Filling In The Blanks
Chapter 30: Betrayal of Emotions
"You aren't!" The new voice was harsh and more official sounding. He couldn't really tell in this state, if he would consider her voice very high, or normal – distinguishing between the two required thought and not all sounds to be drowned out and messed up.
Beatrix turned and stuck her nose up – the woman posed a threat, and she could tell something really bad was going to happen soon with her.
The girl flipped her chocolate hair, batting her eyelashes slightly at the blonde, "I'm going to make sure of that…"
Zidane actually snorted, sounding a lot more confident than he actually was, "We always manage."
"Right…" She rolled her eyes, exasperated, "You know… A dreamer won't be taken so lightly to escape – we'd find you before you got a mile away."
"Like you did last time?" He challenged with a smirk; she huffed and turned to the knight.
Though no words escaped her mouth, a certain type of threat seemed to flow out of her mouth. Beatrix wasn't very intimidated – but she would be more confident had she not been behind bars. She only sat up straighter, and refused to look away from the intent gaze. It was the only type of defiance she could complete.
"Your duty was more important, why are you down here?" The girl whipped around to see a man with a red afro looking head of hair. He was hunched over, a pair of keys dangling in his hands.
"Just to see what kind of mistakes you were making with these people," she spat at him, trying to make herself look better than him.
Zidane though, could see the look in her eyes – it was the same look Steiner and Beatrix had always given each other… Always trying to seem like the superior one, but having the tenderness still sparkle in their irises.
He shrugged nonchalantly, as he continued walking, "None of them have escaped yet…" He said simply, moving forward.
"Red…" Her voice was a pinch nicer than it had been moments ago.
"Huh?" He sounded like a caveman – Zidane almost laughed at their exchange despite the situation he was in.
"Keep it up…" She spoke almost mechanically and whipped around the corner, but Zidane didn't miss the blush apparent on her face. He chuckled.
"Why do you take that shit?"
He shrugged, "It's just my job – she can say whatever she want, it doesn't change anything."
"I guess…" Zidane fell on his butt, leaning forward to stretch out his limbs. He was still in extreme pain, but he didn't let it bother him any further. "You could do a lot better…" He suggested, waving his hand, as though his voice wasn't important.
"I don't really want to, but I'll bite… Why do you say that?"
"Ohh…" He sighed, "No reason…" He blinked, staring up at the man, running his hand on the moist ground, but soon thinking otherwise and just folding them in his lap.
Beatrix raised an eyebrow at Zidane's antics – he was quite confusing at times, but she would go with it, "You get guard duty all the time?"
"Yup…" He nodded at her, then turned back to the Genome, mildly curious about what he was going to say. The dim lighting didn't light his eyes, but the blonde took the chance – it was the only thing he could do.
"That's what I mean… down in this shitty dump – guarding people who… some are too sore even to move… You want that as a life?"
"I do this so I can fight." He shrugged, jingling his keys. Somewhere down the corridor, there was a loud, frustrated growl. The brunette thought it sounded a lot like Blank, but she shook it off as unimportant.
"Excuse me?" Zidane raised an eyebrow, Beatrix sitting straighter, straining to listen to the man's grumbling.
"The best of the best get captured by Kuja's army – I fight most of them…"
"Think of how many people you could be getting on your own – part of the skill is finding them…" He turned to the side, the guard seeing his profile, though his azure eyes stayed locked on him.
This seemed to dawn on the man named 'Red', but he masked it quickly with a neutral tone, "This satisfies me enough…"
But that's where the conversation ended, leading Beatrix and Zidane to believe that perhaps it wasn't all that it was meant to be. His footsteps echoed long after he was gone, but soon the dripping of water in Zidane's cell was the only thing that could be heard.
Eventually, as he leaned backwards, ignoring the fact his back was becoming damp, he drifted into an uncomfortable sleep… But he was getting rest nevertheless, and that's what he wanted the most.
Before slipping into his unsettling sleep, he watched in the dim light, as Beatrix lay on the ground, her head turned away from him. He could tell what she was thinking, though he couldn't see her face.
Their attempts at making the guard mad… They didn't know quite what would happen.
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Lani walked down the hall, ready to surprise her friend with a day off. She hopped down the stairs, and was about to turn the corner yelling out to him, when she stopped dead to listen.
"The resistance can give you that better life…" The former captain of the Queen's protection so long ago in Alexandria had a pleading voice, as though desperate for the man to listen.
"How do you propose we get out, huh?" His voice was skeptical and slightly amused, but she fumed knowing he even entertained the idea.
