Filling In The Blanks
A/N: Things will start happening in this chapter if you already didn't find the story interesting. You'll rather enjoy this one then :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 9, I know I say that all the time, but dammit it's true and depressing!
Quick Random Thought: Four days of school left yay!
Chapter 3: More Than Slightly Confused
"Let me be yours forever....... I'll wait for you until the end..... Don't leave me.... Come back in the late hours of night, we'll run together..... Tis a new day of hope, Cornelia....." He hovered over the play, his eyes scanning the pages just once more before he was finally ready to submit.
It had taken a while, but he reworked the play just to his dream he had had last night. He didn't know where it came from, but it was absolutely stunning, and he knew that there was an even bigger chance he would win with this play. He stopped for a moment, to recollect the night before, just before he got up at about three a.m. and began to write and write, until he finally got done. It had been a sum of ten hours, but he had managed to get it all down. It was amazing the dream had played out the whole thing.
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"Blank, is this going to be boring?"
"Hell no... Trust me Zidane, this is going to put you in an absolute greatness for acting. After you see this, it's going to be your absolute dream!"
"You say absolute a lot..." He mumbled, bored out of his mind.
They were in the grand theater of Lindblum and awaiting the beginning of a very famous play. Zidane hadn't seen it, but somehow he knew that in the back of his head somewhere, he would end up liking the monstrosity he was about to sit through. Shifting in his seat to get a better view over the man - at least he thought it was a man... Maybe an elf? - sitting in front of him.
Huffing in defeat, he thudded his head against the cushioned seat a few times, before letting his eyes wander to the ceiling.
Voices swirled around him, mixing together as his eyes unfocused when they reached the light source wavering far above. The place was a fine building, with ivory lining the walls, and marble columns all over. The stage was a deep mahogany wood, and the curtains were a vibrant red, but not so vibrant it was obnoxious.
Everyone around him was classy and dressed up, while he and Blank were both in regular clothes. It didn't matter to them much as they had both paid to come see this play. Sighing, he forced his eyes to the stage as the lights dimmed, and tried to pulls his vision together.
"Ladies and gentleman..." Someone began, their smile obvious even to those sitting a good hundred feet away from him. "I am pleased to present to you a love story of two lovers who try to be together with secrets, sacrifices, laughter, and tears in this tragic tale that many of you know and love... I present to you the best arts of... I Want to Be Your Canary."
Everyone clapped, and Zidane found the redhead next to him whistling, even if it was improper with these sorts of fine people around. As the curtains drew, and then reopened, the blonde sat straighter. The scenes in the background were painted - it must have been by a true artist - and the costumes were far more exquisite than imaginable.
"My sweet, sweet Cornelia..." The man playing the main character, Marcus, stroked the pale cheek of the blonde girl next to him.
"Marcus. You mustn't go..." She murmured, although still loud enough to let the audience hear as well.
The setting was a stormy night in a small, secret, brick building where no one would find them. Sounds of rain rattled the silence of the auditorium, and water poured onto stage to create a more dramatic effect. Both of them were there, talking over these sounds in such a passionate way, that Zidane was almost lead to believe it.
The more and more the play went on, the more and more he began to like it, and realized just exactly what he wanted to do with himself...
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"I'm really excited for you, Zidane!" Vienna bounced ahead. It was one of the rare times that, out in public, she wasn't quiet and shy. It must have been pretty huge, "You could become a star!" She smiled and looked back at everyone's slightly freaked out expressions.
"Probably not... But you never know!" Griffon smiled sheepishly, trying to get away with his negative remark.
"You're so optimistic..." Avalanch mumbled, smiling at the giggle he received from Elouise.
It was odd for her to laugh like that in such ease. Normally she tried to be bossy and kind all at the same time. Avalanch had that special effect on her. The blonde found it absolutely adorable, not to sound feminine, but he really liked that she was comfortable around him. He got this feeling that if he ever had to leave them, even if for a short amount of time, Avalanch would take care of her.
