" she said, looking at him.
He sighed and lowered his head. Right then, he could have just told her yes, and shrugged off the years to healing and slow traveling, instead of telling her the truth. It wasn't a hard decision to make.
"No," he replied. "That's not what gave me the scars. That was something else." There was a pause before he continued.
"After the tree settled down, I was pretty beat up. Kuja's body had fallen away at one point and further down into the tree. I stayed where I was for days. I was bruised and beat up and didn't try to move for a long time. When I did, it had been something like 4 days. I started climbing out slowly. I barely had any energy left.
When I was at the top, I looked back at the tree. The top had collapsed in on itself. I decided to head towards Madain Sari, since I figured Eiko would have to return there at one point. When I go there, it was deserted. Little had I known that she'd moved to Lindblum. I stayed there two weeks, fishing to eat and recovering. Then I started heading for Alexandria. I didn't make it far though.
A tribe of people from Conde Petit had followed me a ways when they suddenly approached me. They weren't like the ones we'd met before though. They were really hostile and accused me of being responsible for destroying the sanctuary. I tried to explain to them why we did it, but they wouldn't listen. They jumped me, taking away all my things and tying me up. Then they dragged me to this little place they had set up in the middle of the desert. They brought my in and there were more of them, all waiting to tear me apart. They tied my hands above my head in the middle of a room, and left me there in the dark. For weeks the only time they came in was to give me water or beat on me. One time, a man came in and started chanting something over and over again. He was behind me and suddenly there was a loud noise and I felt a horrible sting on my back. He had a whip, and gave me something like 70 lashes. After a few weeks I guess they grew uninterested in me and came in only once a day to feed me and give me water."
He paused, his voice cracking as a lump grew in his throat.
"They kept me there almost three years, until some of the people we met from Conde Petit came and chased them off. They took me out of there and to Conde Petit. I was in bad shape. I couldn't walk without help, and had lost a lot of weight from not eating. I had to relearn how to use my hands, because I hadn't used them in years. I stayed at Conde Petit for months, recovering. It gave me a lot of time to think, too. I thought a lot about what we had done. We'd saved the world. I thought about everyone, Vivi, Freya, everybody. But most of all, about you," he said, finally pausing and looking at her. She had tears in her eyes.
"I didn't mean to upset you," he said, leaning closer to her.
"No, I'm okay," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Have been ever since I got back." He smiled, and she smiled back.
"Go on," she said.
"Well, lets see.I stayed there for months, eating a lot and taking it easy. When I left I still wasn't in any kind of good shape. I needed somewhere to go. I didn't want to come to Alexandria because I. I didn't want you to see me like that. So the Conde Petit people gave me a boat and a captain, and I told them to take me to Lindblum. I went back to Tantalus headquarters, and their eyes almost bugged out of their heads. I stayed there until today, making them swear to not tell you or anyone I was there. I was too ashamed. I wanted to be able to come back to you like I had been when I left. Please forgive me."
She nodded. She still would have rather had him come home and be taken care of here, but she understood.
"And that's it," he finished, feeling the weight of his secret being lifted off his chest. He sighed and settled back in his seat. He stared deeply ahead of him at nothing, and Garnet could see memories flashing past his eyes. The room was silent for a long time before he spoke again.
"Your song saved me," he told her. "Down in that room, when it was dark and I was alone, I would sing it until I fell asleep. I fought to stay alive because I wanted to see you again."
She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were closing and she was beginning to drift off to sleep.
"Thank you for coming back to me," she mumbled, falling asleep.
"You're welcome," he said, looking down only to see she was asleep on his shoulder. He smiled, and slowly turned and lifted her up in his arms. He grimaced in pain, but didn't pay attention to it, and carried her to her bed. He laid her down softly, and quietly lifted the blankets up over her.
"Goodnight Dagger," he whispered. "Sweet dreams." He walked to his door, and turned back to look at her one more time. He thought of all the things he had said, all the things he wanted to say, all the things that he couldn't. He quietly slipped into his room, into the hall, and out into the night.
They had joined again in Garnet's room. Zidane had gone back and slipped his shirt back on and Garnet was sitting on a couch in her room under a blanket, waiting for him. He sat next to her and began to tell her his story.
