Filling In The Blanks
A/N: I'm excited for this chapter - it finally begins to pick up right here! You guys should like it too lol. After the kind of pointless half fluff and relationship showing chapter, it's some action once more!
Disclaimer: I WISH I owned it. Lol only the game and a memory card holding my game data.
Quick Random Thought: If they remade the game, I bet they'd make Blank super sexy.
Chapter 14: You'd Do The Same
The night was a loud one. Thunder crashed in the sky like cymbals, water draining into the dirt, soaking it until it morphed into mud. The liquid pelted the buildings, creating a loud background rush, while lightning chains flitted through the sky, illuminating the ominous dark, and even deeper shadows.
The rumbling from the skies above, thunderhead clouds tall and almost black, caused dirt to crumble onto the dark stone with the forceful shakes of the ground.
It seemed that everyone, some how, was still able to get at least a nod of sleep. All except one person. He kept in his room, watching his belongings shake and quiver with the booming overhead.
Closing his eyes, flashes of Elouise washed through his mind, sending him into an ocean of depression. He had had a dream about her the night before, all of his glee from the days prior of teaching the black mages to fight was completely obliterated...
??
"Zidane..." The whisper was hoarse, and he wasn't sure where it was coming from.
Twitching slightly, he turned around, walking blindly in the darkness, pupils big, eyes wide, "Elouise! Where are you? Thank God you're alright! I've been trying to find you -" Suddenly lights flickered on and what he saw was horrible.
In the easiest way to put it, it was his prior best friend, skin pale, blood pouring out of her side like a pump flowing water in jagged squirts. Her breathing was raspy, eyes huge with fear, as she snatched at the air, in an attempt to get the blonde to move closer.
As quickly as he could, he knelt next to her, the blood the last thing on his mind, "Who did this to you, Elouise?" He questioned, his eyes becoming wet with salty tears.
He hadn't cried before in his life, and he never intended to, but seeing the girl in such a state, her whole being shattered to an insignificant and soon-to-be husk shook him.
"Rescue me..." Were the faint words that floated to his ears, brisk and urgent, although strained and unclear.
The light left her eyes slowly draining the left of her life as it vanished, eyelashes fluttering shut , hand going limp in his own. Her skin was like ice, bone chilling and scary.
"Elouise what do you mean?" He shook her violently, the blood leaking still from the wound, the sticky substance washing over and staining his gloves. "Please Elouise! You mustn't die! I need to know how to save you! You're right in front of me!"
From that point forward, the blonde girl's, Avalanch's, Vienna's, and Griffon's voices all filled his head. It made it swim, a hazy feeling washing over him, making him want to collapse. As soon as he did so, something more numbing but still slightly flinch-worthy shot through his body, making him writhe on the floor.
??
That's simply when he woke up. He knew from that dream, there was something telling him - some sort of strange source of magic, that was pulling him... He needed to save Elouise...
He knew that there was still a slim chance she wasn't real, but that type of dream wasn't something he was going to ignore. Biting his lip, he knew that there was a possibility if he went through with this, things would go wrong.
Wringing his hands, he stood and began to pace, the thunder still shaking his possessions. He expected no one would be awake at this hour, being proven wrong with a jolt as someone tapped lightly on his door. He flung the poorly made wooden piece open, to see Dagger standing there, a little nervously.
"What are you doing awake?" He questioned, though he sounded rather accusative - as though she would try and spoil his plans to leave.
"I've just been thinking about you..." When he raised an eyebrow, a blush crept to her face, "I mean, I've been thinking about how much it bothers you - that you don't know if your friends are alive?" Her delicate fingers slide over each other - a habit she had when she was nervous.
"What about it?" He wondered, not trying to sound harsh.
She sighed and walked into the room, whether being invited or not: it was a sheer habit of never being rejected - especially when she was stressed. Though Zidane didn't actually mind at all.
"I just..." she bit her lip, "I know what it's like you know... Not knowing if people you care about are okay or not..." She trailed, as though the subject was a touchy one for her.
