A/n: I didn't intend to finish this chapter so quickly, but apparently I cant stop writing lol as I said before, i wanted this story to be completely different from Underworld, but I couldn't help myself from adding a short guest appearance lol I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

I should probably add that this is where the fic will begin to turn quite a bit darker; hopefully not enough to lose your interest. Either way, please leave me your thoughts!

…..

Breathing heavily, Zidane struggled to his knees and pulled his dagger from the man's chest. Blood pooled out from the lifeless body, staining the concrete walkway. His head reeled and he fought back the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. Distantly, as if in a daze, he heard the woman screaming in fear. He turned in the direction of her voice and saw soldiers running toward him. With a shaking hand, he pushed himself to his feet and ran.

…

A few hours earlier..

"It feels like forever since I've been here." Zidane commented wondrously as he walked through the gates of the city. The three mages had agreed to stay on the outskirts of the city after he had volunteered to get the items they needed. They gave him quite a large amount of Gil considering the mages very rarely dealt with money. They were seeking various potions and herbs that weren't readily available on the outer continent, and if he had to guess, he'd say that where probably for another of Mikoto's attempts to extend their short lifespans.

He didn't know if it would be any more successful than any of the other attempts, but he had grown to care deeply for the black mages and he had no intention of being the one to crush their hopes. He just hoped he was able to find everything on the list..

He was fairly well known in Lindblum, so as he walked toward the market in the poorer section of Treno, he did his best to keep his head down and his tail wrapped around his waist so as to hopefully not attract too much unwanted attention. It didn't seem to be a problem though, as he made it all the way to the item shop without anyone even seeming to notice him. Had he truly changed so much?

The last time he was here he had barely walked a few feet past the entrance when a girl he had flirted with on more than one occasion had blown him a kiss and given him a flirtatious wink, which he returned, before sauntering off. He had felt flattered of course, and a sense of satisfaction, up until he had broken his gaze from her and noticed Dagger stomping off angrily. She didn't talk to him for the rest of the day. Even the next morning, when she finally did, her words had been icy toward him and it had taken more than a little effort to win back her graces. He hadn't found flirting to be nearly as easy or enjoyable after that.

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts of the raven haired woman that always seemed more than willing to fill his mind, he walked up to the item shop and handed the woman at the counter his list. She looked at him skeptically for a moment, then began retrieving an assortment of small vials and bottles from the shelves behind her. He waited patiently for a few moments until she placed what he assumed to be most of the items in front of him. " I have almost everything on your list, except for the devil grass and the elixirs. She gave him a knowing look that he didn't quite understand. "I believer there may be a few nobles in town that have the devil grass, but it's a toss up where you might find the elixir. Those are very difficult to come by, especially a large bottle." She offered.

He sighed. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. "Any idea which noble might have the devil grass?"

She shook her head apologetically though he had a sense there was something she wasn't telling him. "You might try the pub, you'd be surprised how many nobles spend their time there drowning themselves in a bottle."

He chuckled at this. I guess having all the money you could want wasn't enough to make them happy. He thanked her, then paid her what she requested, noting again with dismay that that left him with previous little Gil, nowhere near enough to buy an Elixir if he were lucky enough to find one. But, he was a thief after all, so if there was even a possibility that it would help the mages, he would just do what he had to do.

Before heading to the pub, he thought it best to carry the supplies back to the mages. He wouldn't be doing any sneaking or running if he had to carry a box of fragile items the entire time. He didn't bother trying to keep his head down this time, and was still only noticed by two kids that pointed at him and said something to each other. Unfortunately, they spoke too quietly for him to be able to hear what they were saying.

When he arrived back at the entrance to the city, the mages thanked him happily for the supplies, and he assured them that he would try to hurry to get the rest, though they did not seem to be too impatient as they looked around incredulously at the lights of the city, as a child might gaze upon a place that was unfamiliar to them but also held a magical sense of wonder. He truly hoped that Mikoto would soon be successful.