Smiling slightly, he decided to allow someone else to defend him for once, and stay with his own thoughts without ruining the moment with his voice.
"Well you know..." Elouise started, her eyes wondering to Zidane for just a moment, "You'll be crying like a baby if he does win and doesn't share any reward with you. Not to mention to Lindblum and -"
"Stop!" Griffon chuckled, "don't put any unnecessary ideas in his brain, okay Eli?"
"Fine..." She scoffed playfully, "whatever you say," she huffed and walked ahead with her arms crossed, Vienna settling into a bouncy step next to her.
"Vienna, you're taking her side?" Griffon was absolutely bewildered; he was so naive.
"Well of course..." She rolled his eyes, "You're absolutely stupid if you think I'm going to side with you against Zidane. He hasn't been mean all day!" She smiled lightly at him, and turned back around, calming down a bit more.
As they walked down the sunny streets of Alexandria, people bustling about them, Zidane wondered just how good he would do. Glancing up at the royal blue sky, as annoying tree frogs made that almost ringing sound in the distance, still managing to be heard over all the people, the blonde closed his eyes. He felt dizzy suddenly, and when he reopened them, the world spun before him.
Groaning and placing his palms over his watery eyes, he squeezes them shut, feeling his eyelashes press against his gloves. When he reopened them, he saw the sky coming into his view, and he felt himself fall towards the ground with an awful hard smack.
And then, as blackness blotched his vision, the colors dripped from his world, and the entire chunk of what he was thinking slipped away beyond his reach as everything about him slid into a black, never ending void.
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"Kuja shan't be defied!" Someone in a helmet growled at them.
The woman stepped backwards, her long hair sweeping against her son's head. Her blue eyes were so wide with fear, it was amazing they didn't drop out of her head. Her long pale arm gripped the young one's shoulder fearfully. Her son with the same blonde hair and blue eyes blinked, confused, and far less scared than he should be.
"Please..." The man in front of the two tried to wager their freedom, "we've done nothing! I can promise you... But if you must take me... Leave my wife and son. She had nothing to do with it, and he - he's a mere boy - only three years of -"
"Lies!" Taking his metallic sword, he shoved it through the blonde man's stomach, causing a blood flow through the mouth, and spat onto the soldier's hand.
In disgust, he yanked out the sharp metal, allowing the now limp body to the floor. Screaming, his wife dropped down, tears streaming down her face as she hugged his head. His blood smeared face caused the young child to look up in fear. The soldier advanced on his mother in a stalking way. Now that the man was gone, there was no reason to keep his family around.
"Mommy!" He cried out, yanking her arm.
"Zidane! Run!" Looking up in the last moment, she cast a protect spell on Zidane before being hit down, a bloody heap on the ground after the soldier took out his rage on her soft body.
Stabbing her once more, he advanced on Zidane, but his eyes flashed in anger. He stumbled backwards, almost all fear evaporating from him as he saw both of his parents dead on the ground... Just like that. Tears rolled down his cheeks as the horror struck, and he began to feel dizzy with sick. The fear was gone, but the haunting of those images would never leave him so long as he lived.
Dropping to the ground his eyes fluttered shut, and no pain came to him. Too exhausted to reopen his eyes, he allowed himself to be reeled into the darkness.
"Zidane!" What a voice... So beautiful. Like an angel.
"Zidane! Please wake up!" That one sounded beautiful too. One of another race, and gorgeous at that. He could tell she was caring just by her voice. "Zidane!" There was a sob that came through.
He wrinkled his nose... Something that sounded so beautiful shouldn't have been crying...
"Zidane you dumb ass!" That voice did it; he would get up and show these people a piece of his mind.
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With eyes that were groggy with confusion, they came into focus slowly. When he managed to make out the moving shapes in front of him, he jumped up immediately, grabbing the closest thing to him and flinging it around.
"Zidane! What are you doing?" It was a Bermecian girl who spoke.
He snarled, "Who the hell are you?!" The thing in his hand ended up being an unfortunate candle that got snuffed out, and squeezed so hard it was now unusable. He flung it in their direction with such force, it indented at the speed it hit the wall.
