Filling In The Blanks
A/N: So I know the last chapter was seriously like... really long :) But at least it had stuff going on? :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 9, or any of it's characters.
Chapter 20: Out
"Move, move, move, move!" Zidane barked the order at Steiner, who hopped up immediately along with Beatrix.
The brunette had made some miracle of a recovery, and though she was no where near one hundred percent, or even out of life danger, she could still move around well enough on her own.
"What happened?" Steiner demanded before he would move any further.
"We need to leave!" Dagger persisted, weaving her fingers together and standing innocently and helplessly in front of Beatrix, "They're right behind us!"
"Who?" Steiner and Beatrix wondered aloud together.
"Kuja!" Zidane and Dagger yelled together, in hopes of getting everyone to move a bit faster.
A few of them gasped, not knowing what was going on exactly, but there was no time to speak to each other about it. Spells were being cast behind them, random bursts of fire, or cones of blizzards, whooshing waves of water, and chains of lightening, among other spells - stronger spells.
"We have no time!" Freya pointed out the obvious as she gripped Vivi's hand again, running down the tunnels from Blank and Zidane's lead. Beatrix this time, held on to Dagger as best she could, and together they helped each other over the bodies and debris as swiftly as they could.
When the light hit their eyes, everyone flinched back, slightly dazed from the sudden burst of light. Though the sun's rays were still extracted, the world deprived of the beautiful, hope-filled blaze, they had been in that hell-striken place long enough for their eyes to adjust to strict darkness.
Glancing around wildly, Vivi was the first to spot the boat on the other side of the river, and down a few feet. Luckily, it had warmed up enough, and not cooled back down yet, so the water wasn't frozen. Zidane and Steiner dove into the water, their heads bobbing above the surface when they came up for air as they tried to reach it. The rest of the group was huddled towards the edge of the last stair that led into the icey water.
They gripped the boat as much as they could, kicking their legs fiercely, though they were becoming numb extremely fast. As soon as they got back over to the other side, the others scrambled onto the boat, it wavering around in the water. The two of them stood on the steps, shoving the boat away to gain speed, as Steiner hopped in.
Unfortunately for Zidane, he fell back into the water as the boat pressed forward. They were screaming at him to hurry up and try and scramble on the side, the water was beginning to freeze once more, Kuja and the others in the last tunnel to the outside.
He inhaled as deeply as he could and dove under the water, pressing himself against the bottom, his shoes giving him grip as he pushed off, trying to reach the boat. He could see the shadow under the water, moving ominously, the suspense of if they'd actually make it away alive almost too much to bare.
After what seemed like forever, when his breath was almost out, he kicked off the bottom of the stone canal, shooting upward under the shadow of the boat, where he turned slightly, and broke out of the water, it splashing just about everyone on the craft, but his hands clung to the wood, as he dug his fingers in, pulling himself up.
He only, by some miracle, slowed the boat slightly as he collapsed into it, breathing heavily as Freya pushed it with her spear. Steiner, with his long sword, and Beatrix with her thinner sword, used them as paddles to help the boat along, as Vivi refroze the river behind them. Quina tried not to move around, in fear of rocking the boat too much, and Blank was lying across one of the wooden seats, clutching his arm, and slipping in and out of consciousness periodically.
Zidane looked to Dagger who was sitting in front of Blank on the floor. There was a bit of water on the bottom of the boat, her pants and hands soaked as she traced her gloved finger in the liquid, creating a small trail that disappeared without a trace within split seconds.
"Did we... really... make it?" He asked between puffs of breath. He would start to get cold soon, and he could only pray it didn't take very long to get back.
She smiled down at him, an obvious relief in her features as their boat sped out of the city.
He closed his eyes and grinned back at her. Letting his breath fill his ears as he drifted into an exhausted sleep.
?
By the time they reached Dali once more, the weather had taken a surprising turn. Though it was still stormy, it was no longer freezing, the grass wet instead of crisp, and the houses exposed instead of hidden. Thick raindrops hit Zidane in the face as he climbed lazily out of the boat, read to go inside and take an extremely long nap.
The others were silent as Beatrix began tying it up, and hiding it under some brush. But she let out a cry and collapsed on the scene, snapping everyone back to reality. They had made it out of the death trap, but still had wounds that they needed to tend to. The event was doing a good job at reminding everyone of their mistakes.
