Filling In The Blanks

A/N: It's almost been what? Lol, another two months? I don't have a clue. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far though lol. I know - just so much is going on at the moment... Lol, but I'm going to start this chapter because I used to be (when I first posted the prologue) basically 13 or 14 chapters ahead of the recently updated chapter. Yeah, um... I'm only about 3 or 4 now lol. I've lost my touch for this story :) Let's hope I can finish it, hm?

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 9 or it's characters. Though I kind of wish I did.

Chapter 16: Immediate Consequence

The brunette glanced at the slightly older man, trying to figure out what his expression was. When the news was given to them that two of their team mates were missing, at first it was absolute horror. When expressed where they might possibly be going, considering it was Zidane and Blank, that horror turned into an outright rage. A number of people had been woken to speak about this incident, and to think about what they had to do. But a whole lot of arguing later, they had decided the subject would be persued again if the two didn't arrive back by morning. Now, at four o'clock, niether of the two being able to sleep, they stayed in the kitchen, completely silent, the woman not even knowing what he was thinking about.

She found him normally easy to predict and read, as his emotions were played out, sprawling across his face, and no matter in what - if it came to: what he was going to eat for breakfast, to practicing sword fighting with him, he was always very predictable to whom had spent more than a decade to him.

Beatrix was shocked, and at a sheer fire loss as to what to say about Steiner at this very moment in time. In a way, his attitude, with a brow creased, and a permanent scowl on his face, was a normal expression. But how he wore it, in their current situation was admittingly frightening to the pale woman sitting with her legs crossed across from him.

When he moved slightly, aftering being still for so long, she flinched, trying to sit up straight to hide her jolt. He didn't even bat an eye at her reaction, which made her even more concerned about what the man was thinking about. She parted her lips, sliding her pink tongue across them to moisten their surface so she could speak, but no sound came out. It was amazing - after all of their time together, and one little incident that hadn't yet made him angry and explosive, upset and demanding, or gleeful and giddy, caused her words to be pulled right out from under her.

"Steiner..." She finally managed in a hoarse voice, deciding then it would just be better to reach out to him, placing her ungloved hand on top of his arm.

He didn't look up at her for a long time, which potentially wounded the woman. She only cared, and the fact that he wasn't answering, or her undenying love for him wasn't really helping the matter in the least. But when he did look up, she almost knew right away what he was thinking.

"I thought we were going to wait until -"

"If Dagger's predictions are indeed correct, we must go to their aid now, or I fear it might be too late..." He trailed, allowing that to sink into her mind fully. "This is a mistake our team made - it's only right that only our team goes to try and fix it."

"We don't all have to go..." She persisted, thinking about how dangerous it would be for Quina, Vivi, Dagger, Freya, and... most importantly - Steiner. "Only one of us would be able to go and get them out, right?" She questioned, her eyes large with this newspoken fear.

"I do not know..." He shook his head slowly, "Perhaps it would be better if only one of us went. Then again at the same time, our whole team together might be the best route."

"This was so unexpected..." She murmured slowly and quietly, recalling how Dagger had burst in, tears in her eyes, reporting the news...

??

A Few Hours Earlier

Beatrix sat up in bed from her door bursting open, her eyes wide with a sudden groggy and ridiculous fear someone had found their hideout and had broken in. She was up in a second, her dagger gleaming in the light coming from the hallway, although it was still dim. With an quick movement, she sped to the door, only to stop short because of the girl collapsing into her, hugging her and breathing deeply with sobs wracking her whole small frame.

"Dagger?" She questioned, carefully dropping the knife on the table near the door, "What are you doing here?"

"They're gone, Beatrix!" She sobbed, her chocolate eyes glittering even in the small light.

Beatrix lead her into the room, never making the younger girl's grasp leave her own, while she sat her on the bed and lit a candle, holding it near her tear stained cheek.

"Who's gone?" She questioned, an eyebrow raised. She didn't look very professional, but she figured the raven haired girl wouldn't care at the moment - seeing how upset she was.

A new round of tears suddenly burst from the girls eyes, making her sob beyond belief at the mention of exactly who they were talking about. But the chestnut haired woman managed to make out, "Zidane, and Blank," from somewhere between the girl's cries.

"What?" She asked, her eyes almost popping out of her head; she would have jumped up, had the girl not been clinging to her shirt.