…

He pushed open the door to the pub and was surprised that there was a crowd inside. Maybe the reason there weren't many people in the streets was because they were all here? For the life of him, he couldn't remember the place ever being this crowded; finding the one person that had what he needed wasn't going to be easy. His first inclination was to go around asking random people till he found what he was looking for, but if he was planning on stealing it, that would be incredibly stupid. With resignation, he decided he would go sit at the bar and think about his options.

After pushing his way through the crowd, he noticed there was one empty stool. Seated next to it was a man with short brown hair in a black outfit and armor unlike any he'd seen in his travels. There was a sword on his back, but no one seemed to be paying him any mind as he sipped on a tall glass of whisky. As he sat down, he noticed that there was a blond haired woman seated next to the man that was dressed in a similar fashion and was staring at the untouched glass in front of her as if deep in thought or turmoil.

"See something that sparks your interest?" The man asked with an amused chuckle.

Zidane flushed a little at having been caught looking at the woman, though it hadn't been out of lust. "Uh.. Sorry. Is she your.."

"No." He replied simply, seemingly expecting by his question. "She is my companion; dare I say friend?"

"Oh." Zidane commented lamely and scratched the back of his head. "No offense, but judging by your outfits, you must not be from around here."

"I guess you could say we are… travelers, though we have no intention of staying here very long." The man commented, turning back to his drink. From the corner of his eye he noticed the blond-haired woman staring at him. He could have sworn he had seen a deep longing in her eyes, but when he turned toward her to say something she quickly turned away and began to drink greedily from her mug.

"Judging by the way you walked in here and the fact that you haven't ordered anything, I think it's safe to say you're not here for a drink." The man commented knowingly. "And I don't think it's company, either."

Damn, was he that easy to read? "No, to be honest I'm looking for an Elixir and Devil Grass."

The man grinned. "It just so happens I might can help you with both, If you're willing to do something for us that is."

He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but what choice did he have? "Alright.. What do you want me to do?"

"I thought you might say that." The man replied, all traces of the amusement in his voice was gone. "Do you see the extravagantly dressed man in the far corner?"

He turned, and found that it was hard to miss the large man that was sitting at a table of other nobles, laughing loudly, no doubt fueled by his drunkenness.

"His name is Burtrard. He is the wealthiest man in Treno, perhaps the most revered. But, he is also the most conniving and cynical. In short, I think you will find that he is a very evil man deserving of the death that you will carry out."

"What!?" Zidane Exclaimed, causing a few people to turn in his direction. Swallowing nervously, he turned back to the man at the counter. "You expect me to kill him just for an elixir?" he whispered harshly.

The man stood up and slapped a handful of gil on the table. He then turned to the woman who now looked more than a little tipsy. "It is time for us to go. Are you alright?" She glanced at Zidane sadly for a moment before nodding. The man then reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a bottle of purple liquid and sat it down heavily on the bar before turning back to Zidane. "I will give you this Elixir freely. As for the man.. Go listen to his words and choose his fate for yourself, but know this, there are those that make the world a better place by living, but there are also those that could ever only make the world a better place by dying. When you are done, whatever you decide, he keeps a black stone inside his left jacket pocket. I need you to destroy that stone. That is what I ask."

He picked up the bottle and watched as the man helped the blond-haired woman to her feet. There was still something about her he couldn't quite place. As they started walking away, he called after them. "Hey, Thank you.. and don't worry, I'll destroy it."

The man snickered as the pair took another step. "I know you will, Tribal."

Wait. How did they know his name? "Who are you?' He asked to their retreating forms.

The man stopped once more. "Names aren't important. What IS important is that the man I showed you has plenty of the other item you seek. Farewell, may we meet again in another life." With that, the pair rounded a corner and was gone. Neither of whom were ever seen again.

…

Why had the man who had given him the elixir seemed so sure that he would kill the obnoxious noble in the corner? He chose not to get up from his seat at the bar and tried to watch the man for a few moments. Sure he was the epitome of every noble he had ever disliked, the kind that would eagerly flaunt their money while people starved to death at his feet, but did he deserve to die? Let alone be killed be his own hands?

