Zidane rested in the Lindblum castle guestroom. He didn't know where else to go to look for Garnet. He had looked everywhere down to every cave, every crevice and she wasn't anywhere. The only two places she could be, the two places he hadn't checked yet, were Lindblum and Alexandria. Today, he was having a break and meeting up with Ruby to talk to her. Stretching, Zidane looked out the window at the clock tower down in the next district. The Tantalus hideout had been killed many years ago, and now it was Ruby's main work place, the biggest theatre she owned for she had brought the rest of the clock tower (but she still let the clock run as it had) so expanded it throughout the whole building. Zidane got dressed into a ripped T-shirt and a baggy pair of crumpled cotton trousers. Then he walked out of the room and onto the air station to take him to the Theatre District.

Ruby phoned her up early today, telling her that she could have a whole day with Kuja for she was not needed to come in today. She thanked her and walked back to him, who put his arm around her and cuddled up against her. They both looked over the other side of the room, hearing the gurgles coming from over there, Kuja got up and pulled Garnet up, holding her to him, he went over to the other side of the room.

'Who's beautiful?' he said out load and a gurgle came as if a reply, Garnet leant down and picked the gurgling object up, 'yes, you are.' Kuja whispered and put his arms round Garnet's waist. 'Our Daughter, Mikoto.' Garnet smiled and looked into the little girl's eyes. Remembering that day.

Zidane looked at the sign on the wall next to the door, advertising a play for the next day.

Before I had to change. A story of one man and LOADS of girls.

'That looks ok' he thought and entered the building. Ruby looked up at the door as he walked in and smiled.

'Well, howdy partner!' she said and walked, in the quick way that she did, over. Zidane laughed, knowing that she was only doing the accent for old times sake. She didn't talk like that anymore, gave it up after one of her boyfriends said it made her sound dumb. 'How's you doing then duck?' she asked and Zidane shrugged. 'Follow me.' She said and walked up the stairway next to the door to her own, private rooms. 'How are you getting on…' she said, and then lowered her voice, even though there was no one else in the room '…with finding her?' Zidane looked at Ruby in the eyes for a mini-second; his own eyes showing extreme grief, and then looked round the room.

'She has to be in Lindblum. She ain't no where else.' Zidane said as he picked up a gruesome statue of a leopard from a shelf. 'So, how's the business? Filled in that space for a waitress yet?' he asked and Ruby nodded as she poured out some coffee into two mugs.

'You wouldn't have seen her down there. She's got the day off today.' Ruby said as she handed Zidane some coffee and sat down in a hideous leopard-print seat, while Zidane sunk into a tiger-print sofa…

Eiko cried on her pillow in the castle of Alexandria. Regent Cid had needed to come here and Eiko had wanted to see Steiner and Beatrix. Instead of wanting to talk to her, they had sent her away, telling her that she would be getting in the way if she stayed.

A gloved hand fell on her shoulder and she turned to look into the same golden eyes that had been with her the day she had saved the world. She hadn't seen them for so long, she had expected them to have faded because his life had worn out. But there they were, vibrant as ever. The thirteen-year-old no longer dressed in mismatched items of clothing. Now, being one of the only black mages left, he dressed in a full black cloak with a pointed hat tipped over one of his eyes in a style reminiscent of how Amarant would have worn a hat.

'I know, they think we'll get in the way.' He said, his voice had broken and it was deep, it suited him very well.

'Vivi!' Eiko shouted and hugged him hard. Vivi was quite taken aback. Not knowing what to do with this show of emotion raised his arms from his sides, where Eiko had pinned them, and tried to put them round her too, like he had seen Zidane do to Garnet a lot of times. Eiko stepped back again and looked over the black mage. He looked even more of a loner now, but that was the idea. Black for black mage and to merge into the background, for humans were still wary of black mages, so he shouldn't draw attention to himself, he had reasoned.

'Eiko! You've grown so much! You must be…' Vivi held up his hands, as if to count on them '…11 now, yes?' Eiko smirked and nodded. Vivi smiled back. 'And your hair!' he said, his voice almost cracking he was so happy, as she twirled round. Suddenly, Vivi realised how much he was drawing attention to himself from the knights around and looked out the window, shutting up. The rain was falling heavily and the wind was howling. He looked back at Eiko 'Want to go for a walk?' he asked…

Zidane sat down at a table watching the rest of the crowd surge in. He thought back to yesterday and the talk he had had with Ruby, she didn't mention Garnet much, which was a blessing, but she didn't say anything about the new waitress either. Usually she would be slagging the poor girl off or praising her so much that Zidane wouldn't be able to talk about what's on his mind. But that day, she hadn't said anything more than she had got a new waitress.

Zidane looked out for this waitress, and saw her. Short light-brown hair, scruffy uniform that had been a hand-me down from the girl who left. She was serving a table a few chairs away and Zidane could see one of her eyes, a light blue, like they were contacts. Probably were, he thought as he watched the crowd come in again, but slowly, his face turned to look at her again, there was something so familiar about her. Then she suddenly turned fully round, and looked straight at Zidane, and he felt something in his mind click into place…