Zidane didn't know of any family Dagger had, or whether they were in the resistance, or somewhere she wasn't able to see them... But he did know that he wasn't about to ask her about it - especially if she seemed so uncomfortable bringing it up. Though he thought so for different reasons than were true, though there was no possible way of him knowing that.
She traced her boot on the rotting wooden floor - another attempt to make the place seem more homey - as her dark eyes darted around the room, looking at the small amount of possessions he featured on the shelf space.
"But... I don't do anything rash about it, Zidane..."
He crossed his arms: this was what it was... Of course - her warning not to do anything dumb...
"I've thought about it of course, and you have no idea how long - ever since I was a little girl - that this has bothered me so... I know that even to this day, sometimes it'll creep up in my mind when I'm alone, and know that there's nothing I can do... I feel completely helpless, and I know that's what you must be feeling as well... But I just don't want to see you get hurt."
She saved herself with that last comment, but still the Genome refused to speak.
"Zidane..." She placed her hand on his, crossed in his arms, as she leaned against the old pine table in his room, more like a log than a piece of furniture.
"Thanks for your concern, Dagger..." He hugged her, making her hand slip off the wood, though surprising enough it didn't catch on any threatening splinters of misshapen tree. He noticed nothing different though, as thunder rumbled away from them for such a long time. "Thank you..."
She pulled back, a light blush, unnoticeable in the intense darkness, spreading across her face. She turned around, "Good night, Zidane..."
"Goodbye... Dagger..." He watched her go, though didn't miss the confused glance she shot at him... Why the choice of goodbye, verse goodnight? She would figure it out sometime later... The only thing she knew is that she had easily halted him from making a choice that could cost him his life.
??
Items were being tossed nonchalantly into a back, though the trembling of the hand that carried them showed things were not calm about what was racing through his mind at this moment in time.
It was unbelievable, what he was about to do, and it baffled even him that he was thinking about it. He had been warned, in more than one way, that he was not going to do anything dumb... But that sure changed quickly. He knew he would be in trouble, he knew that no one would be happy with him - perhaps even finding anger within themselves to direct towards him, but the funny thing was... he didn't actually care at that period of time.
He looked up for a moment, making sure he didn't see light in the cracks of the door. What he was doing had to be completely secret if he wanted to make it out without interference. Again, his sapphire eyes were shifted down, his shaking hands trying to zip up the bag as quick as possible. He glanced around the room, trying to see if anything else was worth taking - encase he needed it.
That's when, by the over-used candle, wax all over the holder it was stuck in, he saw what Dagger had left for him. It was a beautiful, smooth piece of garnet. It glittered lightly, even with the lack of light to reflect off of it. The chunk of it was rough on one side, where it was apparently broken in half. Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, he saw how hastily the pendant was placed on the thin rope.
Dagger had given it to him sometime when he hadn't noticed... It must have been the beginning of her concern. From the talk they had had about an hour earlier, he realized that she had been worried for a long time that he was going to leave. The necklace had been that she wanted him back safely if he had gone... He was sure of that - her nature was precisely that way...
But that last attempted had been to make him not endanger himself at all... It was a plea for him not to get hurt, and for him to stay where she would know he wasn't going to get into any trouble. Shaking his head, he understood now that he could not comply to that request - to stay exactly where she wanted him to. As much as he hated the thought of upsetting her, he pulled the rop around his neck, allowing the gem to dangled in front of him.
He would take it, and give it back to her - to piece together with whatever small bit of garnet she had left in her possession. Giving it back to her would be a sign that he came back without harm... It was a promise he just made to himself - a promise that made him a little less nervous to travel out of the safety of the rebellion.
He reflected slightly on how it would affect everyone. Most would be angry with him no doubt, especially Steiner. Dagger, from the signs he finally understood, would be upset that he did not heed her warning or her request, but what about Vivi? The poor kid would be so confused. Him and Zidane had been the only ones in the whole mess - the only ones that truly understood each other at this point in their journey...