Quickly, Steiner picked Beatrix up, Freya helping Vivi down the hole into their safe hide out. Dagger followed suit ready to heal everyone up, and Zidane went to the boat to get Blank. He was extremely pale, and his arm looked horrible. Picking him up, and shifting him in his arms, he began to walk towards the house, glancing back up the river, not being able to believe that they had made it...
Smiling, he also lowered himself underground, into only a day and a half ago, he thought was a place he didn't want to be cooped up anymore, but now he discovered it seemed more like a sanctuary. Perhaps the blonde understood why the small underground house had been so utterly important to the resistance members.
When he walked into the kitchen, everyone seemed to be gathering at the doors, giving Dagger enough space, but spitting questions at the whole team, who refused to say anything. The raven haired girl was working on Beatrix, placing spell after spell on her, all the while Freya being ready to wipe off the blood, and patch her up. Blank would be next, and the blonde placed him on the table set up next to Beatrix's.
"Why aren't you telling us what happened?"
"Who did this to Beatrix?"
"How the hell did everyone get caught up in a mess the two idiots created?"
"Why did you guys go after them?"
"Who in their right mind would even care they left!"
"Is Blank going to be okay?"
"Steiner are you injured?"
"Are Blank and Zidane back alive?"
"Who's all hurt?"
"Who died?"
"Is that Beatrix looking like she doesn't have half of her body anymore?"
The questions went ignored by all the people swarming in the hall just outside. Except one voice was heard above all. She was screaming and shoving, people looking bewildered that she jammed her way through the entire mess, such a petite and dainty girl as she was.
"Where's Blank?" She demanded, her eyes swollen and red, most of her make up running down her face. "Where is he?"
"He's right here, Ruby..." Freya said calmly, pulling her the rest of the way through the crowd so she could see him.
She gasped, placing a white-gloved hand over her mouth, as a new set of tears filled her eyes. She hurried over, and fell to her knees next to the redhead, taking his good hand in her own. "Blank, what in the devil's name are ya doin'... Runnin' away leavin' us behind! Why, I oughta make a coat outta ya!" She sniffed, "You're such an idiot!" She put his hand to her cheek, and looked at him, "Darlin' wake up, please..."
She suddenly burst into tears, sobs wracking her small frame as she closed her eyes. Everyone stopped for a moment, pitying the over-emotional girl. She had been sweet on Blank for what seemed like ever, but refused to admit it, therefore she was always hard on him, and made it seem as though she hated him just to cover it up... Unfortunately for him, she never had the guts to tell him quite how she felt.
Dagger sighed and went back to tending Beatrix, and turned towards Vivi next, who sat upon a stool, waiting to be attended. Freya began to patch the knight up. Slowly, and what looked painful, she stitched the young woman's back up, disinfecting it, and putting annoyntment on it every so often as well.
It was easy enough for Vivi to have a cure cast on him, though he still looked as though he would have some bruises for a while. Next, Dagger turned to Steiner and Zidane, and quickly cast esuna on the both of them. They had been close to freezing, and she wasn't sure if they needed or not... But she wanted to be safe.
Freya walked over to Ruby and put her hands on her shoulders. What the blue-haired girl thought would be comfort, actually made her growl with rage. The Bermecian had to literally peel her away from the redhead so Dagger could help him. She was placed next to Cinna, who had managed to squeeze into the room (though how no one ever figured out), and calmed her down enough to make her wait patiently.
After preforming a cure on him, she asked Steiner to crack his bone back into place, and for Freya to do the rest. The girl look exhausted and seemed to just need to sit down, or take a breather. They nodded at her request, and still no one spoke. Though everyone in the hallway parted for Regent Cid, when he came swiftly down the hall.
"I heard you were back..." He looked at the injuries that were quickly molding themselves together again by the magic being worked. "What happened?"
Steiner sighed, and glanced at Zidane with a hard glare, "Beatrix is still in grave danger of dying because of him!" The rage exploding from the knight's mouth made everyone slightly shocked - though they knew he was upset, they didn't realize the bloodlust in his eyes.
The blonde thought it best to stay quiet, but couldn't help himself, "She's alright now... Beatrix will -"
"You don't dare say she'll be alright! She would be fine if it hadn't been for you in the first place! Dagger would have never preformed that summon -"
"Summon!" Cid's eyes flashed with a powerful anger, as his head jerked to the girl standing in the corner, her hands crossed behind her, and her head bowed in shame. Her dark hair covered her eyes, causing her to cower away from the punishment that was down the road.
