Filling In The Blankets

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters. Just a long, long story :)

Chapter 70: Fears from the Past

"Where is she, god dammit, just let her go!" He shouted, throwing himself forward, dagger drawn.

"I don't think you want to know where she is… She'll probably try to kill you!" The man taunted, moving gracefully out of the way from a sloppy attack.

The buildings around them were in ruins already, and there was a fire billowing smoke into the air not too far away. The soldiers around them clutched their swords, ready to jump in at any moment.

Zidane was by himself, bleeding badly, and rage rising. His chest heaved with the effort to breathe, and his vision was swimmy with anger. "You son of a bitch!" He hollered, propelling forward again, only to get knocked back with a blizzard spell. The tiny icicles cut into his skin and knocked him to the ground, making it hard for him to get up.

"You're so pathetic…" He spat, coming closer, his face illuminated in contrast due to the flickering fires. "Look at you, running towards a past you can't have. You should have stayed in the castle where you belonged!"

"I would never want to work with you! Ever!"

"Even to get your dear girl back?" He hissed.

"Elouise would come with me if I told her –"

"You seem to be forgetting the new people in your life, Zidane…" He narrowed his eyes, raising his arms. "You can have that wench of a dreamer back! For I now have the Princess, sole heir to the Alexandrian throne in my grasp!"

His eyes widened. Dagger… He had forgotten about Dagger in his haste to question the man about his old friend. His features started to grow more feminine and make up spread over his eyes, highlighting them frighteningly. His clothes shifted and changed to the signature outfit of Kuja himself.

Kuja. How could he not have known he had been fighting with Kuja? The man's shrill laughter echoed in his mind, and he clutched his head, tears stinging his vision. "Dagger… Dagger no, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to forget… Dagger!"

"Zidane!" He flew forward in the makeshift bed, staring around wildly for the source of the soprano voice. It sounded worried and thoroughly confused. He felt around in the darkness, his eyes not quite adjusting, until he found her hands.

Pulling himself towards her, he searched her dim face. "Dagger," he choked out, suddenly clutching her in his arms with a vise-like grip. "I'm so sorry… I'll never let it happen again…"

"What are you talking about, Zidane? All we were was sleeping…" Her cheeks blazed red, feeling like he was talking about something else. Beatrix and Steiner, not far away from them, were staring holes into Zidane's back, shielding her from the embarrassing glares.

"I swear if you –" Steiner started as more people stirred from the noise.

"Wait… sleeping?" He asked, pulling back from the girl. Her hair was sort of a mess, and her eyes were tired. She was in a white blouse and armored pants, her yellow jumpsuit and boots neatly lined up next to her staff, an arm's length away. His own shoes and gloves were tossed to the side, and he recalled being too tired to care about anything else. "It was just a dream…?" He rubbed his face, sliding his clammy hand down his features.

"You were dreaming again…" She told him quietly, wrapping a hand around his. "It's alright… Whatever was going on, I'm here… you didn't do anything."

He stared at her as the details of his dream came back into focus. He hadn't done anything yet… His obsessive nature over finding his old friends might not have been a problem right now… but it had been before, blowing their cover in Dali, and might become that way again… Putting more than just them in danger…

He wouldn't do that to Dagger… it was too dangerous for her, and he knew, just as well as the others, that it was vital that she be kept alive… If they were going to win this war, she needed to be the people's beacon… Her and Cid both.

"I need to take a walk," he told her hastily, his voice sounding a little dead with all of his previous panic. He stole his shoes, sloppily slamming his feet into them, before trudging out into the open air where there were more recruits snoozing, oblivious to the drama of what had just happened inside.

Zidane and Dagger… There was no doubt in his mind that he would stay by her side for the rest of his life if he had the chance… But he didn't. This growing worry about his past put too much pressure on him – especially with her…

When he focused on finding Elouise and the others, he put not just the resistance in danger, but Dagger too. The girl he had truly fallen in love with, despite everything. The girl that he would do anything to protect – and by simple, reckless actions like trying to find his friends that turned into enemies – he was putting her in danger.

As he stumbled down the path in the dark, his unlaced boots kicking at pebbles, he headed towards the stream, using only his sense of hearing to guide him. The long grass whispered around him, the trees shimmering in the light breeze. It was relaxing in this marsh, and despite wandering blind in the night, he didn't feel like he was in danger. This made it the perfect place to analyze his options.