"They've left! Zidane said good-bye to me at one point late last night, but then - and he - I didn't think - how stupid and foolish of me - and then - but they - how could - why?" She sobbed, her tears leaking onto Beatrix's black shirt, the woman's eyes getting wider and wider every second.

Quietly, she pulled Dagger to her feet, giving her a comforting hug, before whispering what they would do into her ear, "We'll go let everyone know... Do not be frightened Dagger, we will get to the bottom of things..." She made the promise to the young girl right there, not even slightly oblivious to the girl's possible feelings towards the blonde, and the bond of friendship both he and the redhead had formed with a lot of people around the resistance headquarters.

??

Finally, Beatrix slowly made her way back to the room, rubbing Dagger's back affectionately to try and calm her down. The tears still leaked down her cheeks, though not nearly as bad as it was before. Shaking her hair out of her face, the woman plopped the girl into a chair in the kitchen, her face glancing at the others in the room.

Freya was leaning against the counter, her hat tilted in front of her eyes, her body quavering with a bad vibe - as though something terribly wrong was going to happen to them all, depending on the decisions made tonight. She had a scowl upon her features, that was hardly seen due to the snow white hair hanging in front of her face. One of her feet tapped against the ground, somehow holding her balance still.

Vivi was in a chair, also crying, with Nadina's hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. He was very upset the two of them had left, though he wouldn't show his sparkling yellow eyes, and refused to make much noise besides the occassional sniffle, sharp breath, and murmured sob, though his shoulders shook violently every few seconds. Nadina stood to the side of him, slightly bent at the waist, leaning over so she was short enough to be comfortable enough to whisper words of solace in his ear. He didn't wish to look at her, making her face distort into even more concern than before. If they were to leave, herself and the Tantulus crew would be in charge of the resistance until their return... If they were to return.

Which lead Marcus to be leaning against a different counter, his eyes glaring downward with his pointed ears sticking up, as he chewed on something or another in his mouth with his arms crossed, one ankled tucked behind the other. He was slumped so no one could see a clear expression on his face. Though it was apparent that his hands were balled into such tight fists his knuckles were turning white - he didn't like being left behind by one person they finally got back, and another person who was emotionally returning to them...

Cinna was seated in a chair, a rather vacant look on his face. He couldn't believe that out of everyone to simply up and leave with no warning, it was Zidane and Blank. He shook his head, his tan armor moving together as he shifted again uncomfortably in the seat. An anxiousness wracked his large, rounded body as his eyes shifted between everyone in the room, waiting impatiently for something to happen. Sighs of distress left his lips every two minutes to try and get someone's attention to speak up, at least to tell him to shut up, for he did not want to be the first to speak.

Baku was pacing rather roughly around the room, and if anyone got in his way, he shoved them back out of his way so he could walk. He was stroking his beard with one hand, as though in deep thought about how bad he was going to kick the two's asses when they were retrieved, only to stop, with a plain shocked expression on his face when realization hit of him not being able to tell if the two would come back alive or not. It was quite a disturbing thought to be had.

Ruby was seated in a chair next to Zenero and Benero, dotting her running eyemake up with a white hankerchief borrowed from one of the brothers. Her blue hair was ruffled and dissorientated - she was really upset Blank was gone. Though she sometimes seemed as though she hated him, she really was sweet on him, though she wouldn't admit it. Perhaps if he would just come home alive, maybe... She trailed, another small sob wracking her body as Zenero patted her back. He shot a sympathetic look at Benero who was slightly sobbing, his face in his hands, so upset that their team once again had fallen apart. It seemed as though Zenero was the only one who could hold it together out of the three. Reaching over, he placed another comforting hand on the leg of his brother, both of his hands now occupied with giving comfort to someone other than himself.

Steiner was sitting, completely calm, and disturbingly serene at the head of the table. His face showed no emotion, but there were no twitches or jerks in his movements, not even in the slightest. Everyone glanced at him the most, baffled at how he was stone still, no smile or glare on his face, his eyes only reflecting what kind of mood he felt. Even they didn't help anyone at all, because they read the most unreadable mood every. Every person in that room figured it was something new he was experiencing, between stress, worry, anger, and an upset aura that engulfed him to act like that.

The second most disturbing person in the room was Quina. He stood there, apparently not at all happy. He was very calm, yes, but his tongue wasn't wagging all over the place in confusion, as though he hadn't a clue what was going on at all. There was no drool sliding off of it onto his apron, and he stood for the most part still, and even more surprisingly - quiet. He didn't ask a single question of what was going on there, as though he knew. The thought really frightened a lot of people.

