The Dark Messenger

Chapter 5

Zidane was once more lying in his hammock, thinking about the play that they were planning. No kidnappings, no raids, no holdups… just a play. They were going to put on the Story of Ipsen for the lords and ladies of Treno. There was a risk of being spotted, but Zidane would stay snug aboard the ship during the play, watching and directing it from backstage. He had never directed a play before, and felt good that he now had the privilege. And maybe he'd even get to go buy some rare antiquities, exotic weapons… he had plenty of gil that he had brought from Alexandria.

He longed to once more float amongst the waters of Treno, drift down the cavernous streams, maybe even visit Doctor Tot. And the food… and the ladies. Oh yes, Zidane loved the la- But then the image of his wife entered his mind and he forgot all about his… primal lusts, if you will, and longed to see her once more, if for but a second, before heading off on another wondrous adventure. If there was one thing he missed about Alexandria Castle, it was his wife…

He felt his eyelids droop as the firm grip of the sandman pulled him into the netherworld of dreams.

He was alone. In dark. Sitting in a room, a icily quiet one. His mind raced. Where was he? Was this a dream? Probably. His tail twitched and felt behind him; he was afraid to reach out with any other part of his body. But it found nothing, nothing but emptiness.

And then, something broke the silence. "We know that you want her… want to see her once more, but you can't, right? But in Treno… yes, maybe she will come, hm?" Zidane was confused. Where was this voice coming from?

"But… we think you should stay away. It would be best for you… and us, right, my pawns?" Murmuring in response. Zidane was unsure who was murmuring. "You will go to Treno, and you will direct your play, but you shall never return to Alexandria, right?"

Zidane felt himself nodding, as if it was instinct. But his inner monologue, so to speak, was right. He couldn't return to Alexandria. It would be betraying his will to leave in the first place. Maybe if he just saw her, talked to her, if only for a moment…

…But how?

"You will stay with Tantalus, won't you? It is what you want, where you call home. You will stay?"

"Yes." Zidane muttered. He sighed. "I'll stay. I'd be stupid to go back now."

"Good, Zidane… very good."

Zidane shot up. What the heck was that all about? Maybe his conscience was speaking to him? Whatever it was, it was right, he couldn't go back now. He stared out the window and found comfort, as it was morning already.

Cinna was sucking down a beer in the main room when Zidane came out, as Baku stared at a map of Treno. Zidane certainly hoped that he wasn't planning another heist; he had barely recovered from their last endeavor.

"Uhm… watcha doin', boss?" He asked, his tail wagging expectantly. "Trying to figure out where to put on the play… I think I'll land the ship in this lake here. Treno isn't exactly an airship-friendly place, but the Prima Vista can float."

"So… No heists?" He asked. "Nope. Just good, clean, noble raking-over-the-coals-ing. We'll suck gil right outta their snooty pockets! Gwahahahahahahaha!" Zidane grinned, thinking about the play ahead. This was just one more thing that made Tantalus great.

The Genome wrapped his tail around a pipe above his head and hung there; he used to do this when he lived here before. He began doing tail-ups, his arms crossed. "Where'd the rest of the gang go?"

"Headed to a bar or something. Lazy bums, I give 'em a day off and they waste it…" Baku muttered. "You mean like Cinna?" Zidane inquired, staring at the short pig-man. "Hey, I'm just getting my early morning pick-me-up!" He retorted, chugging down another beer. Zidane smiled mischievously. "Really? Cuz in my experience, beers are a put-me-down."

Baku laughed. "Anywho, I decided to schedule our little play for a few days from now. You're in charge, kid, got that? Gwahahahahaha, you're moving up, Ziddy! Or down. Depends on which perspective you look at it from. GWAHAHAHAHA!"

Zidane did another tail-up and grinned. This would rock.

Vivi dodged under, over, left and right of various obstacles, his little legs carrying him as quickly as they could. He adjusted his hat to make sure he could see where he was going, and just barely avoiding a Genome passing by. He was panting when he finally reached the graveyard where Mikoto was resting.

"Mikoto! MIKOTO!" He shouted. One of the blond girl's eyes opened, eyeing Vivi with contempt for disturbing her peace. But she shrugged it off. "What is it, Vivi?"

"Those new guys! They're GONE!" The mage yelled, resting on his staff. Mikoto's eyes widened as she took this in. "All of them?" Vivi gulped and nodded.

"Are you sure? Couldn't they just be out in the forest or something?" She asked, Vivi shuffling from side to side. "No! Other Genomes saw them leave! Not to mention the guards at the gates. You know, the ones with the really powerful staffs?"

Mikoto jumped up. "This could be bad. Did the guards say where they were going?"

"They said that it looked like they were going to board a freighter and go to the Mist Continent, but they weren't-" Vivi began.

"This is bad. How will they know what to do? They should have stayed here… And besides, I do not trust them." Mikoto stated, arms crossed. The little mage nodded. "We should contact Zidane right away!" He said.

