Filling In The Blanks

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.

A/N: Just wanted to give a special shout out to my guest reviewer for last chapter: I was really nervous about what anyone reading would think of the chapter, especially with that scene of Blank and Ruby. I feel like some people could say it really was too random to fit into the story BUT, this reviewer said she/he really enjoyed that scene, so I feel better now.

Thanks so much! I hope to hear from you again guest! We love having you here, poking around in this story! :D

Chapter 90: Time Well Spent

When Zidane pushed open the door to the mayor's home, Dagger's hand entwined in his and right behind him, he thought that they'd gotten back far too late and that they were in major trouble.

He could just imagine the look on Steiner's face – the condescending expression of disgust because Dagger had been so good until she met the genome. He almost sighed.

But the strange stares that he was receiving from the kitchen were for a completely different matter.

"We've been waiting for you," Freya nodded, the look in her usually icy eyes far too chipper for his liking.

"What do you mean? We haven't been in Dali that long, I really don't know how I could have caused trouble –" he snapped his mouth shut seeing a man sitting at the table. His eyes narrowed as the man's eyes drifted over Zidane's stature. "Who's he?"

"My name is Sam."

The blonde almost snorted at the simplicity of it. "Hey Sam," he replied because nobody was giving up any more information. Dagger squeezed his hand, as though encouraging him; it told him she hadn't any idea who this guy was either and that gave Zidane more confidence.

"I'm Elouise's uncle."

The genome nearly tripped over himself even though he was standing still. His expression went instantly serious, and he flitted forward, practically dragging Dagger with him. She let out a yelp and shook her hand free from him, opting instead to take a seat next to Beatrix at the table. The mayor's wife poured her some tea.

"What do you mean her uncle?!"

He shrugged, "I don't know how to get any more plain than that." He turned to Freya, skepticism in his eyes, "Are you sure this guy knows what he's talking about?"

Zidane bit back a snide comment. He realized that Elouise probably had no memory of her real family in Alexandria. It was an idea backed up even further by the fact that Zidane had parents in the dream world, whereas in the real world, they were killed when he was just three.

"Sorry," he scratched his head sheepishly, moving his ponytail back and forth as he did so. "There's a lot of blur between the fake world we were in and the real one."

"Fake world?" Sam shook his head. "I'm afraid I know nothing of what happened. All I was told was that you could help me find out where my wife and niece went!"

Zidane glanced at the three oldest members of the resistance around the table, trying to find some help. He had no idea where this guy came from, but the others seemed totally at ease with him. He suddenly wished he hadn't missed whatever confrontation first happened with this man.

"Uhh…"

"The dreamers are Kuja's hand-picked army," Dagger started, deciding to be the one to help the thief. "Nearly seven years ago, Kuja released creatures to blend in with his soldiers, scouts, and other mutants that rampaged cities, so that he could kidnap some of the most powerful people in Gaia. A lot of them he couldn't get his hands on, but then again, there are a lot of them he managed to snag." She gestured to the genome, "Zidane and our friend, Vivi, were two exceptionally powerful Dreamers because they broke Kuja's spell before Kuja himself could release them from it. We ran into them during a raid on the Alexandrian castle and they escaped with us."

She let that sink in for a moment, before the blonde took over.

"I went back to the castle a few months later, hoping to save anyone that I could from the spell… but when I got there, they were all gone. From my run-ins with Kuja so far, apparently, he's woken them all up and they're fighting underneath him."

"But why?" was all Sam could muster.

Zidane shrugged his shoulders. "In the Dream Alexandria, we had very regular lives. Kuja's spell kept us alive and growing through this world, while we were suspended in a sort of coma in the real world. I met Elouise in that world; she was my best friend. There were others, but real people in the dream world were intermixed with people Kuja created, so I have no idea who of the rest of our friends are real, and who are fake."

"How did you know Elouise was real?"

He puckered his lips, wondering how much he wanted to tell this man. Now that Zidane really looked at him, he could see the sad and hurt in his eyes. Sam reminded him too much of himself – afraid and uncertain of the future. He didn't like it one bit.

"I didn't for a long time. But the resistance used me as bait to lure Kuja out into the open. I fought him in a battle in Terra –"

"Yes," Sam nodded, "I recall hearing something about that. Kuja's enemies conspiring in Terra, if I remember correctly."

Zidane nodded. "That's right. He told me then that she was real. Kuja must have access to our thoughts and our feelings from that fake Alexandrian utopia because he knew that Elouise and I were very close friends."

