Filling In The Blanks

A/N: I'm not sure WHAT is going to happen in this chapter, but I know the interesting stuff is coming really freakin soon!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 9, or any of its characters... The only people I do own are the nubby guy, creepy guy who seems blind, the mage who helps Vivi train, some random Dreamer people who no one knows if they're real or fake, some drunken guards, and General with a funny name.

Chapter 22: Unknown Outcomes

In all honesty, nothing had really calmed down in the past twenty-four hours. Though everyone's injuries were still healing tremendously well, the anger and uproar throughout the resistance was even worse. When everyone else had been told the whole story there was an outrage. Most of the resistance didn't know that Dagger was indeed a Princess, but they did know that summoning power was something Kuja wanted greatly.

Most everyone was reluctant to even trust the blonde, and unfortunately Vivi either. For the whole day after they had rested up, hardly anyone except those who had been there, and the Tantulus crew (along with some older members of the resistance who had a more levelled head) would even look at them. Therefore, the two dreamers stuck together for most of the day, staying out of people's way.

There were many though, who tried not to be too hard on any of them, whether it be Dagger, Blank, Zidane, or anyone

else for that matter. What was done, was indeed done, and it seemed that, though there were many atrocities that would remind them of the attack their main group had endured, after everything - everyone was still safe.

They could get back to their normal lives - they could do what they had been doing, and working to do before Zidane had decided that he was going to leave. It seemed as though no one could stay angry with them for a large amount of time... Everything would be perfectly fine...

That, at least, was what Beatrix had hoped. There she stood in the pumpkin patch to the right of the small amount of buildings that were close enough together to form the small town called Dali. She had been attempting to do some work in the gardens, hoping that the rain had helped, and the plants would have a little something to them so that the resistance could put the pumpkins to use... But she hadn't gotten very far.

Out in the distance she saw the observatory. It seemed almost like a picture, painted into the very sky, so that it seemed to be there, simply in - perhaps memory, or just paint spread onto a canvas. She sighed and leaned against the fence, taking in the calm atmosphere of the outside.

The sun was about to set, and it seemed that there were not a lot of things disturbing the sounds of nature's harmony. Crickets chirped, and the wind seemed to play a note or two on the grass, it swaying together, swirling in with the sounds of the water, distant sounds of children laughing before the inn, awaiting their parents to call them back home.

That was what Beatrix had hoped for when she was young. She hoped that she could grow up and marry a handsome man, live in a small place, close to the size of this one, just outside of Alexandria so she could still visit her home, and where most of her family lived. She wanted to be able to see the beautiful, serene scene that changed day to day, something contrasting so greatly, it was hardly recognizable, even if she was still standing in the same spot. She wanted a few kids so that she could be the one, leaning outside the doorframe of her small, cozy house, and call their names, watching the beautiful mixture of genetics create angels who would run home and feel safe when in her arms.

All of those things had still been in her mind, when she had first started training to become a knight. But as time went on, and she became so much more dedicated to her work, and less about having friends and watching the tiny things in life that everyone seemed to take advantage of. Soon, she hardly noticed anything she used to love to watch, whether it have been a bug on a leaf, or the clouds forming shapes in the sky...

The only thing she had been ever faithful to watching was the sunset. Even being stuck in a hole for the past decade and a half, she realized that she would always sneak away to watch the only beauty that seemed to be left in the world.

She thought it was kind of ironic... She was grown up now, living in a small place, close, though not right outside, to Alexandria, seeing the extravagant features of the world, and she had kids, though teenagers and only about fifteen years younger than her, flocking to her for safety. It wasn't exactly what she had imagined, but for now, in the hell-stricken world she lived in, it had to do.

The same portrait that was cast out before her almond eyes was disrupted. She tilted her head to the side, not fully comprehending it for a moment. The rolling hills caused the facade that made the meadows before her seemingly flat, but still... She hadn't seen the figure moving at all before... Had she simply been too caught up in things to notice?

Pushing herself off of the fence, she turned around, ready to head back inside. She sighed looking at the pitiful orange plant on the ground, before kicking it lightly with her boot. Glancing back again, she saw the figure, stone still, not moving at all.

Shaking her head, she decided not to disturb her thoughts with the possibilities, and pushed open the door to the mayor's house. She saw a glimpse of them at their dinner table. The mayor glanced fondly at his wife, looking intrigued as to what their daughter was saying to them. A perfect family.

Closing her eyes, she was forced to turn away from what she didn't have, and down the hole to where her life had been condemned - seemingly to her desire for a family: unimportant, though undeniable...

?

"It was real weird..." Beatrix walked into the kitchen, interrupting a conversation between Cinna, Marcus, Blank, and Zidane.

Cinna was telling of some odd event, while the three had a mini food fight with applesauce found on their theater ship, too old to possibly eat. It seemed no one was listening to their tan skinned friend as he recited what he had seen.

"Are you guys even listening?" He glared, only to be hit in the side of the face with some of the mushy substance.

Zidane and Blank stifled a laugh, before finally, seeing as he wasn't wiping it off, burst into howls of laughter. Zidane, who was sitting on the table, doubled over, clutching his sides as the sound of joy echoed about the small, rickety room. Blank had been leaning against the counter, and was now banging his fist on the surface, the pounding sounds not nearly as loud as their hoots of laughter.

Marcus was chuckling, in an attempt to look serious following the wrath of Cinna's glare.

"I'm being serious guys! The figure was doing nothing!"

The flash of the interrupted scenery entered Beatrix's mind, as she glanced at the younger man, a look of complete seriousness, and slight panic on her face, "What figure, Cinna?"