But this didn't seem to stop Steiner, "It's all your fault! You think it's alright that you simply leave! Injust! Injust! I strongly suggest you rethink yourself, thief!" He glared, "Just because we have someone who can cure, and I am ever so grateful she did for your sake, because you would be dead by now! Dead!"
"Steiner I'm not -" He tried to reason, only to be interrupted.
The metal glove, along with the force behind the punch was enough to knock him into a few chairs, and blow him completely over. Everyone gasped and stopped, Cid putting a hand on Steiner's shoulder before it could get completely out of control.
Zidane groaned and intook a breath, gripping his nose and cracking it back into place. Dagger very quickly decided she would preform a cure after the heat of the battle had died.
"Zidane..." Cid spoke almost monotonious, in an attempt not to take sides, "Go to your quarters... We don't want anymore trouble. Dagger, go to your quarters... I'll be in to speak with you later... Everyone besides the ones on the mission, go back to your tasks! There is nothing more you can figure out until I hear the story! Everyone will be called together to be informed on what has happened after I have time to discuss it with them! Not to mention, they need a little time to breath..." He indicated to what had just happened between Zidane and Steiner, and slowly everyone began to back away and move back to whatever they were doing.
Dagger helped Zidane up, and quickly hurried out of the room, Zidane stalking behind her. Cinna pulled Ruby up, and asked if she'd like to go get some fresh water with him. She agreed simply because she wanted some fresh air, even if it meant being completely soaked after going out in the rain.
Cid tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for everyone to head out. Freya pushed down on Steiner's shoulders, forcing his knees to buckle and his large frame to collapse into a chair. Vivi was silent and scared, sitting in the corner with Beatrix and Blank's unmoving forms in front of him.
The redhead came around after long moments of silence between everyone else in the room. His emerald eyes ached as he saw the dim lighting once again, and he sat up with great difficulty. Vivi took to scraping his chair along the wood to sit next to the bandit, and it wasn't too long after that Beatrix came around as well, though she stayed laying down.
"Now that everyone is awake -"
"Where's Zidane and Dagger?" Blank asked.
"They were asked to leave..." Freya said, turning back to Cid, "Go ahead and begin..."
"Now that everyone is awake... I'd like to ask calmly of someone other than Steiner what happened... The whole story... Perhaps we should begin with Blank?"
All eyes shifted to him to hear exactly how the story had gone, and he sighed, knowing he shouldn't hide anything.
"Zidane has been bugged a lot lately, as you all know... By this feeling of his friends being alive, or not alive... I know that doesn't seem important, but you have to understand... I wouldn't have let him go... I was prepared to beat him down - believe me I was... But, he told me that if I had known that he were there, he asked me if I would have done the same thing..." He shrugged and glanced down at his shoes as though they were the most interesting thing in the entire world.
"He was completely right... I would have done the same thing... as would most of you..." There was silence as he took a quick glance up, and back down to the smudged wood on the floor. "Now, we made it there no problem... We got in, snooped around, and we got to the room that Zidane had found himself in when he first woke up... It was weird... All the cots were still there, and Zidane even found where he had been sleeping... But no one was in there."
"So it was the wrong room?" Cid questioned.
"No... It was the right room... He was sure of it, and I knew from the looks of it the cots had been used for quite some time..."
"Where were they then?" Steiner asked, an accusing tone swelling in his throat.
"We never figured that out... Can I just tell the story please?"
"Yes, go ahead..."
As he slowly relaid the story, the more and more Cid's anger and confusion was shifted towards Dagger. Beatrix went on to explain the summon, and exactly who she summoned, and so on and so forth. The Regent wasn't someone who was normally angry... But when he found out they knew now that the princess - his niece, Garnet, was alive and well... His irritation soared, though he couldn't speak outloud, because Vivi was there, and he was still undecided if they should know or not she was really a Princess.
Dagger had had the alabi ever since Beatrix and Steiner had came across Lindblum. It had a few black mages in it, beginning the invasion, but the plan was still under the works - it hadn't been taken over yet. That was the reason Cid was still alive to this day. He had found the two knights, looking tired and hungry, and his little niece, crying and scared, asking every so often where her mother had gone.