"Why do they follow him now?" He nearly pleaded for an answer.

Zidane turned towards the rest of the group, hating being put on the spot. He didn't know how much they wanted to tell this man.

"We think that Kuja has them under a spell," Beatrix explained, "he told them, no doubt, that he protected them while the resistance tore down their beautiful city, because they have no memory of their lives before the dream world. Zidane and Vivi do because they woke up before the spell was broken."

"Is there any way to break this spell?" Sam cried, "Or have we lost our friends and family to Kuja forever?"

"When we were across seas," Beatrix didn't bother explaining exactly where they went. Ipsen's Castle was hardly more than a myth to more common folks nowadays. "We stumbled upon mirrors that, when put together, reveal the truth of all things. That will break the spell and the lies Kuja has the dreamers under."

Sam nodded slowly. "You think that will work?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Steiner asked, leaning forward. He crossed his hands calmly on the table in front of him, his hair falling into his eyes. He was still out of his regular, clunky suit of armor, and he looked younger sitting so nonchalantly at the wooden table.

"What if it is no spell?"

"Then why would they follow them?" Beatrix asked. She shrugged, "I mean, it's possible, but Kuja would be far more manipulative and dangerous than we know if he managed to pull that off."

Sam thought it over for a moment and nodded. "I see your point."

"We're going to engage the dreamers at some point," Zidane acknowledged, cutting back to the point of the conversation. "And that's when we'll make our move. Besides that, there's nothing more that we can do to help them for now."

Sam shook his head, a faint smile spreading along his face. "You have given me a lot of hope, Zidane," he nodded. "The fact that my niece and wife are alive, after starting to believe them dead after seven years, is more than I ever hoped when deciding to come back to Dali."

"We're doing everything we can to get everyone their loved ones back!" He replied with gusto.

Sam laughed and shook his head, "I want to help. I have a group of buddies – we all mess around outside with swords. It's not a lot, but we might be of some assistance if you'll have us."

"That's part of the reason we're here," Dagger nodded with a smile. "We would love any help, whether it just be supplies or man power that you can offer."

"Fantastic," he nodded with a grin. "I'll help you find more people in Dali who I know are itching to help. Now that reconstruction has settled down, I don't think it would take a lot to get some of our strongest men moving out of the city. That's what you would have us do, correct?"

Beatrix nodded before pushing her chestnut hair over her shoulder. The large curl bounced as it brushed against her back. "We must train together to be one unit. We're asking all recruits to meet our trusted comrade, and makeshift battle commander, Lysandra, in Qu's Marsh. The way is wretched and confusing, but it's good… in case of spies."

He nodded, "You can trust me," he stopped though after he said that and let on a wry grin. "Of course now it sounds like you can't."

Freya shook her head and put a hand on his shoulder. She stared at him, hardly any traces of laughter on her worn face. "I saw too much hurt in your eyes when you spoke of your wife and your niece. I know you can be trusted."

"That means a lot," he nodded, before rubbing his eyes. "This is all so much to take in," he grumbled.

"Sleep on the matter," Steiner urged. "Do not make any rash decisions while you still have time to think. There is still time; Kuja is not yet on our doorstep."

"We are lucky for that," Beatrix commented, stretching her arms behind her back.

"We have Zidane and Vivi to thank for that," Dagger nodded to the thief who finally plopped down in a chair.

"Don't forget everyone else," he corrected with a cheeky grin; his ever-optimistic attitude making even Steiner smile.

Sam pushed his chair back, scratching it against the wooden floor as he stood and stretched out his back, ever hunched with worry and guilt. He chewed on his lip. "Can I contact you here?" he asked tentatively.

Freya stood to see him out of the home as she spoke. "If you tell the mayor you are looking for us, we will come find you. But we request the meeting be in the very early morning if at all possible; that is the time with the least threat from Kuja's scouts."

Sam nodded and turned to Zidane. "I'm sorry I doubted you in the beginning."

"I'm sorry I came off sort of harsh."

Sam shook his hand and gave a curt nod. "I would have done the same; it is hard finding the right people to trust in these war-stricken times, but I see no lies in your eyes."

Zidane let on a cheeky grin. "Good. There'd be a problem if you did."

He laughed again and Freya walked him out. Dagger turned to Zidane then and searched his face for a moment.

"Do you really think we can reunite this man with his family?"

"Once we break the spell, anything is possible… It could be a major game changer in this war," he smirked, "and we'll have some pretty wicked allies then too."