"Yeah. You go ahead, Vivi, get a mail moogle. I'll try to get information from the villagers." The Genome commanded, staring at the blue sky. Vivi jumped into action and ran off.

Zidane crawled across the beams in the roof of the Tantalus hideout; it was his… special place, if you will. He could swing from beam to beam for practice, and spy on Baku if he was up to something. The blond Genome swung low with his tail, and then came back up, gripping the rafters with his hands. He then swung up with his feet and his tail connected to the next one, and then he swung for another hand swing again, rinse and repeat. He found it calming.

They were leaving to Treno today. He was excited, but felt worried that something could go wrong… Hopefully Garnet wouldn't show up; she'd probably be too busy with the coming war to care.

"Gwahahahahaha! We got the ship loaded up, the stage backgrounds ready… just need the actors. They'll board soon enough. We needed more then just us five four this, so Ruby's coming back, and we got the rest of Tantalus joining up for our little play." Baku stated, entering the room. He had a variety of greatswords strapped to his person which unnerved Zidane as to the innocence of this venture. Blank, leaning against the wall, chuckled. "Those all for the play, Boss? Or you got some nobles to slice?"

Baku laughed. "Gwahahahahaha! Yes. Alright. They're for the play." He paused and noticed Zidane and Blank were eyeing him suspiciously. "WOULD'JA STOP THAT? THERE AIN'T GONNA BE NO HEISTS! NOW GET ON THE SHIP!"

His two 'boys' shot out the door to the aircab station. Zidane paid the guy for two tickets and was about to hop on when he was confronted by Blank as to a small threat to Zidane's hiding.

"You know that if Garnet shows up and sees you, things could get bad." He muttered, once more leaning on a support beam. "Well… I know. But hopefully she won't show. I mean, she's the queen of Alexandria; she has more important things to do then to go all the way to the City of Nobles to see Tantalus perform!" Zidane declared. Blank grinned. "You hope."

With this little exchange of words, the two boarded the cab and headed off to the Prima Vista. But the whole ride, Blank looked uneasy about this.

The ride to Treno was common; seems like it was always the same unless they were attacked by air pirates or something, and considering that they WERE air pirates, the odds of that were greatly reduced. Zidane had found a way to calm himself during their long voyages years ago, before he had been sucked into all the problems of the people. He would makes rounds around the ship, running, jumping, crawling under things, swinging with his tail, continually changing his pattern. It was similar to what he did at the hideout, but much more fun aboard a ship; not to mention more dangerous.

He leapt up and slid under a chest that was lifted off the deck with a few cinderblocks, and then sprang back up, hanging on to a pipe with his tail. He was about to make his triumphant move when a door opened and slammed in his face. He lost his grip with his furry limb and slammed face first into the wooden planks.

"Well ah do declare, Zidane! What's a feller like ya'll doin' layin' on this dirty ol' floor?" Ruby asked, her hands on her hips. Zidane let out a deep breath and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Dammit, Ruby, you coulda taken my nose off!"

"Excuse me, pardner? Is that any way ta talk to li'l ol' me?" Zidane sighed. Ruby could get like this. He got up and started walking off. "AH AIN'T THROUGH WITH YA'LL!"

Zidane waved a dismissive hand and marched over to the edge of the deck, staring out at the sights. They were in Alexandria, this was certain, as he could see the great Alexandrian River carving its course to the underground cavern that connected it to Lindblum. Far off in the distance was the Evil Forest, in which Zidane could SWEAR that he saw the remains of the first Prima Vista towering above its petrified trees, which in turn towered above the vast expanse of plains heading off to the Ice Cavern, which geologists had reported, was now melting due to the absence of Mist. It was too, as a small lake now surrounded the entrance, trying to connect to the rivers of the kingdom. Zidane ran around the back end of the vessel to the other side and stared off to the mountains of Treno, soaring up from the ground to the city. Streams and rivers poured off the rock face, snaking through the lowlands of the nation and connecting once more to the great river.

Zidane felt a slight tinge of vertigo as the theatre ship increased its altitude suddenly, climbing up the rock face, water splashing on deck. The ship now cleared over the cliff edge of the highlands, making its way to the lake it would call home for a day or two.

"Attention crew members, the Prima Vista II will be making a splash landing in five minutes. Our performance will be at 8:00 P.M., Alexandrian time. Please adjust watches accordingly. Now, brace yourselves!" Cinna commanded, as Zidane moved over to a rail and gripped with all three of his limbs that weren't use for walking. The ship made a splash upon entry to the lake, spraying Zidane with water, which was surprisingly clean. The Genome got up after all was stable and eyed the scenery around him.

They were just inside the walls of the city, floating on one of the larger lakes in the grand citadel. People were already lining up to see this spectacle. Either they wanted a seat before the play started, they were observing the ship's entry, or they had no idea what was going on, Zidane hadn't a clue. The Genome swaggered up to the bridge as Baku was preparing for his grand opening. He flipped a switch, activating a series of megaphones and then hit buttons, turning on lights, circus-style music, and then called over the intercom for the dancers to start a little performance. He then reached for the microphone.