They informed him of the attack on Alexandria, and Cid only feared the worst. Though they didn't know Kuja had been there as well, and it was a miracle they made it out unnoticed, Cid knew it was time to leave. Thus, he packed up whoever he could find, and left Lindblum all together, his progress on his ships, his kingdom, and his life left behind.
Each town they tried to wander on in with their small band of about ten people who stuck with them was seized either soon before they reached it, or very shortly after. There were more times that the first ten members of the resistance had managed to illude death than every other member combined.
?
"Uncle... Where's mother?" Garnet asked, her large, chocolate eyes glazed over with a sense of saddness and wonder that no one would answer.
"She's away right now, Darling... Please, do not wander around outside our tent Garnet, Dear... Alright? The moogles have done such a nice job setting it up for you."
"Just for me?" She asked, momentarily distracted.
She wrung her small fingers together, her dress bouncing when she moved back and forth. A change of clothes was one of the few things shoved in her bag her mother had given to her from her room.
"Just for you!" He tapped her nose, watching in delight as she smiled. Her porcelain face glowed in the lantern light, and she seemed to be the only one who could smile at a grave time such as this one.
The sun was ready to move on to another part of the world, its blaze cast golden upon the ground, for once a beautiful sight to another struggling day... Though with the night, the moon high in the glittering sky, came a fear that swept everyone silent and close together in the night. There was no rank or level of royalty with the ten of them... It was too risky to be spread out, and no one quite cared any longer.
"Sir..." The young knight, Beatrix, with her beautiful chestnut hair peaked into the tent timidly. Her confidence was dwindling with the sun as she awaited permission to speak.
"Yes, Beatrix?" He answered, making Garnet turn and laugh, standing and tripping again, only to stand again and hug her legs. It caused the youthful woman to smile.
"There was no sign of Hilda again today. We traveled as far as we could, until we found soldiers and a group of innocent pepole being moved to Alexandria. There weren't enough of us to take them on, so we had to leave..."
Cid looked down at his hands, balling into so tight of fists his knuckles were turning white. "I see... We'll look more tomorrow."
"I am sorry, Regent."
"Nonsense... I'm sure she's fine..." He nodded, in an attempt to reassure himself more than the girl.
She lightly tapped on Garnet's back, gesturing for her to return to her uncle's arms, and she did happily, her small giggles still floating in the air. But as soon as she was comfortable again, the question arose once more.
"Uncle, where's mother?"
"Hush, Garnet..." Beatrix cooed to her in a soft voice; the girl only nodded and stayed quiet.
Cid felt horrible that he could do nothing for the young girl... He was so grateful to have Beatrix there to assist, as he didn't have any children of his own, and he had only ideas on how to spoil the girl to her mind's wildest dreams when she visited him, and not how to actually take care of her.
"Garnet..." He mumbled.
The two girls looked at him. One four years old, and curiously awaiting what he would say following her name, and the other, eighteen years old, quietly anticipating what would be said next.
"That isn't much of a safe name for her... Don't you agree Beatrix? In case one were to call out to her... She must keep this secret so long as Kuja has power to kill..."
The walnut color in the girl's eyes shone with a sense of confusion, "Sir?"
"She needs an alabi, Beatrix... A name that we can call her, disguising her from harm... But what? A code for Garnet til Alexandros the 17th... Heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Alexandria. The one with the ability to summon protectors to do just that for anyone she wishes... She is too known already at her young age..."
As he spoke to the knight, little Garnet sat on a blanket, eyes gleaming with amazement at the things laid out in front of her that her uncle had been previously fiddling with. Her tiny hands wrapped around his sheath to his dagger, he kept hidden beneath his robes, incase he needed to protect himself from someone so close.
"Dagger..." Cid laughed, and the girl looked at him immediately, dropping the weapon and acting innocent. "Garnet dear..."
"Yes, Uncle?" She smiled, her proper words sounding silly coming from such a small and adolescent voice.
"Let us play a game, hmm?"
Both girls peered at him in curiousity. The wind began to howl outside when the sun had sunk into the ocean of a horizon, and now Beatrix was fully in the tent, too afraid to stand with her back so clear in view to the outside nature of the world.
"Okay!" She laughed, clapping her hands together.
The Regent glanced at Beatrix, signaling to her to take note and to send the word to the others in the resistance of what was about to happen.