She smiled at his enthusiasm as the small meeting dispersed, but there was something in her gut that she couldn't quite shake. What was it that just didn't feel right about the plan involving the dreamers?


It was a long time before Ruby and Blank even thought to head back into the town. They walked – almost staggered – through the tall grass, ready to weave around the buildings and stampede down the streets, finally feeling ready to get some rest.

But it had been too long. Ruby was still adjusting her hair when she nearly ran into an armored chocobo. The creature's beady eye landed on her and seemed to widen, but it held still under all of the weight its armor and rider provided so she dropped into the grass without being noticed.

Blank followed her quickly, his breathing unnaturally heavy. He was paranoid, she knew, because his breaths came out far too thick and heavy, like he needed to swallow the tension building up under his tongue.

The men grumbled on about nothing significant. Their back-and-forth banter consisted mostly of which bar in Dali was better, and how much you could drink before having to head back to Alexandria, while still looking professional. It was a slow and drawn out conversation that she winced through when their voices seemed to get louder.

Blank gripped the back of her skirt tightly, and she suddenly wished that they hadn't come out at all. She bit down on her tongue hard enough to taste copper, just to stop herself from slapping his hand away. Their friends were probably looking for them right now, and she knew at least one of them would dangerously set out down the streets, too worried to wait for the patrols to dissipate.

She guessed that said patrols had thickened so much because of their episode in Treno, and she reminded herself sharply that she was stared at up close in the South Gate. People knew what she looked like; people this close to the gate would recognize her.

Having fallen off into her own thoughts, she nearly had a heart attack when the chocobo abruptly began stomping its feet, pattering like the rider was going to send him off running. She listened to a few brief words and realized her and the redhead were lucky: the soldiers were leaving for the bars.

The chocobo made a little noise of protest, and she was reminded closely of Bobby Corwin – the small chick they left back in Qu's Marsh. She took that as a warning sign – a sign that she needed to sink deeper into the grass so they wouldn't see her, because getting up to run at the first sign of movement wasn't a good idea. She liked to think that maybe all chocobos were as sweet as Bobby Corwin, and maybe they wanted peace too, after being forced to ride for so many miles.

Sounds drifted away, and Blank began to shift. "Man that was –"

Ruby tugged on him, staring into his emerald eyes with great worry. "I think they're coming back!"

"How would you-" she yanked him down in the dirt again, making a fistful of it go into his mouth. He was going to protest when suddenly a voice broke out from around the building, and a knight came shuffling back. Lucky, as he kicked around in the grass looking for his alcohol money, he was distracted by the distant taste of booze, because he missed the two thieves pressed into the dirt beneath the long, silky blades of glass even though he passed less than ten feet in front of them.

Both of them felt their hearts throbbing in their throats; it was painful, and Ruby nearly leapt up and just revealed herself to the man to save him some of the trouble. What felt like years later, fortunately, was the wayward soldier meandering away, muttering about his group not bothering to wait up.

Without another word, Ruby sprung from her spot in the dirt, not worried about the crookedness of her blouse or the dirk caked on her green skirts as she sprinted through the grass like a deer. Blank stumbled behind her as she searched with hectic eyes for some familiarity of the mayor's house so they didn't need to go into the streets to find it.

By some stroke of luck, Mae was sitting in the backyard picking some daisies and Ruby nearly cried with relief. She smiled at the little girl as they slid around the corner of the house and slipped inside the door.

"Where have you been?!" Cinna demanded in an obnoxiously superior tone. "We've been looking all over for you! Four or five times now Marcus has had to wrestle down Zidane because he wanted to go out looking!"

"Lost track of time," Blank mumbled, wishing his hair was longer and would cover his eyes completely.

Cinna stared at the way they'd hardly brought anything with them, and seemed to grow angrier. "Just because we're back in Dali, and we know this place, doesn't mean you can let your guard down!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and pushed him aside. "Can it, Cinna!" She barked at him, her accent thick.

He was about to say more before he noticed the sharp look, complete with a burning glint in Blank's uncomfortably visible eyes. He snapped his mouth shut and chewed his lip for a moment.

He was on to them.

Ruby hurriedly led them to the back closet, where Marcus suddenly appeared and shot them a sour look. He took one look at them and his stare got, if possible, even harder.

The girl flew down the stairs, embarrassment almost giving her away, but Blank wasn't so lucky. He was just about to flee behind the girl before Marcus' arm shot out and grabbed him roughly at the crease of his elbow.