He looked down at his hands thoughtfully. He had promised he would destroy the black stone, whatever it was, and he would. But, surely he could do that by just pickpocketing him when he was distracted. It seemed he and the other nobles were having a conversation, but to his aggravation, he couldn't make out any of it. He still knew very little about this "Burtrard" and his apparent friends, but what would it hurt for him to get close enough to hear? After all, there was an empty bench not far from where they were sitting..

He moved through the crowd, being careful not to attract attention to himself and was thankful that his thieving skills still came in handy from time to time. He still wasn't sure if this was a great idea, but even before he managed to sit on the bench a single word caught his full attention and it had nothing to do with why had come to the pub in the first place. That word.. was Garnet.

He tried his best not to let his surprise and interest show as he quickly sat down and tried to drown out the rest of the crowd. After only a few moments of listening, his surprise turned to anger.

"That stupid bitch doesn't even have royal blood!" Burtrard spat.

"She is nothing more than a commoner." One of the women at the table voiced in agreement, a few others nodded.

"Does she truly think that she can achieve world peace, when her own kingdom is in shambles?" Another asked as she fanned herself.

"I hear it was her fault the kingdom was destroyed in the first place!" A little bookish man seated across from Bertrard added.

As Zidane listened, a part of him wanted to scream that she had done everything she could do, that she had almost died trying to stop it. So what if she wasn't the original Garnet? No one cared about Alexandria more than she did! Instead of voicing these thoughts, he forced himself to keep listening.

"From the way you talked earlier, Lord Burtrard, I do not believe she will be a problem much longer.."

"You heard correctly." Burtrard replied with a dark grin. "Her Majesty will soon be seeing her dear mother."

Zidane almost jumped at this; he felt as though he had been stung.

"How?" one of the women whispered eagerly.

Burtrad took another drink from his wine before replying. "Devil's grass. All it takes is one dose and the deed will be done."

Zidane felt his heart racing, threatening to pound out of his chest. So, that's what devil grass was! He had assumed it was just a herb, it had never crossed his mind that it could be poison! What if someone had already given it to her!?

"When?" The third woman asked seductively.

Burtrard smiled smugly at her, "It could be as soon as tomorrow. I need only to give the order."

So, there was still time…

"Once she's gone they will have no choice but to let you take the throne! With your money, you can simply buy anyone that opposes you!" She returned with a laugh.

"With you as my queen!" He laughed happily, grabbing her hand and lifting it in the air.

The bookish man was the only one among them that seemed to be nervous. "Should we be talking about this out in the open?" He asked cautiously. Burtrard's smile fell a notch as he glared at the man. "I-I mean there guards drinking nearby.."

Burtrard broke out into a loud obnoxiously boisterous laugh and followed it with an even darker smile that made Zidane cringe. "Guards!?" He spat disbelieving. "Do you truly believe that the guards will arrest ME, when I am the one that gives them their orders? If I chose one of them to do the deed, do u think they would object to someone of my stature? Not even the regent of Lindblum would dare send troops to oppose me! I own lands in EVERY city!"

There was silence for a few moments following his speech by everyone else at the table, but after another round of his laughter, all of the others returned to their high spirits. It made Zidane sick to his stomach as he hurried out of the pub, nearly shoving people out of his way. He felt tears of anger and sadness burning his eyes as he pushed into the night air. He grabbed onto a nearby railing, afraid he might fall under the weight of what he had just heard. They were going to kill her! Even though he hadn't seen her, he was sure she was doing the best she could and would never do anything to hurt anyone! How could someone be willing to kill an amazing woman like her!?

The answer, however, was painfully clear; even if it was hard to swallow. If they had their way, they would kill her simply so that they could take her throne… He couldn't let that happen. Dagger was strong, but how would she be able to defend herself against an enemy she couldn't see? As he stared down into the water below the railing, he realized that the strange man at the bar had been right… He was going to kill Burtrard. What choice did he have? Men like that couldn't be reasoned with, and if he tried to tell the guards, who was to say that he wouldn't be the one ending up behind bars?