Slowly she backed up. She wouldn't get Red in trouble… No… she had a better plan. In order to put it into action, she wouldn't be able to make her presence known. Carefully she faded back into the shadows – never noticed in the first place.
"I don't think so…" He snorted at Zidane's answer of stealth.
"What's your name?" Beatrix asked, her voice soft in an attempt to gain his trust. Whether it was working or not at that time, she would never know.
He shrugged, "I've got a lot of them… Most around here call me Red."
"Red, huh?" Zidane tilted his head, probing with his eyes for more.
"My real name is Amarant Coral."
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Lani moved quickly, the keys jingling at her side. Zidane was sitting up against the side of his cell, flicking mold he pulled off the wall earlier that day. Wow – he was bored.
She jammed the key violently into the lock and almost broke the key in an attempt to open it. Sapphire eyes were wide and confused as she walked briskly in and yanked him up by his arm.
"Follow me and do what I say."
He stumbled as she tugged him rather roughly along, and they stopped in front of Blank and Dagger's cells.
"Zidane!" She gasped, jumping up, relief flooding her features.
Blank was already on his feet, hands wrapped around the bars. Zidane's vision was basically back to normal, and he saw the both of them, a fondness growing in his eyes.
At this time, Lani pulled her axe off of her back, and heaved it into the bars of Blank's cell, only a half a foot above his hands. Despite himself, the redhead yelped and stumbled back.
"Do what I say, or I break his arm." To prove this, she hauled the axe handle into the wall, leaving a large dent.
Zidane looked at her in bewilderment, but waited for a command. His confusion only added to the tension of the area. "Kiss me." She demanded.
The three of them froze. Dagger's heart instantly broke. Though her and Zidane weren't together, someone as beautiful as Lani with the blonde – it made her chest heave in sorrow already. Blank was unsure what Zidane would do – he knew where his loyalties stood, but that was the problem. He would choose to save Blank's arm, but in the mean time, killing Dagger.
"Zidane…" He spoke calmly.
The three were still pretty frozen as Lani's expression became more and more smug.
"Do it otherwise he gets it –"
"It can be healed!" Zidane's head began spinning as he saw Dagger in the corner of his eye, shoulder's shaking slightly, and he saw a glint of a tear rolling down her cheek. Out of fear for her friends, and for what was about to happen.
"I'm gonna do it to both of his arms –"
"Zidane she's bluffing! Don't break her –"
As words filled the corridor, he swiftly wrapped an arm around the woman's waist and pulled her close, catching her lips on his. She smirked into it, and though he hated it, he was doing a damn fine job kissing!
Dagger moved away from the bars, suddenly feeling angry. She didn't want to cry, and she didn't want to show a weakness. It hurt her yes, and she tried to ignore the worried glances from Blank.
He watched the girl, her short hair bobbing as she moved from side to side, and his anger welled, "Zidane you dumb ass stop!" He commanded, but to no avail, Lani now had her hands tightly around his neck and head – he couldn't be done even if he wanted to.
Finally the mocha skinned warrior pushed him back and wiped her lips, still grinning. Zidane couldn't look at anyone who witnessed the event. She chuckled, and tugged at his hand, shoving him back into his cell. He put up no fight – for once, the spunk leaving him altogether.
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Another two days – pretty uneventful. Though Beatrix still conversed with Amarant, Zidane said nothing at any time. He stared at the wall, his back to the cell, and he didn't drink or eat anything that was offered to him.
"Zidane…" The low, mysterious voice broke through his thoughts, as he turned slightly, giving the man his profile once again. "What she did was shitty…"
"You think?" He grunted, turning back – he wouldn't talk to the man anymore. He was allies with that witch who most likely ruined his life…
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A light showed in the distance, and there was faded conversing he couldn't understand. He was pretty out of it, only opening his eyes for a few seconds at a time.
Truth be told, he was exhausted. These past events were just too much on his small body, and he couldn't quite take the injuries he had received in their previous fight. He shot a wavering a slightly blurry glance at the cell across from him. The purple haired girl – what was her name again? Sat, speaking with the moogle she kept hidden whenever guards came about.
He figured he should warn her – tell her that he saw a light, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. His body shifted, and the purple haired girl looked in his direction as the moogle jumped back into her overalls, shrinking itself in size.
He felt limp on whoever's grasp he was in, whether it be good or bad, he was grateful for the warmth. His feet dragged across the ground, making a light scratch, and a smudge in the dirt on the floor.
"Vivi…" The voice was firm, as though it masked feminine tone, but there was still a caring undertone that flitted through his ears.