"Keep it in your pants next time, Blank. We were all too worried for you to be frolicking around like sex kittens."

He was about to leave, and Blank was too shocked to put up an arrogant, clueless façade. "How the hell –"

"You never go anywhere without your forehead protector," their makeshift leader rolled his eyes as one of his pointed ears seemed to twitch. "We're not that stupid."

"You won't tell Cinna, will you?" Blank thought to say after a moment.

Marcus snorted, and the redhead wondered if he would snap at him for being concerned about Cinna out of all things. His lips twisted into a cruel smile. "I'd be more worried about Zidane."

Heat rose to the redhead's cheeks as he thought about the blonde and how many pesky questions he would get, and how the genome would have no shame asking them wherever he pleased… and that meant the entirety of both the Elite and Tantalus teams would know… and then he'd have Cinna on his plate anyways.

"Duly noted," he grumbled before descending the stairs.


Night was soon upon Dali again. Ominous clouds rolled overhead, moving too quickly to not be holding a murderous storm. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the emerald fields that laid out across the eastern horizon.

Villagers hurried along the streets, eager to get home after a day of work before the storm hit. Others stared out from their new windows, wondering when the rain would hit, and wondering what kind of omen that was supposed to bring.

Zidane sat out on the mayor's steps, his tail curled around him as he watched the movements of Beatrix and Steiner. They seemed to be the most dedicated to training at this point, since they'd been the only ones out in the street for nearly an hour. The rest of the two teams were nowhere to be seen.

But the blonde stayed, whether to get on Steiner's good side, or to try and sharpen his own skills the two knights couldn't be sure, but his blue eyes watched them as they sparred, confident that the patrols were done wandering through, especially with the oncoming weather. Goosebumps rose up on his bare arms with the wind, picking up suddenly when he didn't expect it.

Beatrix flung her sword at Steiner, who threw all of his weight to the left, propelling his body out of the way while bringing his sword down on hers. The clash of metal was relaxing to the genome as the brunette twisted out of the hold and leapt towards the other knight. He backpedalled until he could fall backwards, trusting the ground underneath him to move less than his enemy. He took Beatrix's momentum and threw her over him. She skid across the dirt before rolling and bounding back up. Her boots crunched into the dirt as she turned on her heel and charged him again, this time leaping around him instead of heading for him straight on, almost like she was dancing.

Zidane watched this silent encounter with interest. Steiner and Beatrix had known each other for a good part of their lives, and yet, both of them still had moves that could surprise the other. His eyes trailed their movements slowly, as though he was trying to predict what move would come next. But if they could still surprise each other, then they definitely kept Zidane guessing the entire match.

Eventually, Steiner's heavy breathing slowed Beatrix, who was more nimble on her feet, until she stood in front of him, her own chest heaving. "Good match," she told Steiner.

"You as well," he smiled back. Zidane looked away, sensing an intimate moment they didn't understand why he was impeding on. "It looks like you're the only one who wants to sharpen his skills, Zidane!" Steiner called out before raising an eyebrow. "Or the only one who needs it."

He puckered his lips, trying to understand the best way to approach the knight who was clearly still angry with him. "Probably," he answered with a cheeky grin before getting up. "But I've sparred both of you before."

"That doesn't mean we couldn't beat you again," Beatrix joked, sheathing her weapon. "But I agree… if you're going to sharpen your skills, you're going to need someone who's a little more creative with attacks."

"We are plenty creative, Beatrix!" Steiner stomped, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing like a child.

"We aren't as creative as a thief with a tail though," she smirked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Are you just upset Steiner, that I agree with him?"

The knight spluttered, but couldn't think of a good reply. He looked younger and less ridiculous without his full armor on – helmet, breastplate, armored pants and all – but that didn't mean his actions made him seem any more serious.

Beatrix turned to the genome, uninterested in the man's bewilderment. She gave a wicked smirk as she squared her shoulders. "I was thinking… though you'll be involved with the fight against the dreamers, and I do believe you'll be able to help us with that, if I'm being completely honest with myself," she sighed before starting again, hoping to make better sense.

The dusk breeze was cool around them, and the few people out on the path steered clear of their street spar, though looked on with thorough, curious eyes. "If I'm correct in my assumptions… Kuja will not come out to fight alone. This man is a coward, and he knows there would be no honor in a fight against the resistance because of the lack of honor he has shown the rest of the world as he began taking over. If he wanted to challenge one of our own to a duel, he would have to face all of us, so I believe he'll come with an entire army. He will want to keep as many of us busy as possible so he can go after the ultimate source of conflict."