"What are you talking about, Man?" A human brunette stepped forward, hands up in defense, "its Grif, Eli, Vien, and Avalanch!" Flinching at the ominous growl he received from the blonde, Elouise stepped forward, rage flaring on her petite features.
"Zidane Tribal, you get your dumb ass off the god damn bed and stop harassing candles!" She hissed, but boomed at the same time; it was a scary combo." She put her hands up in defense, signaling she wasn't going to hurt him, "its Elouise Kindle! Do you not remember me?"
Zidane dropped onto the bed, curling slightly, his head dizzy again. He looked back up at her with a tired and scared expression on his face. With his vision slightly blurred, and in a small voice, he muttered, "Elouise?"
She dropped her hands immediately and hugged him. She was so scared she had lost him to something. Whatever was going on with him, it wasn't doing him any good now, and she just wanted to be there for him however she could.
The images from Zidane's dream though, stopped him from being confused. He was horrified as he came back to his senses. Teetering between reality and nightmares, he looked at everyone in the room, "What happened?"
"We were on our way to submit your play... Since you finished it..." Avalanch explained, staying completely calm in the whole situation.
"And?" Zidane breathed, scared to hear the answer; whatever was happening he didn't want to hear about it.
"You passed out... We tried to bring you back..." He mumbled, and Vienna took his spot in explaining.
"It was like you were having a seizure when you fell... Griffon picked you up and you struggled a lot... When we finally got you back, you were in a cold sweat, and we were worried... Your temperature was steaming, and we thought you might..." She trailed, looking down.
"What happened to you, Zidane?" Elouise whispered, and for the first time in his life, Zidane saw the tears building up in her emerald eyes.
"I don't know..." He murmured softly to her, hugging her again. He needed her support just as much as she needed his.
"We're glad you woke up... You'd been moaning and groaning in your sleep, flipping all over the place like a fish out of water..." Griffon was only trying to make the mood lighter, but everyone guessed from the other glares he received it wasn't working.
Thanks Zidane mouthed to him, and pulled back from Elouise.
The blonde girl turned to their friends, "I think we should let him get some rest now that that is over... We'll figure out what's the matter..."
They all nodded in agreement, and after a pat on the back from the boys, and a quick hug from Vienna, they ventured out. Elouise was about to follow when he beckoned her back inside.
"It was a dream again, wasn't it Zidane?" She whispered, more concerned now, and paying more than petty attention to what she thought was a childish fear.
"I'll be okay, Eli..." He smiled slightly, and stood up, taking her hands and putting them to his hot cheek; they were like ice.
"You've got to promise me something Zidane..." Her voice turned almost shy as she looked away.
He figured she was probably scared. Looking around his boring white carpeted, maroon walled living room with a brick fireplace, and some random dotted furniture with pictures of his family and friends scattered about along with all the messily organized papers, he nodded.
"No matter what happens, you're going to stay with me?" Her eyes were wide with question.
"Of course..." He smiled as best he could muster. "I promise..."
A breath she didn't know she was holding was released, and she squeezed his hand, "I'll come back later?"
"Of course, anytime. I probably won't be able to sleep again. Maybe I'll eat. There has to be some food in this house..." His try to lighten the mood worked, and Elouise hugged him in a bone-crushing hug before she walked out, shutting the door gently behind her.
Trying to stifle a yawn, Zidane decided maybe a little more sleep wouldn't kill him. Jumping onto the bed, using his tail for support as he leaned, he clicked off the light and settled into the blankets nestled around him.
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be pulled into the haze of a dream of normal things. Elouise and Vienna, Griffon and Avalanch, and himself in a place of Lindblum, the only strange part, with his friends, and his quest to becoming an actor being fulfilled...
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A/N: Yay! I liked this chapter too... It was weird, and kind of difficult to write, but I got it done okay I hope! :D Please review!!! I know that's not a lot to ask people :D Please! I'm begging you.
I'll update soon, and thanks so very much to everyone who reads!
-zesty-