His hands felt sweaty as he nodded to himself with grim resolve. He didn't like what he had to do, but once the man left the bar he would either follow him home or wait till the man was on a secluded walkway and then.. he would put Burtrard's plans to rest.

He didn't have to wait long as moments later the man in question came walking confidently out of the bar. Looking at him, there was hardly any signs that the man had even been drinking at all. If there was one thing he had to give nobles credit for, it was that pretty much all of them knew how to handle their drink. Making sure that Burtrard was far enough away so that he wouldn't be noticed and yet close enough to keep up with, he followed.

Despite that killing the man was something he would have desperately wished he didn't have to do, at least it seemed as though it would be easy as the man headed for the dimly lit alley. Just as he began to pull out his dagger, however, is when his plan took a turn that he had hoped wouldn't happen. There was a soldier standing in wait at the beginning of the alleyway, and he turned just in time to see Burtrard give him what had to be the devil grass.

"Godsdammit!" he breathed quietly as the guard began to walk away opposite the direction of Burtrard, a smug look of satisfaction shown across both men's faces. Now he would have to stop that guard! But Burtrard could- cutting his thoughts short, it was time to stop being subtle and take action! He made sure Burtrard wasn't watching, then set off at a run after the guard intending to tackle him to the ground and wrench the poison away from the would be assassin. He had dealt with these guards before, and he was sure the man would put up little challenge, if any.

That too didn't go the way he had expected. As soon as he drew near, the guard whipped around with a dagger of his own already drawn. Zidane skidded to a stop and pulled his dagger from its sheath. "Boss told me there might be people that would try to stop me, but I gotta say I didn't expect one of you so soon."

"Give me that poison!" Zidane growled. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if it means saving Dagger!"

"Dagger?" the guard laughed. "That's what you call the soon to be late queen? You must be one of her worthless friends she traveled with."

"Give. Me. The poison." Zidane repeated, growing angrier by the moment.

"You'll have to kill me for it." The guard replied smugly. With that, the guard lunged for him with his blade. Zidane recoiled, narrowly missing the sting of its edge. This guy was fast! There was no way he was just a normal guard! The man swung again and this time he met steel with steel. "Not bad." The guard chuckled. Zidane pushed him back, and felt that slight sense of weakness he had grown accustomed to over the last few months. He had lied to Mikoto, he still wasn't completely well, but he hadn't expected to have to fight anyone either. He would have to finish this quickly.

After parrying another of the guard's attacks, he countered with an attack of his own, slicing into the man's arm. The guard let out a pained grunt and punched him in the ribs with his other arm. Zidane coughed and quickly tried to catch his breath. As soon as the guard had hit him though, he had turned around and begun to flee. With little choice, he gave chase.

Zidane cursed his weakness as he struggled to gain any distance on the man he was pursuing. It was almost halfway across the city and in the heart of the "Rich" sector that he finally got a break as the guard stumbled and collided with a snobby looking woman in a yellow and dress. Knowing that he would probably regret what would happen afterword, he leapt onto the man. To his dismay, even with his weight crashing down on him, the man somehow managed to pull his dagger free again and the two began to wrestle over control of the blade.

The guard was much stronger than he had expected, and he struggled to keep the tip from pushing into his throat. With a yell of desperation and anger, he shoved with everything he had and in the next instant the knife was buried deep in the guards chest. He began to cough up blood and no longer struggled. Zidane met his pained gaze with grim remorse. "Do you… think you stopped anything?.. There will.. be others… that.." He died.

Breathing heavily, Zidane struggled to his knees and pulled his dagger from the man's chest. Blood pooled out from the lifeless body staining the concrete walkway. His head reeled and he fought back the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. Distantly, as if in a daze, he heard the woman screaming in fear. He turned in the direction of her voice and saw soldiers running toward him. With a shaking hand, he pushed himself to his feet and ran.