"And who or what is that source of conflict?" Zidane asked, his tail flickering behind him. He didn't like the way this story was going, but he knew that she was right.

"I have three guesses," she chanced a glance at Steiner, and wondered if he was thinking the same three as she was. "Cid is my first guess."

The blonde nodded, "Makes sense."

"But Cid may operate from the background. I don't know if he'll actually be on the ground fighting, and that's where Kuja is going to want to be. He's a coward of course, but if he truly thinks he can win this war, he's going to want to look at the faces of the resistance members he kills," Beatrix and Zidane flinched at Steiner's words, but also knew that he was correct as well.

"That leads me to my second guess… Dagger."

Zidane bit his lip. Taking down the princess would be an incredible blow, and he knew already that if Kuja threatened her if they didn't surrender, he'd throw down his weapons before Kuja even finished his statement.

"I would never let him get close enough to her to fight her head on… I would take swords and arrows and lances to the back before I let him get close to her," Zidane promised before his eyes connected with Steiner's. "And I know a lot of people would do the same as me."

Beatrix nodded. "I agree with you… which leads me to my final guess." She shrugged her shoulders, as though the inevitable fate of the future was sagging down her posture. "You, Zidane."

He blinked. "Me? I'm the biggest instigator in this war?" Though he couldn't exactly say he was surprised by her assumptions.

"Not for a lot of the war, no. But Kuja thinks he's unstoppable… And the fact that you woke up from his spell before he broke it, and you always defied him because conveniently the group you were always with managed to get away, and you tried to break back into his castle, and stood before him but managed to escape proves that he isn't as godly as he likes to think." Beatrix rubbed the side of her face with her hand, obviously stressed by thinking about the near two years Zidane had been with them. "You have put a lot of things into motion for this resistance, and you've given so many people hope… Kuja sees revenge on you probably almost as high as killing the heir to the Alexandrian throne."

The blonde had never really thought of it that way before. He blinked, unsure what he should say, and if he should say anything at all.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Steiner grumbled, "Beatrix is right. You play a bigger role than you meant to ever play, Zidane."

"Kuja has nothing truly personal against us. We're thrown together as a whole – as the resistance – ruled by a princess and some powerful authority figures. But you have personally wronged him before, and that's why you stand out more to people than Vivi, even though both of you were powerful enough to break the spell. And that's why he hates you – you have defied him singlehandedly enough times for him to remember your face, and remember your story, and that's why I think he'll go after you."

She sighed again, her eyes the only bright thing about her in the growing darkness. He saw the shape of her arm move towards her sheathed sword as her hand rested on the hilt. "That's why I think you should spar Vivi."

And out of nowhere, there was a little, high-pitched squeak that had all of them turning towards the mayor's house. Apparently, Zidane hadn't been so alone in observing the fight like everyone had thought. Vivi hid by the house, too embarrassed to come out in the open and say he was trying to better his fighting skills. But Beatrix had spotted him long ago.

"How did you know he was out here?" Steiner gasped, turning to the woman.

She rolled her eyes, superiority rolling off of her in waves. "I've always been more observant than you, Steiner."

He narrowed his eyes at her, and Zidane probably would have laughed if he could see the rest of Steiner's expression clearly. Vivi waddled out in the open then, and Beatrix ignored her partner to address the mage.

"Would you be okay with sparring Zidane? It's only practice, but I want you two to give it your all… Mostly, I want Zidane to learn how to dodge and absorb magic attacks the best, so he can be ready for Kuja. That man is not a close range fighter, and Zidane is, so we're going to need to figure out what he can do to help give him an advantage."

"I-I don't think I'm really strong enough to go up against Zidane…" Vivi started, gripping his hat tightly. He didn't want to throw his most powerful spells at the genome! That was scary!

But then, his grandfather's words from the letter in his dwelling came rushing back to him, and the little mage cleared his throat, trying to be brave, just like he promised he would do – for his grandpa.

"But I'll try."

The knights blinked in shock, while Zidane wore a proud smile. "Alright," he nodded. "Now's as good a time as any! Let's get started!"

"R-really? In the dark?"

"Maybe it'll help my perception better, not necessarily seeing what you're doing!"

"I guess," the mage shrugged.

Steiner and Beatrix took a seat on the steps of the mayor's house, "This should be interesting," he mumbled to the brunette.