Could he forget about Elouise for the rest of the war? Could he forget Griffin and Vienna and Avalanche? Could he forget all of them to truly settle into a real existence, fighting a war because Kuja took over the world…? Could he forget so that Dagger could be safe, and he wouldn't have to worry as extensively about her safety?

No…

The answer hit him quickly like a bag of bricks. He stumbled, blinking like he was confused, standing in the middle of the path.

No… He wouldn't be able to forget.

Five years of his life could never be undone. Kuja's theft of what was real and what was a dream would never leave his mind's eye. The friendships he made and the way he spent five years of his life could never be un-lived… He needed those answers eventually, even if it killed him.

But then… could he live with putting his best friends – Blank, Ruby, Vivi, the rest of Tantalus, and the rest of the Elite group he was part of… could he live with putting them all in immense danger because he couldn't forget? He thought about the confrontation with Kuja that would happen someday when they were ready…

Kuja would taunt him with information about his past… and he would take it, just like he did in all of his nightmares, and just like he did in Terra… Just like he did in Dali, and just like how he went searching for information when he was in the Dream Alexandria… It wasn't so much that he wanted to take this bait… But he had to. He couldn't go on knowing that maybe his friends were real, and they were suffering, all for no reason… That wasn't who he was, and no amount of love for Dagger or any other members of the resistance could change that.

So what then?

Leave the resistance? That would only put him backwards. All of his friends were probably safer if he was around. That gave Kuja a target, and that gave them an extra man – if nothing else…

Tell Dagger to move on? His last conversation alone with Lysandra suddenly flashed in his head. His loved ones were his stars… They were always shining, but not always visible.

Would Dagger always be there, if he wasn't? He didn't want to find out… It dawned on him then, halting him once more on the dirt path, making his vision swim with realization that that was what Lysandra had meant when she had told him she wished Nathaniel didn't know that she loved him.

She didn't want to know the kind of grief that he would hold if she were gone… She didn't want to know if he would put himself out there a little too often, just because he thought he had nothing left. And with Dagger – it seemed like it would be worse. While Nathan was important to a village of warriors – Dagger was important to an entire kingdom. And beyond that, she needed to show the rest of the world that good rulers still existed.

Hadn't the woman who he had talked to up in the bell tower – the one he had later found out was Hilda herself – told him that the answer would just come to him?

As though someone was ripping out his heart slowly, inch by inch, he realized with a sinking feeling that the answer had indeed, just come to him.


"Has anyone seen Zidane?"

Dagger's ears perked up as the blonde's name rose above the rest of the chatter in the room. Her head turned towards the door, peaking over the crowd of people waiting for Quale's surprisingly delicious breakfast, spying Cinna and Marcus. The former was asking everyone in sight if they'd seen the genome, while the elf glanced around, his eyes sweeping over countless unfamiliar faces.

When his eyes locked with Dagger's he immediately ducked down, weaving around the pushy crowd, assuming she knew something they did not.

"Hey… It's crazy in here! How'd you get so close to the front?"

"Princess Privileges and stuff," she rolled her eyes, remembering the old man who had bowed to her (a little embarrassingly, she might have added) and told her that the Princess needed to eat before his old soul. She had tried to decline his offer over ten times, but he just insisted, and the others around him, unfamiliar with the way things worked in the resistance, agreed.

"Have you seen our missing partner? We're trying to teach Vivi in the ways of stealth, and I think everyone agrees when we say Zidane is probably the best at that out of all of us…"

She recalled the way he'd just gotten up in the early hours of the morning, and never came back. Slowly, she shook her head, deciding against telling Marcus of the strange dream. The raven was sure he had already heard anyways. "I haven't seen him since… I went to sleep last night," she shook her head, her hair sweeping her shoulders. "I've already asked most of the people towards the front of the line and they haven't seen him either."

"Odd," Marcus told her, though his attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. His eyebrows knit together under his bandana, and he adjusted it to his head before turning curtly. He threw a hasty "thanks for your help" over his shoulder, and disappeared into the crowd again.

The girl knew there was nothing more she could do. When Zidane didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found, and while she was itching to tag along with Tantalus to find him, she knew her place was in here with these people, helping answer any questions they might still have about the resistance, and what life was going to be like for them now.