"Welcome, good citizens of Dark City Treno, to Tantalus's performance of 'The Story of Ipsen'! Showtime will be at 8:00, and we hope you will all be here!"

There was a roar amongst the crowd across the waters, as the dancers increased their step and the music got a bit louder. Baku turned off the megaphones and stared out the window. "Heheheheh, it seems that our infamy has in turn gotten us famous." Zidane crossed his arms, his tail wagging. "Hey boss, if I'm directing… can I make the preparations?"

"Of course! Gwahahahahaha! My little boy's growin' up." Baku hollered. "I gotta go down deck and monitor the power. You get stuff ready; it's already 5:33!"

Zidane reached for the microphone and turned on the intercom. "Attention Tantalus performers and stage hands, please prepare the stage for the play. Set up the first background and prop series; the Tavern." He continued reading off of the list of props and necessities. "Ready the actors for their first parts. We are on in two hours thirty minutes. That is all."

Cinna grinned. "You sound like me on that thing." Zidane felt a smile spread across his face.

"Hey Zidane!" Marcus shouted, running in. "We just heard that Garnet will be at the performance!" Zidane cursed. "Well, let's just be careful then…"

Garnet hastened to find her royal seat, followed closely by 'Zidane.' (A/N: If you can't figure out that it's Kuja by now, then you need help. Yes, he was the silver haired Genome, but you probably knew that by now too.) She found it and sat down, smiling at 'her husband.'

"You're probably excited to see Tantalus perform, right dear?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh… Uh, yeah." 'Zidane' muttered, staring at the ship in the lake.

Baku waltzed on stage, dressed as a bar tender, and the spot-lights fell on him. "Greetings, dear audience. Tonight's performance is of Ipsen, and the struggles he went through to find his way home. It is a tale of sadness and grief, friendship and hope, and triumph. And now, lords and ladies of Treno, her Royal Majesty Queen Alexandros, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus presents 'The Story of Ipsen!'"

The music started blaring and fireworks went off, as dancers began their exotic steps. Garnet eyed 'Zidane.' "Why didn't they mention you in the opening? They mentioned me…"

'Zidane' shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it too much. Let's just watch the show."

The true Zidane ushered Marcus, who was playing the part of Ipsen, and Blank, who was his friend, out on stage, as Baku appeared behind the bar counter, via lift. Marcus and Blank sat at a table center stage.

"Oh, Ipsen, must you take leave? Your family is so far away!" Blank declared, picking up a mug. "I must, Samuel, for my family hath so stated that it is an urgent matter!"

"If you are to go, Ipsen, then I shall accompany you. It must be done! I cannot abandon you to a doom most foul!" Blank stated, standing up. Marcus stood up as well, smiling. "You are a good friend, Samuel, and as true as steel! I thank thee!" "Nay, Ipsen, I thank thee!"

The curtains closed and the background and props were very quickly switched; the background was on a lift and was replaced quite easily, but the stage hands really had to work to get the props switched. They replaced it with a dark and gloomy set, and then Zidane motioned towards a stage hand to turn on the smoke machine, which emulated the Mist. The curtains opened once more as Blank and Marcus trudged along, swords drawn.

"We have been marching for hours blindly, Samuel, and I fear we may be lost…" Marcus muttered, acting tired and weak. Blank began his next line, but Zidane turned away, drowning out the play, and stared out a window, immediately eyeing Garnet's royal seat. He got lost at the sight of her and then noticed something odd. Someone who looked like the blond Genome was sitting right next to her?

"Isn't this play wonderful, dear?" Garnet asked 'Zidane'. "Oh yes… wonderful."

Garnet cocked her head quizzically. "What's wrong?" 'Zidane' stared at the ground. "I think we should be back in Alexandria. We have too much to worry about, what with Burmecia and all…"

"We sent Beatrix to try to negotiate peace talks. And Alexandria will live for one night."

Just as she had finished her statement, the one true Zidane dashed on stage. "GARNET! HE'S AN IMPOSTER!" The queen stared on stage to see Zidane, and her eyes widened. "What is going on?

'Zidane' leered at the real deal. "Damn you, little brother! I had hoped to come to rule the Mist Continent quietly! But I suppose now is as good of time as ANY!"

Kuja threw off his magical veil revealing his true self, cloaked, and holding a long staff. He cast a spell that caused Garnet to float up into the air. "WHAT THE HELL? KUJA? You DIED!" She yelled, floating up higher. The true Zidane lunged into the lake and began swimming across as fast as he could. He was just as bewildered, but he had had his suspicions when he saw that Genome…

END

Ooh, cliffhanger, deal with it. Believe me, this tale is far from over. This is merely the beginning. Muhuwahahahahahahahahaha! is shot repeatedly