Zidane cracked his knuckles as he stood away from Vivi. He could see the mage's hat and his eyes gleaming in the growing darkness, but anything else was hardly visible. He sucked in a breath as he unsheathed his dagger, unsure how exactly this was going to work.

"Begin!"

The blonde shot off, feeling the gravel underneath his boots, and listening to the crunch as his feet raced across the dirt road of Dali. His dagger glinted in the moonlight that broke out from underneath a thick cloud. The light bounced onto Zidane's target, and he skid to a stop, blowing up a cloud of dust.

"Vivi!" He laughed, leaning on his thighs with the palms of his hands. The mage was hardly five feet in front of him. "What are you doing? I almost ran you over!"

He mage sighed. "I don't know what to do!"

"You've got to treat me like an actual enemy, Vivi, otherwise you aren't going to want to practice your spells 'cause you don't want to hurt me!"

"But I don't want to hurt you," he looked down and Zidane followed his line of sight to the dirt in front of him.

"You won't… I need this practice too, remember? So that Kuja doesn't kill me."

He heard the sharp intake of breath, but watched as the mage stood rigid. "He couldn't…"

"He's a lot more powerful than either of us, Vivi," the blonde said quietly. "Take it from me, in my first fight with him… I didn't stand a chance. If there's a way you can help me, you have to do it. I'll survive, I promise. Dagger is only a short call away if I need healing."

"You have to treat me like an enemy then too, okay?" Vivi's eyes trained in on Zidane's face. "I need to practice too."

Zidane laughed, his eyes squinting so he couldn't make out the sharp lines of the mage anymore, even standing so close. He put one hand on the back of his neck, feeling his hair still tied up in a low ponytail, as he stuck the other one out for Vivi to shake. His grip was firm, so the genome knew the mage meant what he said.

"Let's start again," he encouraged. He walked back to his starting place and planted his feet firmly in the dirt, sinking into a lowered position again.

"Ready?" Beatrix's impatient voice called out. It seemed like she wanted to watch the dreamers fight just as much as Zidane wanted to spar.

"Ready!" They both called out, but one sounded a lot surer than the other.

"Begin!"

Zidane was slow to take off this time. He started unhurried, weary of the fact Vivi still wasn't conjuring up any spells. He sighed, and nearly came to a stop, opening his mouth to speak.

When suddenly a blizzard spell whizzed by him on the left, sending a coating of frost up and down his arm. He yelped and rolled to the side.

"He told you to be ready!" Steiner laughed, clearly delighted that Vivi had undermined the genome.

But he was determined, and he narrowed his eyes, readying his dagger – the blade sticking out as he gripped the hilt firmly, tucked into his chest. He shot off again, having to try harder now to find the mage in the dark.

Vivi was stunningly silent, not having to move as he conjured spells. They hardly made a sound as he pulled black magic to his fingertips. Zidane's only clue was the direction in which the first blizzard spell came from, and he had no idea how near he was to the mage for he could have moved at any point during Zidane's roll.

The blonde held his breath as he raced blindly forward, hoping that he would intercept the mage. Suddenly, a flash flickered in the growing darkness, and a long chain of lightning struck out, nearly singing his tail. He ground his teeth – how was Vivi being so silent?

Vivi kept his eyes squinted and his hat low on his face so it didn't give away his position. He felt the curl of fire underneath his gloved fingertips, and pulled that power forward in his body, straight to his hands. He listened to the gravel shuffle in front of him, and somewhere to the left, so he bit his lip and fired unseeingly into the darkness.

It was a game of cat and mouse – the mage wanted so desperately to prove himself to Zidane, and the genome wanted so desperately to prove himself to the two knights who watched with high interest.

The moon broke through the clouds again, as though they dissipated just to give him an advantage. Zidane let on a feral grin once he saw the shape of Vivi standing in the road. He realized just a moment too late that the moon was hardly needed as a fireball spawned and shot off from his friend's hands, nearly straight for him. He dodged, ducking under it and sliding, feeling the rough dirt through his gloves.

He leapt up again and raced towards the mage, hoping to reach him before the moon disappeared again. But Vivi had other plans. He shifted his position and put one hand low, cupping his gloves forward.

A thundaga spell flashed towards him bitterly, tendrils of spitting, fiery light branching out in every direction. Zidane dropped to the ground, pressing his chin against the dirt, but keeping his blue eyes sharply focused on the spell caster before him. He army crawled forward, his dagger sliding loudly against the gravel.