"How's he doing?" The high pitched tone was a strain on his ears, but it was comforting in a familiar way he couldn't quite pin.
"Bad… He still is not responding…"
The black mage wondered vaguely what they were talking about. Surely not him right? He tried to speak, but no words came out. He found it odd but ignored it. Fatigue overtook him – his glowing eyes (now dimmed in his condition) closing completely, falling into another slumber.
Eiko glanced at the mage who just again fell asleep. She moved towards to the bars and wrapped her tiny fingers around the icy bars. "Freya?" She questioned, biting her lip as though she were uncomfortable.
The Bermecian glanced up – not showing her eyes, but flicking her hair from her face so she could see the young girl, "Yes?"
"Do you think we'll get out of here?"
Freya looked around the abandoned corridors, vacant of everything but moist, suffocating air and the occasional rat. She scrunched up her nose, sticking it up in the air disgusted. Eiko awaited an answer, noticing the woman's tough features – really admiring her courage.
"I am going to be honest with you, Eiko. In the condition things are now, I do not know…" She shook her head, and turned her attention back to Vivi.
The young girl was envious that the knight got to busy herself with taking care of her ally. A not-too-serious jealousy bubbled inside of her, causing her to sigh and lean against the wall. The longer she was cooped up, no sun to touch her skin, and no air to tickle her tongue – she was becoming agitated and cranky – not a good combination.
Suddenly, a guard moved quickly in front of Freya's cell, jittery and looking like he needed a dose of whatever he was taking. A more composed guard placed a hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to flinch.
His arm flung up and he pointed a finger in the direction of the Bermecian, "Her!" He shrieked, "It was her!" He yelped, his eyes frantic.
Freya raised an amused eyebrow, tilting her head to the side as she shifted Vivi in her lap. "She's the one who killed my unit in the woods!"
Suddenly, the woman froze. It seemed so long ago – it was long ago! But she wouldn't forget it… The unit in the woods speaking of ambushing the rest of Bermecia, wiping out anyone else who was fighting against them… wipe out the King and Fratley. She had turned on them and killed them, thinking that all of them had gone down.
All they were doing was having a good time by the fire, laughing and making jokes that no one else would hear – but she did… She knew, and she killed them. That was coming back to haunt her now…
The guard unlocked the door and kicked the delirious mage off of her lap. "Come with me." Freya was too dumbfounded to resist, positively shocked at what was happening.
"Freya?" Eiko questioned, trying to snap her out of it. It fortunately worked, as Freya slammed the guard into the bars, and punched him in the face.
She scrambled to move, as the shaky guard was screaming and jumping around as though he burned his foot on something extremely hot. The man rammed into the bars stuck his thin arm through and grabbed her tail.
The force he tugged at was amazing, and she thought for sure that her tail would snap off. As she got to the bars, stranded until he let go, he snaked his arms around her waist. Luckily, she thought this might happen, and she leaned forward with all of her force, bucking this way and that, making the man repeatedly hit his face on the cell bars.
The commotion was heard by the rest of the guards, now yelling orders to each other to move, as Freya scrambled down the other end of the hall. Scampering up the wet stone, she jumped at a torch and knocked it down, catching it before the dancing flames vanished.
As adrenaline rushed through her veins, she thought against fire finally, and with all of her strength, summoned a dragon. A blinding light filled the place, as a ghost of a long figure appeared out of nowhere. It began to materialize slightly, and glided though the air, confused on what it was doing. Freya, with all her might, thought of extinguishing the fires, and the dragon raced along the hallways, snuffing out every flame within its range.
She dashed through the halls, knowing she wouldn't trip on anything, so long as she didn't run into a wall. The condition she was in was great as she rounded a corner. This reminded her so much of escaping the Alexandria castle, and pain dragged her down. That was even so long ago – all she wanted to do was be at home again.
A sudden cry ripped through the air, and made her blood run cold. She stopped, a flicker in her head reminding her of something. She had left Vivi there with the guards. They would definitely take out their anger on him – the poor little guy! He wasn't in any condition to fight back, or possibly even stay alive.
For the first time in her life, Freya was torn with what she was supposed to do. Go back for her ally, or free herself in hopes of helping everyone out of there in a few days. The choice tore her apart, but she turned on her heel, and began hurrying back, yelling on her way, "I'm coming, Vivi hold on!"
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A/N: Hmm… More interesting things than I thought would happen haha. :D I hope you enjoyed the chapter – hopefully you all aren't too terribly mad at Zidane :P Please review and I'll update faster!
-zesty-