An ironic smile passed over her lips briefly, as she clutched her wooden plate. She hoped the resistance back home was making more room… There was a bigger turn out than she had ever expected. Terra's was still large, considering how discreet they had to be for the sake of their actual mission, and besides Zidane's presence, there was no way to prove what they were saying… Here, Fratley and Freya, protectors of the Bermecian Royal Family, Beatrix and Steiner, legendary knights from Alexandria, Regent Cid, Lady Hilda, and herself mixed with Zidane and Vivi were powerful points that had so many following them.

She realized though that with all of the people around, crowding and pushing, hungry and tired from a rough night's sleep on the floor or dusty ground, she hadn't seen much of anyone who they'd originally come here with. Vivi had virtually vanished, taking on Lysandra and another younger girl as 'black magic apprentices', and she really couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Tantalus all together. Baku had been missing for days in her mind's eye, and she hadn't seen Ruby since the day after they'd arrived. Mostly, her company consisted of new faces, and her loyal knights. Steiner was always hovering over her shoulder – more people around than he would care to admit. At least with the resistance, he knew nobody was going to go around murdering the Princess because they all had known each other for years… These people – some of them he still didn't even know existed.

All of these thoughts turned her mind back around to Zidane. But with the visions of disappearance, her flood of thoughts turned unexpectedly towards Blank. That got her stomach in a huge knot as the question entered her mind.

What would happen to him if Zidane died?

Zidane's presence over all of them was powerful, and there was no denying it. But what about Blank? Out of everyone, she truly believed it was the redhead who had changed the most, smiling again, and goofing around some more… Something she had very rarely ever seen before he regrouped with his best friend. She recalled the first few weeks that he'd been in the resistance, and honestly, though she and the redhead had grown considerably closer, the memories had made a permanent impression of him in her mind.

"Dagger," she held out her hand, a pleasant smile on her face. Thirteen year old Dagger had spotted the redhead a week ago when they'd first arrived, looking more beat up than the rest of his troupe.

He stared at her hand for a moment, analyzing it like he'd never given a proper handshake before, before turning his nose up at it, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking by her. He pushed lightly into her shoulder as he went, and the girl stumbled back.

With a baffled expression scribbled over her face, she let out a huff of breath, her anger rising fast. "Could you be anymore rude? Nobody else has bothered to talk to you, so I thought I'd try to make you more comfortable."

He stopped for a moment and turned, before his teeth bit down on his lower lip to stop from saying anything.

"You aren't worth my time," he told her, his tone almost warning as he turned and continued walking.

Her jaw actually dropped, her shoulders sagging. Fury exploded, blotching her face a frustrated crimson. "What's your problem?!" She yelled at him, losing her normally sweet nature. The girl was patient and kind, but this kid was something else.

He'd been there, making himself comfortable for a week. And as the older members on his so-young team began talking with more resistance members, making friends with the people of Dali, and the short plump one, already with too much facial hair to believe, actually started to crack jokes, this ridiculously short redhead had said nothing. To nobody. Not even his own team.

He scowled all the time, and his eyes were dull, quite literally like somebody had died. Nobody really knew their story though, to be fair… They were part of an undercover thief organization going by the alias of theater troupe. Many others were also part of this group, but doing work in different sort of ways. Baku had taken the only ship and his small group of trainees and fled while a few of the buildings they owned in Lindblum were raided and burned. No one knew if the other members made it out or not.

Tragic, yes… But nobody knew the juicy details. Dagger had overheard the oldest one – Marcus – say something about a woman named Adriana to their leader, but Baku's face turned pale and he turned away, but not before he clobbered the kid over the head, saying they weren't to talk about things from the past… That this was a new beginning…

That just made everyone want to know even more. Something else must have happened… something deeper, and since the redhead was the only one nobody had tried getting to know, she thought she ought to be the first…

But now she knew why nobody, even his own team, bothered with him.

"Why are you so upset?" He bit out, uttering quietly, "Is this the worst thing you've ever had to deal with? Someone ignoring you?"

That caught her off guard. She stopped for a moment, narrowing her eyes. He turned, but didn't continue talking.

"Something happened…" She pressed lightly, trying hard to return her voice to a calm level. "And I think you won't be able to move past it… until you at least talk to someone."

"Why would I want to tell you?! So you can tell everyone else?!" He whipped around, suddenly furious, his eyes sparkling with tears. Irritated at himself for showing weakness, he yanked his large, belted headband down over his eyes so she couldn't see the emotion they held.

"I'm not saying you have to tell me," she tried to reason, realizing that if she didn't snap at him, he might not walk away. "I'm just saying you need to talk… And," she shrugged, a smile ghosting her lips, "I'm a lot less intimidating to talk to than all the older people who live here…"

He stopped shaking a few moments after she spoke, and peered up at her. "We agreed we wouldn't talk about it."