The thundaga spell died down to just one chain of lightning as he brought up his other hand. Making a strange motion with his glove, suddenly water began cascading from his palm, shooting towards the thief. His eyes widened when he realized that the mage was trying a tricky (and dangerous) combo, and scrambled up off the ground. He ran, racing the spells as they glittered after him, their colors dulled in the washed out light.

Everything was silent. No longer did Steiner and Beatrix shift or mutter in the night, and even the wind stopped its games to watch the brawl. Vivi spun, his small hands following the blonde, but the genome was too quick. He continued in a sort of spiral, dizzying the mage as he twirled closer to him. Finally, the thunder spell let off, but the mage snapped off the water spell as well, shooting his hands in the air.

Clouds shifted over the moon and the world was swallowed into darkness again. Zidane stood straight, not understanding where the moon went and not comprehending that Vivi was conniving quietly in the spot he left him. The mage felt power surging through the very air. The clouds swirled above him, and he felt a certain connection to the sky he very rarely felt.

The blonde's chest heaved as he stood erect, his ears training in on every sound. The wind began to howl now due to Vivi's magic, but that was hardly the worst of Zidane's problems. The clouds shot open – a large gap revealing the midnight blue sky, speckled with glowing stars – and out came an object resembling a potato. Except it was a million times bigger, and headed straight for the genome.

Steiner and Beatrix's jaws dropped. They'd never seen a meteor spell actually cast before, and though they knew that when it 'hit' Zidane, the impact wouldn't be bone-crushing and deadly, but he would crumple underneath it, and it would be an incredible blow.

The blonde ground his teeth, grudgingly impressed with Vivi's sudden black magic knowledge. He felt the weight of the meteor – a sort of choking pressure in the air – but at the very last moment, he rolled out of the way with a yell. He laid breathing heavily in the dirt, the world spinning above him. He watched the clouds recede and the moon blast the small village of Dali with its shallow light again.

Something about Vivi seemed different, and his theory was further proven when another firaga spell barely missed Zidane's figure where he lay. His eyes light up and turned a fiery sapphire as another fireball spewed over top of him. His body went rigid as it tried to defend itself against the spell that barely missed, before he instinctively rolled over and onto his feet, ready to face the threat.

The yellow of the mage's eyes suddenly looked brighter – a near white now. He seemed bigger in a way, and far more intimidating.

"Come on, Master Vivi!" Steiner shouted in encouragement. "Show us what you can do!" He was clearly delighted by the display of power; Beatrix felt the same. She leaned forward, keeping a keen eye on the motivated mage. Something was different, and she had a feeling it was going to continue showing itself during his sparring match with Zidane.

Emotions were overwhelming the mage as he cast his magic towards his pretend target. All of his pent up frustration towards the way his life had turned out – missing nearly half of it due to being in some fake world, and missing his grandpa because he was kidnapped! Kuja was to blame for all of this, but Vivi found, peculiarly, that he wasn't angry.

No, he was angry…

Because he was tunneling all of that anger into determination. He wanted to prove to everyone – to Steiner, Beatrix, Zidane, his grandpa, and especially Kuja – that he was worth his dreamer title, and that he would help stop this war. He would help bring peace to the land so that people of all races, even the black mages in hiding, could get their lives back and their cities rebuilt.

He wanted to prove that he was powerful enough to make a difference.

And another light seemed to spark to life underneath his skin. It crawled until it burned, and Vivi was sure it was visible. He felt his eyes get sharper, and could feel the glow become hotter. Spell after spell he threw at Zidane, who was being such a champ enduring all of it. The mage vaguely noted the huff and puff coming from the thief, clearly not used to having to dodge so much. Long-range combat was harder on him than he expected.

Vivi could have this thought as his mind opened up, allowing room for plenty of other thoughts at the same time. His spells were sharper and more visible in the dark. The snow trailing his blizzagas was thicker, and his bolts of lightning were more angular and contrasting to the dark while his fireballs blazed brighter, illuminated by highlights of raging reds and yellows, and his water seemed faster, like an entire river was jetting out from his palm. He wouldn't even begin to ponder his casting time.

He summoned a demi to his fingers and held his hand palm up, curling his fingers into fists pointed at the place on the ground he wanted the light to spark up, when a deeper darkness than the night tailing it swallowed the part of the ground the brief light gathered at. The dark shadows made intricate lines where they began to form and devour the ground. Flares spouted from the ground just seconds after Zidane's boots tapped on the dirt, but they got progressively quicker and closer to the blonde the harder Vivi concentrated.

