RefugeofSouls-I think that I was in the middle of doing something else and was also having a brain hiccup

DreamCherry66-Thanks for the sugar and caffeine.

Cloudmeister-Thank you.

Queen Dagger-No homework today so I'm writing.

Gem: I'm on a tenth chapter already? Wow.

Zidane: You seem surprised.

Gem: That's because I am. Let's take a look at what Vivi and Eiko are up to this whole time. And a few things to remember: 1) I'm backing up, yet again to the night of the play, 2) Vivi and Eiko are really good friends and I don't know yet where I want to take that, and 3) I don't own any of the FFIX characters.

Eiko's POV

I couldn't believe that it was truly him on the stage. It had been six long years, and I knew how much Dagger had missed him. My crush on him was now gone but I missed him as a friend. She'd cried for a week after he was gone, and we couldn't do anything to help comfort her.

Beatrix and Steiner had tried to get her to walk in the gardens of Alexandria; Freya tried to get Dagger to come visit her in Clerya because Freya was helping to rebuild it; Amarant just disappeared saying: 'You know him. He'll never leave you;' Quina tried to have her try new foods that s/he found on our adventure; Vivi and I stayed in Alexandria to try and get Dagger to come train outside the city. None of this worked but one day Dagger asked Steiner and me to try to find Zidane and Amarant.

We didn't find a trace of either one of them. It was also hard traveling in a group of two. The fights were harder or so it seemed. Steiner got hurt and ordered me back to Alexandria. I didn't tell Dagger what happened to him but she probably guessed what happened to Steiner and that we couldn't find either of the two people that she sent us to look for.

Now he was standing on stage, cloak in hand, waiting for his beloved. For Dagger. He had to have missed her, and it was obvious that she did too.

I saw her run down towards him and watched as her pendent fell off. Dagger looked back for a moment and then ran into Zidane's arms. It was too much for Vivi and me. We started jumping up and down out of sheer joy.

Zidane was back and our entire group could be together again at least one last time.

Vivi's POV

I couldn't believe that it was truly him on the stage. It had been six long years, and I knew how much Dagger had missed him. Zidane had taught me things that everyone else except Grandfather had refused to teach me. He accepted me for what I was and asked no questions about it. I wished that the townspeople could see that underneath I was just like them.

I stayed behind when Eiko and Steiner went looking for him. I wanted to go but I knew in my heart that Dagger would need someone to keep her company. When they left, Dagger was about six months pregnant and didn't look it. That kept Steiner from being too suspicious.

He called Dagger down to the stage using a name only Eiko and I still called her. I saw her run down towards him and watched as her pendent fell off. Dagger looked back for a moment and then ran into Zidane's arms. It was too much for Eiko and me. We started jumping up and down out of sheer joy.

Zidane was back and our entire group could be together again at least one last time.

Normal POV

"Presenting Her Majesty and Her Royal Highness, Queen Garnet and Princess Hope, escorted by Lord Zidane!"

"Lord Zidane? If he's a lord then we have a problem," said Vivi.

"Yes, we do," agreed Eiko, as Dagger, Zidane, and Hope walked in.

"Zidane, where've you been?" yelled Eiko as she and Vivi nearly attacked him. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Vivi that's the last think that I'd expect out of you," said Zidane, gently prying the two teenagers off of himself.

Vivi grinned and let go faster than Eiko.

Soon everyone was in bed asleep after a night of festive dancing and celebrating the princess's birthday and the queen's reunion with her beloved.

(next morning)

"Hey Vivi. Are you awake?"

"Now I am. No thanks to you."

"Hey be nice. We're going back to the Outer Continent today."

"I was hoping to be able to talk to Zidane more."

"No such luck for you. Or me either. Darn. Let's give Zidane and Dagger some time to themselves."

"Fine by me and I smell breakfast."

"Does that mean that I have to get dressed?"

"Only if you want to."

"How about we race to see who can get down there first? It would be a great way to get down to breakfast fast."

"Okay. Are we going to wear the clothes that we wore on our travels six years ago?"

"Yeah! Let's go."

The two of them quickly dressed and went running down the stairs towards the dining area. On the way there, they nearly ran over Zidane.

"Hey watch it, you two."

"Sorry," they called over their shoulders.

Gem: I'm done and the next chapter shall be breakfast.

Zidane: You're making me hungry. How come I don't seem more surprised by Vivi's behavior?

Gem: You are surprised. That will come out later.