"You mean what happened in Lindblum?" She mentally kicked herself when the words slipped. She hadn't meant to pry, but these were the first words she'd ever heard the short boy utter.

"No!" He almost shouted, before settling back down. She saw his fingers curl into fists, and his arms locked, shaking with tension. "Him."

"Him?" She tilted her head. Every theory about Tantalus' background had revolved around the raid of their hideout in Lindblum… How many people and who probably died, and how they were ripped from their home.

He suddenly seemed uncomfortable, turning away from her and wrapping himself up in his arms. He looked so small, despite being just a couple of months younger than her. This really wasn't the way she expected the conversation to go. She figured he would introduce himself and excuse himself, not throw her over his shoulder and drag her onto a very windy emotional rollercoaster, shooting through memories so painful she could almost feel it.

They were standing in the middle of a freshly-planted cornfield. The redhead was on his way back from training, and Dagger was sent out to help the townspeople feed the chickens. There wasn't really anything more someone so young could do to help during the quiet stages of the war. The sun had set under the horizon a few minutes ago, and a sad dusk fell around them like a veil.

"He's gone, and… it's my fault…" He shook his head, staring out in the distance. His shaggy red hair blew in the slight breeze, and the girl realized he was talking more to himself than to her. "Have you lost anybody in this war?"

She puckered her lips. She had, but she could hardly remember anymore. It had been a little over a whole decade ago, and though it was a dramatic, tragic loss, the pain had faded long ago as she grew closer to her uncle and guards.

"Sure… my mother."

"Me too," he nodded. "Both my ma and pa…"

"I'm sorry," she told him, covering her mouth with her hand and slumping forward a little in a shared grief.

"But that's not all," he let out, a bitter laugh echoing in his words. "friends, neighbors, tutors… people, I had seen for the first part of my life every day vanished, and I never found them again, despite my next eight years living in Lindblum…"

She flinched back with the harshness of his words. But he didn't see it – he was too wrapped up in his story.

"I lost people in Tantalus too," he nodded, a vague awareness sparking in his eyes. "When they raided our hideouts and we ran. Baku just kept telling us don't stop… We were all trained for a reason, and if someone didn't make it out, their sacrifice would be our benefit so we could make it out…"

"That sounds terrible," she whispered, unsure if she should have said anything more. She didn't know if he just wanted to spill it, or if he wanted feedback.

"But you want to know the worst part?"

"What?" She asked almost instantly.

"That's not what bothers me most…" He shook his head, speaking as though he was years older than he actually was. "The pain from my parents faded – my cause is to stop others from losing their families – others who are less fortunate, and who can't help themselves. And the rest of Tantalus will regroup someday, but they died protecting innocent people too…"

"Then what?" She asked him faintly.

"I lost my best friend because he was protecting me." He shook his head, as though positively disgusted with himself. "I lost my best friend in Treno… We were on patrol, and when push came to shove, I ran… Just like I did when I was little… We protect people who can't help themselves… just regular people without any training… Me? I had training, but when he told me to run…" He shook his head, "I ran… and because I wasn't brave enough to stay and fight, or fast enough to come back with help, or smart enough to figure us both a way out of it, he's dead." He unsheathed one of the daggers at his side so fast she thought he was going to cut her down with it. "This is all I have left of him…"

It was a metal weapon, the steel tinted blue, and impressively forged. A ruby glinted in the middle of it, and compared to the dagger still at his waist, it was in pristine condition. She bit her lip, unsure of what else to say to him.

He shook his head, "What's the point of winning this war if we lose everything ourselves? There's no victory for me if everyone who I love and care about dies for me…" He glared hard at the ground though Dagger couldn't see it, and sheathed the dagger gently.

Without another word, he walked away, his step a little more forceful than it had been before, and Dagger a whole lot richer with knowledge of Blank, and who exactly he was going to be in this resistance…

Granted, Blank had changed a lot since then… He had opened up to Dagger in the next three years, and though he never smiled much, and didn't crack a single joke, he seemed less stressed than that first week he was in Dali. But there were little things that clued her in that he was still grieving… The biggest, and most obvious, was his never-ending training session that finally landed him a spot in the Elite group… He was dedicated, and eventually became one of the best because he couldn't bare the burden of memories with Tantalus.