What he didn't notice, were Beatrix and Steiner. They weren't part of the fight, so they had time to really examine the mage, who looked nothing like himself. His hat was pointed straight up, and his black mage body was fuller and larger. His eyes were white, and a strange white glow rolled off of him as he moved. His jacket and striped pants were replaced by a blinding white robe, details rivaling the most spectacular of Hilda's royal gowns falling down the entire middle of the silk. The shadow beneath his hat seemed to gleam blue, as opposed to the normal black of the young mage.

"What is this…?" Beatrix gasped, her voice wavering as though she were afraid.

She watched bolt after bolt, blizzard after blizzard, ball after ball and stream after stream come out of Vivi's hands, shooting after a scrambling Zidane as he danced around the roads, barely able to dodge. These were spells she couldn't dream of dodging with her head-on fighting style, and she knew that even if Steiner didn't admit it, he didn't have the speed to dodge them either. Only the quickest thieves of Tantalus would have a shot, and even then, it clearly looked like they would struggle.

Vivi's eyes swirled with emotions she could hardly ever make out in his golden orbs. He looked almost angry, but determined in the best possible way, and she had to admit he looked frightening.

"Could this be the power of the trance that was rumored all those months ago after Terra?" Steiner mumbled, talking more to himself than the brunette next to him. But to her, his question made perfect sense.

As light continued to flash in the night, the two ex-knights found the mumble of conversation rise and fall like a wave around them. People were opening doors and windows, but didn't dare turn on lights in case it was a real threat. But they were too curious – they had to see what was happening.

All they saw though, was a figure in all white, blasting spells at some figure scrambling in the darkness. They didn't intervene, however, because they spotted Beatrix and Steiner lingering on the sidelines.

There was something godlike about Vivi that followed him as he walked slowly down the path, turning every once in a while to wheel back around, determined to catch his moving target. But as time kept going and he continually knicked Zidane with spells, the mysterious glow about him dimmed down, and soon disappeared altogether.

That's when people started yelling and pushing out their doors, wanting to get a closer look when Vivi's internal lights faded out. Zidane collapsed on the gravel, his chest heaving quickly as his eyes drooped. He was exhausted and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open as he watched Vivi stagger to one knee.

"What just…?" the mage gasped.

The genome's lips curled into a smile as he reached out towards the mage. "You're a dreamer Vivi…" He had seen that happen before. He had felt what he knew Vivi was feeling. During his emotional fight with Kuja in Terra, some power had ripped out of him and given him triple the stamina, adrenaline, and speed to fight. It hadn't lasted long, but he knew he'd never experienced anything like it before. He learned after the fight that he had just confirmed the long-time myth of a trance.

And immediately as the mage began to glow and his spells became that much more powerful, Zidane knew that was what made the two of them special. Vivi had just entered trance. The two dreamers were the only two who could in the resistance.

However, Kuja had more than just two.

"You just entered trance!" Zidane laughed, the sound breathy from his own lips as his eyes shut and he blew out a sigh of relief. He slipped into a world where exhaustion couldn't touch him, and his mind lingered on the happiness and prideful realization that Vivi was just as powerful as the genome had always believed.

"Trance…? But what is –" he stopped and stared at the figure of Zidane, passed out on the dirt. He staggered over, clearly still unbalanced from the shift in power. His mind was dazed and he was noticeably perplexed.

Whispers turned into talk around them, and Vivi couldn't block out everything.

"Was that the dreamer?"

"What was that power?"

"That was incredible!"

"I can't believe I've seen it now with my own eyes!"

"Who knew what the dreamers were capable of?!"

He blinked his eyes. Did this spar really just showcase to the mage finally, after nearly two years, why in the world he was hand-chosen by Kuja?

If so, then…

What else were he and Zidane capable of?


A/N: Well that was a fun little ending there! I wasn't originally impressed with the way this chapter ended, but coming back and reading it now after more than a few months has me happy with it after all!

I hope you enjoyed finally seeing some of the dreamer power emerging again! :D

Thanks for reading!

Oh! I almost forgot! This story is officially (as of five review ago) my MOST REVIEWED story! Wow guys! Thank you so much! That is so crazy to me! Nearly seven years of work thus far has finally paid off, and I'm almost at three-hundred! Baaah! I would love to reach it sometime soon! This is so awesome, you guys are so great!

-zesty-