"After the Hilde Garde took off, I went back and found Kuja. He felt really terrible about what he had done. He had arranged for the Hilde Garde and the Red Rose to be in the area where we were to pick us up. I told him what he wasn't as bad of a person as he thought he was. Then he died." Zidane paused, looking at her. She was listening closely, sympathy on her face.
"After that, the tree closed in on itself. The roots came rushing into the center and closed around us. Even then, I still leaned over and shielded his body."
"Is that what the scars are from?" she said, looking at him.
He sighed and lowered his head. Right then, he could have just told her yes, and shrugged off the years to healing and slow traveling, instead of telling her the truth. It wasn't a hard decision to make.
"No," he replied. "That's not what gave me the scars. That was something else." There was a pause before he continued.
"After the tree settled down, I was pretty beat up. Kuja's body had fallen away at one point and further down into the tree. I stayed where I was for days. I was bruised and beat up and didn't try to move for a long time. When I did, it had been something like 4 days. I started climbing out slowly. I barely had any energy left.
When I was at the top, I looked back at the tree. The top had collapsed in on itself. I decided to head towards Madain Sari, since I figured Eiko would have to return there at one point. When I go there, it was deserted. Little had I known that she'd moved to Lindblum. I stayed there two weeks, fishing to eat and recovering. Then I started heading for Alexandria. I didn't make it far though.
A tribe of people from Conde Petit had followed me a ways when they suddenly approached me. They weren't like the ones we'd met before though. They were really hostile and accused me of being responsible for destroying the sanctuary. I tried to explain to them why we did it, but they wouldn't listen. They jumped me, taking away all my things and tying me up. Then they dragged me to this little place they had set up in the middle of the desert. They brought my in and there were more of them, all waiting to tear me apart. They tied my hands above my head in the middle of a room, and left me there in the dark. For weeks the only time they came in was to give me water or beat on me. One time, a man came in and started chanting something over and over again. He was behind me and suddenly there was a loud noise and I felt a horrible sting on my back. He had a whip, and gave me something like 70 lashes. After a few weeks I guess they grew uninterested in me and came in only once a day to feed me and give me water."
He paused, his voice cracking as a lump grew in his throat.
"They kept me there almost three years, until some of the people we met from Conde Petit came and chased them off. They took me out of there and to Conde Petit. I was in bad shape. I couldn't walk without help, and had lost a lot of weight from not eating. I had to relearn how to use my hands, because I hadn't used them in years. I stayed at Conde Petit for months, recovering. It gave me a lot of time to think, too. I thought a lot about what we had done. We'd saved the world. I thought about everyone, Vivi, Freya, everybody. But most of all, about you," he said, finally pausing and looking at her. She had tears in her eyes.
"I didn't mean to upset you," he said, leaning closer to her.
"No, I'm okay," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Have been ever since I got back." He smiled, and she smiled back.
"Go on," she said.
"Well, lets see.I stayed there for months, eating a lot and taking it easy. When I left I still wasn't in any kind of good shape. I needed somewhere to go. I didn't want to come to Alexandria because I. I didn't want you to see me like that. So the Conde Petit people gave me a boat and a captain, and I told them to take me to Lindblum. I went back to Tantalus headquarters, and their eyes almost bugged out of their heads. I stayed there until today, making them swear to not tell you or anyone I was there. I was too ashamed. I wanted to be able to come back to you like I had been when I left. Please forgive me."
She nodded. She still would have rather had him come home and be taken care of here, but she understood.
"And that's it," he finished, feeling the weight of his secret being lifted off his chest. He sighed and settled back in his seat. He stared deeply ahead of him at nothing, and Garnet could see memories flashing past his eyes. The room was silent for a long time before he spoke again.
"Your song saved me," he told her. "Down in that room, when it was dark and I was alone, I would sing it until I fell asleep. I fought to stay alive because I wanted to see you again."
She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were closing and she was beginning to drift off to sleep.
"Thank you for coming back to me," she mumbled, falling asleep.
"You're welcome," he said, looking down only to see she was asleep on his shoulder. He smiled, and slowly turned and lifted her up in his arms. He grimaced in pain, but didn't pay attention to it, and carried her to her bed. He laid her down softly, and quietly lifted the blankets up over her.
"Goodnight Dagger," he whispered. "Sweet dreams." He walked to his door, and turned back to look at her one more time. He thought of all the things he had said, all the things he wanted to say, all the things that he couldn't. He quietly slipped into his room, into the hall, and out into the night.