But when Zidane came back, Dagger met a whole new Blank. He was no longer an echo of the spunky redhead in Tantalus – he was the cocky kid with a crude attitude, but a defined loyal side.

What would happen to him if the blonde disappeared again? Or worse… died. She recalled Blank when they first got home from Terra and shuttered. Despite his annoyingly irritable attitude, she never wanted to see him so hurt and panicked ever again…

Would he lapse back into an angry depression? Would he leave? The thought scared her. He wouldn't have anywhere else to go, and it would be just like when he lost his parents all over again…

"Miss Dagger, it's your turn dear…" Her trance about Zidane and Blank broke, and she was staring at the goofy face of Quale, his tongue waggling with slight impatience. Sally was standing next to him, gesturing to her plate. "Did you want to eat?"

"S-sorry," she mumbled, holding it out and letting the Qu slop some food onto it. She stared down at her portion, suddenly a lot less hungry than she'd been before Marcus came creeping up to her.


"I figured I'd find you out here…" Zidane turned his head to his left, throwing his glance over his shoulder. Through the weeds, he saw Blank sidestep some heavy branches, advancing towards him.

"How'd you know?" The blonde asked, his voice calm and level.

Blank shrugged, a grin overtaking his face. "Lucky guess?" With his words, a smirk broke out over the genome's face as well. "Question is – what are you doing out here? I heard something about you and Dagger doing it-"

"It wasn't that," he interrupted immediately, though he could stop the flush that overtook his cheeks.

"Sure," Blank nodded, unbelieving, but just teasing, "then what was it?"

He shifted, wondering if he should tell the redhead the whole story. He had been there with the blonde through everything, and even supported his decision to go to Alexandria to find his former friends… If nothing else, Blank deserved the truth and nothing less.

"I had a dream last night."

"That's never good," He wasn't being sarcastic either.

"I was fighting a guy who turned out to be Kuja, and he told me he had my 'girl', and I was so convinced it was Elouise…"

"Was it not?" Blank asked, quirking an eyebrow even though his friend couldn't see the full expression.

"He had Dagger…" his gut clenched and his stomach rolled over like someone was kneading dough. "And I didn't even think about her…"

Blank snorted, "That's what you're getting all bent out of shape over?"

"It's a big deal, Blank… This whole sense of revelation could be the death of someone important… And I can't have that on my conscious for the rest of my life…"

"I know, but Zidane," He put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, forcing him to look up, away from the dusty scenery in front of him. "There's no way you'd ever forget about Dagger… Believe me, no matter how much you want to hear from Elouise and the others, I've seen the way you look at her, that could never happen!"

"But that's what's terrible… I would never want to know what would happen if it did… By even the slightest chance, if something happened to her because of me, or how she would be if I passed away –" both of them cringed lightly, hoping the other didn't notice –"I don't want to know…"

"So what does that mean?"

"I'm going to tell her she should move on…"

Blank clicked his tongue, but didn't say anything. He could tell the girl until he was blue in the face if it made him feel better, but nothing he said would change Dagger's mind. That girl was going to love him until the end of her own life, not just the end of his.

They sat in silence for a moment, both sucking in the scenery. Blank didn't think about anything in particular, his thoughts muddled. He found that when he didn't ponder how long Zidane had left, it was easier to keep conversations natural and light.

"We want to teach Vivi some stealth skills," he started, deciding for the blonde's sake, to change the subject.

"Oh?"

"We all agreed you're best at it, and should be there to help… Cinna and Marcus have been looking for you for hours."

"Not you?" Zidane teased, a glint in his eyes as he grinned at his best friend.

The redhead shrugged, putting on a tough face. "I had better things to do, but their constant questions got so annoying, I was recruited because I knew right where you'd be."

"You probably had to search."

"You caught me," Blank rolled his eyes, replying sarcastically. Another silence fell over them, this one more comfortable than the last.

The frogs croaked, blending in with the soprano chirps of the crickets, creating a two part harmony. The wind frazzled the long grass, tangling its velvet blades in the breeze. The sun was hidden under thick, hazy clouds, the light made even stranger by the draped canopies above them.

"Ready to go back?" Zidane finally asked, ready for his alone time to be over as he stretched.

That was the only queue the redhead had been waiting for as he stood, dusting off his pants. "I thought you'd never ask!"


