'Sir, Regent Cid is on the line.' One of the Knights of Pluto announced to his captain.
Stiener took the call and his face went very grey after he had said 'What is the matter?' then he put the phone down.
'What is it?' Beatrix asked as he turned round.
'They have found out that Eiko is on her own, Zidane isn't with her. They found this out by a moogle in Lindblum castle, Mogki, he got a letter from one in Madain Sari saying that Eiko had been back for a visit. That was the only bit the moogle would say as the knights couldn't read Moogle-writing and were relying on the moogle being honest. It said there was only Eiko and not Zidane.' Beatrix gasped and closed her eyes.
'Is she alright?' She asked quietly and Steiner nodded. It hurt him too for Eiko was like Dagger's little sister, and now it seemed like she would be killed too. But he couldn't say that, he had to be strong for Beatrix at least.
'Don't worry; she's not a little kid.' Steiner said and put his arms round Beatrix, comforting her the best he could.
Eiko had always been in awe of Garnet's long hair, and even after Garnet cut hers, Eiko kept growing hers. Now, it was like they had swapped hair for Garnet's was short while Eiko's was long, all the way down to her waist and still growing.
'Do you think we should go after them yet?' Steiner asked that night and Beatrix smiled sadly.
'No, they need to do this.' She answered and closed the subject by walking out the door. She missed the couple all the time, but she never got attached to them like Steiner did, but there again, she never travelled round with them and saved the world with them. She needed to hold him back though. They needed to sort this out on their own, and Steiner wouldn't help at all.
She crouched down in the room she was in and closed her eyes. Above her was a family banging about and below her was a person who sounded like he had finally got lucky. She looked around the room again and sighed. It would have to do for now. A small bed, a greasy floored kitchen with a cooker with burnt bits of many dinners on it and a clogged up loo. This was what she had been reduced to.
She remembered the day when Zidane and her had had to go to a ball in Lindblum and how most of the guest rooms in the castle had been taken so they had to go to the inn and it felt like the old times. When they were travelling round the world.
Those where the days, the whole group together. Now, they were all over the place.
She looked around again, hoping that he would be here soon.
Garnet sighed and got up, closing the door on her room, she went outside and into the nearest shop.
Zidane lay down on his hotel room floor, too lazy to get to the bed. Blinking a couple of times, he tried to get rid of the image of the sign-in book from this hotel, but there it was again.
She had been here; she had been here a week ago today. There had been her handwriting, but she hadn't signed a name, she had just put a small sword in curly writing so it looked like a name. It had been nearly illegible.
The bloke had said that he didn't remember her, she was just another face in the many that came here. Zidane sighed and took out the polish he had brought to sharpen up his weapon up. He was about to start polishing when the landlord knocked on the door and shouted through the door that he had a call. Zidane put the weapon on the ground and the cloth on top of it and went to answer the call.
When he came back, the cloth wasn't on top of the weapon anymore, but next to it. Zidane stopped and wondered why that was; for he had sworn he had put it on his weapon so he didn't get any on the carpet.
Shrugging, he went back to his weapon and polished it up.
Eiko went home, she had to. She had found her and told her, and she had nothing else to do about it.
When she got home, she was punished. Punished for running away. She went to her room and cried on her bed for ages, but no one came to comfort her.
That was when she remembered the time when she was sick. It had been just after Zidane was going off and leaving Garnet behind. Just after the baby dying. Zidane had come to look after her. Any of the maids could have done it, her mum and dad could have done it, But Zidane came from Alexandria and looked after her. Making sure she was comfy, sitting with her and talking to her like she was an adult, comforting her.
That was the first time Zidane had cried in front of Eiko. He had seen her pale and thin and had remembered the baby. He couldn't talk for an hour at least for he was sobbing so much, and then he regained control of himself and looked after her again, and that was the first time he showed that he wasn't super-human, and that he could and did, cry. Eiko never asked about it, and Zidane, though he tried at the time, never explained, they both knew.
When she got better, Zidane went again and she was left on her own again. But she never forgot how much he put himself out for her. 'That's what friends do.' He had said when she thanked him and Eiko had laughed. But now, he was the one who needed comforting, and she was stuck at 'home'. She couldn't believe she hadn't helped him...
They wouldn't find her here. She knew he was finally after her, but he wouldn't find her. She had hid herself well, he wouldn't look here. No one would. Ruby would hide her, she had said she would. Ruby had never forgiven Zidane and the others for leaving her behind and it helped that she was looking for someone to help look after the theatre. Ruby's theatre business had expanded so much that she now based herself in Lindblum and flew out over the world to look after the other theatres. She even owned ten flying theatres.
She wasn't on the airships though. She was on the ground, working as a waitress in one of the many theatres in Lindblum. It wasn't a very good job, but it was that or scrubbing the floor and that was even worse to her. She put on her apron and went over to the new customer that was sitting there. Her heart leapt and a smile came over her face as she saw who sat there.
'Hello.' She drawled and he looked up at her, and mimicked the smile she had. He put his hand up to her face and smoothed a stray hair back behind her ear. 'Where have you been?' she looked quickly over at Ruby, who was looking back at her, and bent down to kiss the guy on the mouth.
'When does your shift end?' the guy didn't answer her question. She shrugged and smiled at him.
'Hour or so…'she said vaguely. The guy nodded
'I'll stay here then. What's showing tonight?' he asked, and then, with a glint in his eye, added 'You doing another strip?' She laughed and kissed him again
'Maybe a private one, for you, later…' she said and looked at her writing pad, 'what can I get you then?' she asked.
'Usual, pay for it for me cant you, doll?' he asked and she looked at him over her pad and nodded sullenly, then she went back to the bar and put the order on the table.
'Who's that then? Its not…' Ruby asked as she looked over Garnet's shoulder at the light-blue haired, so light it looked grey, man sitting at the table. Garnet had a big smile on her face. She looked directly in Ruby's eyes and, with a small laugh in her throat, she stated
'No, it's Kuja,'