Cid was also sitting at the table, at the other head, directly across from Steiner, though his expression read either unreadable or grim. He did not know what to say - this could jeperdize everyone in the resistance, and yet their most powerful person could have also been driven to no use, or even out of his right mind to fight for what he believed in, had they not done it. He looked torn, tapping his fingers against the dusty table, though not disturbing any of the particles planted on the surface.

Dagger was now seated in the chair, her head down in her arms that were folded out in front of her. She seemed the most stressed of them all, her tiny sobs still breaking through as a muffled noise allowing everyone to feel a little sympathy. He long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, covering almost her whole back, no pale skin visable, as she was still completely dressed, obviously knowing about this long before anyone else... most likely not even being able to sleep.

It was Beatrix, who seemed to have Cinna's anxiety, Dagger's sorrow in her eyes, Baku's pacing, and Freya's angry concern who started the meeting. "You all already know why we're here..." She nodded, as though it would speak for itself, but she kept going, "We had this meeting once tonight... But I think... Steiner, myself, and to a certain extent, Dagger as well... We all think that something needs to be done before morning. And like any great group of individuals fighting for a cause, we'll vote..."

She waited for even a sound from someone else. But the small amount of noise in the room, mostly generating from Dagger and Vivi, had even haulted, as though the sound had caught in their throats. Dagger was now looking at her, her pale skin tear stained and splotchy red, her eyes puffy from rubbing them and the salty tears leaking out. Vivi still didn't look up, but everyone could tell he was listening. She took in another breath to continue.

"Does the whole team go, or just one person?"

Still there was no answer from anyone, not even an acknowledgement from Steiner, which began to frustrate Beatrix. She was the only one who wanted to face what was going on, putting the situation before emotions, and it was beginning to irritate her how the others could only think about what happened, and not what to do about it. "They're going to be in danger. Dagger tells me, from what Zidane has been thinking about - actually what's been driving him mad... His friends from this fake world..." She nodded to Vivi, as though he were the only one to fully understand, although she only received a slight nod in return.

"According to Dagger, Zidane and Blank went to Alexandria to try and find his friends..." Some unknowing people gasped in the room, while others easily knew that's what had been bothering the blonde all along, and that's what sincerely needed to be number one priority in the blonde's mind.

It was a strange thing, but it was Cid who spoke next. "What's done is done now..." He nodded, his voice extremely professional - more so than it had been in a very long time. "But, we need to think of how to get them back. I know there is doubt in your minds from everyone else here voicing their opinions. There were some people who said that they needed to be rescued, some people who said let them come back on their own, and some people who said let them die if they're willing to leave just like that, for one single mind boggling idea. But these two are your team members, and your friends... It is ultimately up to you all, how exactly you want to tackle the situation. If something is not done soon though, I warn, they could be dead or captured and unretrievable by morning."

Another breath caught in Dagger and Vivi's throats, and slight cries of emotional pain and tears began again.

"It might be quickest for just one of us to go..." Freya nodded, the first to throw in her opinion. Beatrix truly appreciated it from the Bermecian.

"Then again, what if we can't defeat whatever is there?" Dagger asked, her voice filled with tears and doubt. The only one now freely crying was Vivi.

There was a lot more silence to ponder the pros and cons, though unwillingly, until Steiner for the first time in a few hours spoke. He became quiet half way through the last meeting, only saying the few words to Beatrix when she had been sitting with him, wondering about the situation.

"I believe then, we should take the whole group. It's either one of us, or all of us... Though, a few of us will actually go in, some of us will stay out... We shall keep the path clear incase one or both of them are hurt."

Although an agreement was made in mute, no sound audible in the room, they dreaded the thought of the two being hurt. Despite the fury building inside some members at what an idiotic decision it was to go, let alone not tell anyone about it, there was a dread in the gut of everyone, no matter how angry they were...

What if the two of them were hurt...? Or worse...

??

A/N: Yikes... That was easier to write than I expected it to be. I loved writing that chapter actually. It was very nice... Yikes Wow. I loved it - I can't get over it hahaha... :) So yeah, let me know who sucky it was - despite the fact I had fun - first time in a LONG time I had fun writing something lolol.

Hope you all enjoy and review :D I appreciate it just as much as you might appreciate the story!

-zesty-