"So!" Cinna clasped his hands together, eyes shining. A few curious bystanders meandered closer, lounging in the grass and leaning down from trees, all to watch the dramatics of teaching the clumsy black mage how to be sneaky. "Welcome to Stealth 101, Apprentice Vivi!"

"Apprentice?" Marcus mocked, his tone unamused.

"Hey if I'm going to do this, I'm going to have fun with it, okay?" He glared at Marcus, folding his arms defiantly over his chest.

"Well you aren't stealthy, we don't need you," Zidane argued with a grin. The mechanic was about to protest before Baku cut in.

"Can you just shut the hell up and teach Vivi how to sneak around?!" Their leader snapped, causing Tantalus to snap back to attention, all eyes back on the nervous black mage, wringing his hands in front of him.

"So, the first thing we've got to teach you, is the walk…" Cinna decided. "We'll use Demonstrators B and D!" He turned expectantly towards his friends, but nobody stepped forward. "Come on!" He groaned, "We went over this like ten minutes ago! B and D!"

"Why can't you just call us by our names?" Blank groaned, wincing because he did indeed remember that he was Demonstrator B.

"It's more fun!" He called out, exasperated. "Sheesh you fun suckers…" He shook his head, turning back to Vivi as Zenero stepped forward. "You have to know how to move without your feet shuffling against the ground. Once you know how to move, comes fighting and walking."

Vivi inwardly groaned. He didn't sign up for this… He just wanted to go with to Treno so he could visit the hot spring cave his grandpa used to live in. He wasn't cut out for walking without tripping let alone walking without noise.

"Zenero, please demonstrate the walk of a regular person…" The dog-creature meandered forward, his feet scuffing the dirt. The sound was there, but already hard to hear. "Now Vivi, close your eyes, and listen to him walk again."

The mage did what he was told and found that these ridiculously rowdy teens were right. He could hear the direction Zenero was in, though he couldn't guess which way he was moving. The mage figured more advanced "sneakers" probably could.

"Now keep your eyes closed, and listen for Blank." He did as instructed and waited… and continued to wait…

And wait…

And wait…

Suddenly, from nowhere, Blank gripped his shoulders, shooting the mage ten feet into the air with fright. "Where did you come from?!" He peeped, his voice an octave higher than it normally was.

"The same place I was standing before," he smiled, "the key is to pick your feet up off the ground without marching, because then your footfall won't be as heavy either. It's almost like you're gliding over the dirt."

He demonstrated the walk, a little exaggerated, but hardly different than his regular stride. "Try it," he suggested.

The mage, with his big feet and tiny legs, stumbled even a little more loudly than before, wobbling around as he held onto his hat, fearful that it would fly away.

Marcus face palmed, Zidane, Cinna and Zenero let on wide smiles of fondness for the mage, and Blank rolled his eyes, a smirk threatening to break over his face.

"Darlin' yer showin' 'im all wrong!" Ruby huffed, pushing off of her spot on the ground and flicking her long hair behind her shoulder. "This ain't 'bout sneakin', Vivi…" She told him, matter of factly. "Ain't none of them who learned how to sneak from some person walkin' round all the time… They learned from stage actin'!"

"Stage acting?"

"Bein' an actor, boy or girl, ya'll need to know how to act discreetly to move props, and make subtle gestures to yer audience… Plus, yer footfall's got to be quieter, because nobody wants to hear you poundin' 'round on the stage!"

"That makes sense," He decided.

Ruby demonstrated, floating across the dirt even more delicately than Blank had. She danced around the mage, reciting lines from her favorite plays, and moving things from each hand – even swiping things off of the ground, where if someone hadn't been paying exact attention to her motions, they would have never noticed.

"It's actually kind of… working," Zidane remarked, staring dumbly like the rest of the team. He mirror Ruby's movements without thinking about it too hard – pretending he was acting took a lot of pressure off of the whole stealth motive behind all of this.

"She's a natural teacher," Cinna nodded, clearly more impressed with her simplistic skills than his complicated agenda. Blank let on a smile at the compliment.

"Maybe," he started, running a hand through his spiky hair, "we're not totally doomed after all…"


A/N: I didn't expect such a long flashback with Dagger and Blank… but I had the sudden urge to let you all know how I imagine them meeting, and how Blank was when Tantalus first joined the resistance.

Seriously, this is so much fun to write, and I hope you guys are having as much fun reading as I am writing! Leave me some love – let me know there's still more than one person reading this story!

I'm sorry for such a late update this time! Keep with me, I promise this story isn't forgotten!

-zesty-