Would he understand that Zidane needed to make the venture alone? Would he be upset he wasn't invited? Or would he only be on the verge of dreaded tears because they only had each other, if one looked at it at quite that way, and they had been together through the start of this mess... But then, what would happen when Zidane was gone? Would Vivi even have a leg to stand on?
Like paper being shredded, his thoughts were scattered as footsteps were heard outside his door. He figured they were too close to hide, but prayed whoever it was knocked before entering. Unfortunately for the blonde, that just wasn't the case. Blank walked in (of course there wasn't a knock to help him out), eyes suspicious.
"You're awake?"
"You ever learn to knock?" Zidane spoke in a surprisingly calm manner, and it shocked even himself that he could try and joke at such a stressful time as this.
The redhead nodded towards his bag, "What are you doing?" When Zidane didn't answer right away, anger flared in Blank's eyes, though the blonde wasn't aware of it, "Zidane!" He snarled, his legs and arms spread, as though acting as a human block so that his best friend could not get through.
The blonde stood staring at the wall, wishing at that moment they weren't in the safety of underground so he could break through a window, or something of the sort. His shaking hands tensed into fists, then released, and dangled, quivering at his side, before the process repeated itself. He was constantly licking his lips, opening his mouth to defend himself, before shutting it again, resembling a goldfish. His repetitive nature caused his anger to brighten inside his head.
He whipped around, eyes instinctively blinking when his hair whipped him in the face, "You don't understand!" He had to contain himself so he didn't yell and attract anyone else to the scene.
"I understand well enough to know that what you're doing is insane suicide and cannot be permitted!" Blank jerked forward, almost trying to threaten his friend nonverbally.
"You don't know what I'm going through! You can't make that decision for me!"
"You're part of something now, Zidane," he tried to get through to the taller thief, "don't you understand that? You can't make rash decisions anymore, especially with zero support!"
"I can't just sit here and do nothing! They're the people I've spent my life with for the last five years! I cannot let them keep suffering, and wake up to find only confusion and pain! I can't do that!" He was on the verge of yelling now, a lot of emotion packed into his, what he hoped, forceful words.
"That's taking a mighty chance! It's not worth your life, man! Think!" Blank was flailing his hands about, making a scene that resembled something of a tantrum.
"You would do the same thing!" Zidane declared, quietly and menacingly; he knew that got under the redhead's skin.
There was silence for a moment, expect the thunder rolling above them. The candle's flame, flickering and dancing about, seemed to mock them - that was noise enough for Blank to reply.
"You can't go alone."
"I can't ask you to come with me..."
"Then I'll follow at your side."
"That sounds like kidnap..."
"You kind of have..." Blank let on a small smile, being defeated in only one line. Though he was angry, the blonde had a complete point - the emerald eyed man couldn't possibly sit back if he had known that Zidane was there, and that he could save him...
"We're leaving in five... I'm going to get some food..." He passed the redhead, but stopped and turned, placing a gloved hand, now steady with confidence when he had someone on his side, on his best friend's shoulder, "Thank you..."
??
The night was a loud one. Thunder crashed in the sky like cymbals, water draining into the dirt, soaking it until it morphed into mud. The liquid pelted the buildings, creating a loud background rush, while lightning chains flitted through the sky, illuminating the ominous dark, and even deeper shadows.
The rumbling from the skies above, thunderhead clouds tall and almost black, the blonde to think of something that unnerved him thoroughly. As he sprinted across open field of slippery mud, and greasy grass, glancing every so often at the redhead trying to keep his balance all the same running next to him, he thought about what would happen, though with his thoughts, he figured something even worse out.
The future, the consequences, and the outcome of this plan were just like the weather... Completely unpredictable...
??
A/N: I don't know if it would make much sense to apologize. It's been so long... Much too long in fact... :( But you see... When my USB decided to start deleting stuff from it, along with it went half of this chapter. Inspiration struck me only today after looking at it so many times in the past. I think now that I really want some readers, though I can't complain - it's my own fault if no one reads this anymore.
:) I have the next two chapters written... Of course THOSE didn't delete... Oh the irony :)
Review please!
-zesty-