"We're going to play a little bit of a detective game, would you like to Dear?"
"Yeah!" She giggled, eyes wide with excitement and wonder; she hadn't played a game like that in a while.
"Your undercover name is going to be Dagger alright honey? And everyone is going to play with you... Whenever someone calls you Garnet, you are not to speak to them, not even acknowledge them... But with Dagger, you act as though it had been your name for your whole life..."
She frowned, a scowl etching onto such an underaged face looked so wrong, "Why?"
"That's part of the game!" Beatrix added in her opinion, in hopes of persuading the raven haired daughter of the Queen.
She thought about it, her face pinched together as her simple mind processed those thoughts.
"We'll go on detective adventures too, all of us as a whole... You get to be the leader my dear..."
"Me?" She gasped.
"Yes of course," Cid laughed, "The leader when you're ready... You must prove you can go with us on these dangerous -" he winked, "missions and be called by Dagger, and not Garnet... To stay undercover of course."
A puny silence went by, and then she laughed, "Okay!"
Cid glanced at Beatrix with a delighted smile on his face, and she sent a fond glance at the both of them before turning outside the tent, and heading out to spread the word.
There were only two tents, so they couldn't possibly be seen, though fire was sparse, only lit in the day time with things that wouldn't give such a nasty black, or even a gray smoke to let them be found out. One tent had six members in it, the other had four - newfound-Dagger, Cid, Beatrix, and Steiner - the last spot ever open for Cid's wife who had gone to visit family only a few days before the attack on Alexandria. They had to leave before she could return in hopes of finding her at a later time.
They had to find a small town with a population close to their group size... So that they couldn't possibly be followed, or captured. Cid knew that Garnet was the key to a win in this war. He knew it would go on for a very long time, at least until they had more people, and their Princess was old enough to make right decisions... He could do nothing - he was imprisioned to give guidance to the girl who had to stand on her own two feet from the day her future Kingdom was attacked... He couldn't afford to die and leave her alone... Then she wouldn't want to face the future, and the world would be doomed...
?
They gained many more people on their quest to find a place to live, and when they came across Dali, only people who were friends of friends could know where the hide out was... They laid their trust in the people of Dali not to abandon their cause out of fear if ever questioned, and for thirteen years, they had been oh so successful...
Back to the point in hand, after Cid had heard the whole story, he seemed torn on what to do. "I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Punishment shall be worked out of course, but other than that... We know not of what Kuja will go through to obtain the summoning powers of Dagger."
"That's what worries me..." Beatrix spoke up, "He's been after those summoning powers for thirteen years -" she was careful to leave out the Princess, and simply say the powers, "- and he's been after the resistance for thirteen years... And now he's after his precious dreamers... They're all in the same places... He knows that the power and the dreamers are intertwined deeply with the resistance, and therefore he can take out all three birds with one stone had he ever found out where we were hiding.
"Though I'm not going to say that he will find out, or that anyone will betray us, I simply must express my concerns for the safety of everyone, whether we're angry with them or not."
"I understand..." Cid nodded, "But there is nothing we can do at the moment. We cannot simply pack up the resistance and leave, especially not right after the fact... It would be too dangerous, and too suspicious. He could easily pluck off half of our numbers if we tried to travel across the open fields."
"Let's go by airship!" Blank though, a bright expression illuminating his face when he thought his idea was positively brilliant.
"All those people, all of our supplies... Where would we even go?" Freya wondered aloud, her voice wrought with gloom; it caused the redhead to sink into his chair.
"We must wait it out then..." Beatrix sighed and looked unhappily at the ground, "I like it here..."
It was the most unprofessional thing most of them had ever heard her say. She didn't sound her age of thirty - oh no... She sounded much younger, as though she was only saying that because it was her selfish, subconscious mind that willed her to stay in a place she had easily come to call home. She had almost spent more of her life underground in the dirt of Dali, than above ground in the beautiful city of Alexandria. It absolutely pained her to think about leaving.
Of course, no one could disagree with her at all...
No one would want to abandon the small piece of comfort they had left, living in their lives of hell...
?
A/N: So I know it was kind of a weird spot to stop the chapter, but it was getting quite long again :D I shall go onto writing the next one as soon as I do the dishes! :D Weeeeee! I'm excited! I cannot wait to see everyone's reactions on the chapters coming up soon!
Review and let me know what you think!
-zesty-