With urgency in her tone, the others stopped laughing, sombering up before awaiting what their friend would say.

"I was in the pumpkin patch this morning, and I saw some thing in the field, just like standing or squatting or something there and -"

Beatrix flew out of the room, stumbling as she turned, and quickly grasped the ladder, hoisting herself up into the mayor's living room, rustling about with absolutely zero grace. The daughter of the mayor, her black hair not yet pinned up, jumped back in surprise, a small gasp escaping her mouth. Beatrix had no time to stop and apologize as she tripped out of the house, and dashed to the pumpkin patch.

The dawn was errupting graciously. The purple clouds loomed in the sky, pink overtaking most of them as the sun came up over the horizon. It took such a time for the rays of hope to touch the land of Dali, so many mountains and such being in the way. But there was the figure still, hardly having changed positions from the night before.

The knight whipped around, her chestnut hair hitting her in the face as shivers were sent trekking up and down her spine. Hurriedly she went back to their hideout, and went to Cid immediately, banging on his door, and yelling for him to be quick because it was positively urgent.

A few people, Dagger included, stopped curiously, and somewhat worried to see Beatrix flying around, almost teleporting she was moving so quickly.

"What's wrong, Beatrix?" Cid asked, raising an eyebrow at her motives.

"A figure in the fields... I thought it would be alright - some rash villager too far out in the sunset... But previously I was informed it was still there - from someone who had been out there a little earlier this morning... I looked out there myself... Same position, and same exact figure..."

Cid bit his lip, pondering this, while the woman could have ripped her hair out. She was panicking, for the first time in a long time, allowing a lot of possibilities now slip through her mind.

"I myself cannot look... Why don't a few of you go out to see if you can make out what it is?" Beatrix nodded, in an attempt to stay calm as she gathered a few people and went topside.

?

The morning air was cool, but felt nice after a damp night underground. The soil hadn't yet dried after the heavy rains, so the fresh air was quite enlivening. Chatter arose from the people who made their way to the pumpkin patch, though Dagger stood faithfully by the older woman's side, trying to make sure she was okay.

When they reached it though, all signs of enjoyable morning talk was completely over. They all stared at the figure, able to be seen more clearly now that there was no sun shadow behind it.

There was a man standing out there: he had on silver armor, shining in the rays of golden light decending upon the grass. It swayed around him, and from what an elf that was with them could see, his face was completetly expressionless. But his eyes looked as though he were ready to kill, and that's what scared all of them.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he let out a yell. The group of people in the patch flinched back at the sharp noise filling the air. Out of the illusion of flat land arose an army of people, looking almost identical to the man standing there. Beatrix leaned forward, straining her eyes to see.

"Soldiers..." Dagger gasp, stepping backwards.

Everyone stopped and stared, flicking their eyes from the girl who had just spoken out of shock, and the people arising before them. All but the knight. She was staring wide-eyed at each person that derived seemingly from the surface of the grass and dirt.

"Aww..." Baku watched from behind the knight, a brooding horror rising in his chest, "Shit..."

"What do we do?" Dagger whispered.

"Maybe they haven't found us out yet... Let's just go back down to our hide out, and wait for them to leave..." Beatrix turned around and ushered them all backwards.

A booming voice, enhanced by a certain magic, seemed to overtake them, as they all stood, paralyzed with fear, frozen to the spot they stood.

"The group in the plants!" The voice was ominous and rough, "The resistance members in the patch!" It thundered, causing everyone to shutter, and slowly turn their heads to look at the man who had stepped forward. "We know your resistance is here! You have no time! Surrounder now, and consequences for treason, kidnap, and more trecherous crimes against The Lord Kuja shall not be as sevre! I don't like to repeat myself! Come out now!"

Beatrix whipped back around, and mumbled, though loud enough for everyone to hear. "Run!" Everyone bolted along the buildings, trying to hide from sight as a few arrows were cast their way. Quite quickly, the woman kicked down the door to the mayor's house, as everyone dropped inside she knelt down to the little girl.

"Where are your parents, Honey?"

"They wented out!" She gasped, dark eyes clouded with fear.

"Stay upstairs, alright Dear? No matter what - don't come down - not even for your parents! Hide in the best spot you can, and wait for your parents to physically go upstairs and get you, okay?"

She nodded, and Beatrix vanished, down into the underground hole to try and evacuate.

?

"Vivi you're the smallest! You have to!"

Tears streamed from the Black Mage's shining, yellow orbs, "But I'm scared!"

"We'll be right here, Vivi, and they won't see you, okay?" Dagger bit her lip, her heart sinking watching the mage panic at being killed, or failing at the task at hand.

He finally nodded, and climbed unsteadily up the ladder, and onto the top of the windmill, where he looked around for the soldiers. Crawling to the otherside, he almost screamed, as he scrambled to stay low, as though the soldiers might see him from afar.

They had abandoned their post, just within ten minutes worth of time, north of the building clump of Dali. Now they were in the east, coming in down the road, because their element of surprise had already passed. That was the only reason they had spoken out - they had seen the same young woman come out, and look at them multiple times - they knew their cover of one statue was shot.

The troops were going to attempt to flock them out, towards the one hole to get underground. It was a great defense; the only unfortunate thing being that it was also digging their own grave... It was their only escape. Or so the soldiers thought. It was hardly ever used, and three fourths of the resistance didn't even know it existed, therefore... They weren't sure if they should use it or not...

That second escape... it would have to be a last resort...

?

A/N: So I wasn't gona end it right there, but the next chapter is going to be wicked long :D I'm kinda excite for it, so I hope you all enjoyed the build up! :D What will happen with the resistance? :D

Review!

-zesty-