Filling In The Blanks

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

Chapter 92: Calm before the Storm

The first rays of sunlight splashed everything in a brilliant fire. The grass blazed like golden wheat ready for harvest, and the roads shone copper instead of the murky brown they normally appeared. The buildings were washed in warmth and comfort – looking familiar instead of foreign like most buildings in Dali these days.

Chickens clucked out on the street having gotten loose the night before, and never finding their way back in time for morning. They wandered the streets aimlessly, never moving too far away from their fenced in living quarters. There were many people already filling the dusty roads – mothers beating out laundry in the backyard, and children rising far earlier than they should have to continue their games from the previous evening.

Men young and old already tramped down the streets carrying heavy construction supplies to the new frame for a miscellaneous shop they hoped to have finished within a couple of weeks. Nearly everyone capable was going to help build it so that people could start trading their odds and ends they'd picked up after their flee from Dali nearly a year ago.

Vivi's eyes caught in the light as he turned his gaze towards the girl coming out the door. Eiko flashed her smile at him as she hopped down the steps and swung her arms, her long red sleeves slipping over her hands.

"Hiya, Vivi!"

He smiled though she couldn't see it. "Hi, Eiko. Did you sleep well?"

She gave one big nod as she stopped next to him, teetering on her feet as she came to a halt. Her eyes were dazzling in the fiery sun, and her purple hair continually blew into her mouth. It had grown out to her shoulders now, and he could tell that it was inconvenient for her.

"I did! It's nice getting up when the sun's coming up! I feel like it's been forever since we've been able to enjoy it!"

He nodded and wrung his hands together. "Me too."

Her eyes swiveled to him as she leaned forward and stuck her behind out to emphasis her movements. "Are you okay? You scared us all when you and Zidane had your fake fight."

The mage nearly let out a sigh, but figured it was okay that Eiko was asking him. She didn't mean anything by it – that was the good thing about her company. The girl never cared about the politics and motives behind the things that happened; just why they did happen, and how they affected the present.

"Yeah," he nodded again, speaking quietly. "I'm okay."

"What happened?"

"Zidane says he thinks it was a trance. He said that something like that happened to him when he was in Terra and that I shouldn't be afraid."

"Well of course you shouldn't! If it made you all powerful, then you should be grateful! Now you have something to protect people with!"

He stared at her for a moment, and she let on a smile. She seemed suddenly older than seven years, but he couldn't quite place how. She grabbed his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "But who cares about that right now, huh? It's time to go out and play! I figured Mae would be out soon, but I didn't want to wake her just yet!"

"Let's go down to the creek and pick the cattails! I always remember there being lots of them when we were in Dali before," he blurted, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

She let on a fond smile, that same shine of maturity in her eyes as she laughed at his suggestion, delighted he made one at all. "Perfect!"

They weaved through the people on the street in silence, and Eiko radiated with some sort of pride because he was getting better at dodging people every day, and she liked to give herself that credit. It was a quiet walk until they made it down the street and away from the houses, onto the trodden path of dirt and grass still worn from so many years of resistance use.

"Eiko?" Vivi asked her after a few minutes of silence. The girl walked swinging her arms, with a bounce in her step that was nearly contagious, but Vivi wasn't quite coordinated enough to keep up.

"What's up?" She asked, her voice high and welcoming. She stopped and tossed a look over her shoulder, her eyes falling on Vivi's stumbling figure as he stepped over some protruding roots and a branch.

"Do you still love Zidane?" She could hear the strain in his voice, embarrassed that he had just blurted such a question, but it didn't bother her.

She let out a loud laugh and rolled her eyes, "Zidane is obviously in love with Dagger. I wasn't sure if it was a real thing or not before, but it totally is!"

"Oh," Vivi replied, though his heart soared. He knew they would be on better terms again as soon as they saw each other.

A pregnant pause filled the air before them, and the only noises were their shuffling feet through earth's complicated path, and the birds that tweeted and flittered around them.

"No, I don't," Eiko suddenly admitted before she stopped, but she didn't turn around. "I think there is always a place for your first love, and that's where Zidane will always be!" Vivi had to let on a sneaky grin. Eiko was so melodramatic that he nearly admired her. "But Dagger and him are meant to be together! And besides, I think there's someone better out there for me."

"How do you know that?" he hadn't meant to ask, but it slipped.

"If the person you love is already meant for someone else, that means they're just leading you to the right person!" She turned to look at Vivi then, and her eyes glittered again, though no sun was in sight beneath the brief thicket of trees. "Zidane is a great friend, and I wouldn't trade him for anything, but it was a little bit of an unrealistic dream anyways," she mumbled, as though she was suddenly shy about something.

She looked down and traced a heart distractedly in the dirt with her boot. Her fingers wove together and her lips pressed out in a small pout.

"I think you're right about there being someone better for you," Vivi decided with a smile, hoping to make her feel better.

When her gaze flashed up at him again, it was just as happy as it had been before. "Come on! We don't want all the cattails to be gone!" She grabbed his hand and continued skipping down the path, humming a tune that was unfamiliar but familiar to Vivi all at once. But he ignored all other feelings and let himself smile and be led by this unexpected little girl.


"How are we lookin', for people from Dali?" Baku asked, crossing his burly arms over his chest.

Freya glanced up from her parchment and caught his eye. "We met a man named Sam here in Dali, who is the uncle to one of the dreamers Zidane knew."

Baku raised an eyebrow. "Did he find you?"

"He offered his assistance in return for some information about the dreamers. He wants his family back," she sighed, sounding stressed. "He found us twelve men in the town who would be willing to leave. A few of them decided to stay behind to help, just in case something went wrong here. And they are all Dali has to offer. The village is even smaller than when we dwelled here before."

Baku pushed his fingers into his pockets and rocked back and forth. He pressed his lips together under his mustache. "It's only to be expected."

She leaned back and stretched out her long arms. "We have all of the preparations to leave for Qu's Marsh."

The man nodded and ran a hand down his beard. "When are we scheduled to leave?"

"Tonight," she nodded. "We have been here too long already, I fear."

"A few more hours couldn't hurt," Baku mused. "Just as long as all of our loose ends here are wrapped up before we leave. We have our papers to get through the North Gate?"

"Your friend Tawn is going to escort us. We have someone there who helped us get through the first time."

He nodded, his eyes set off to the side in a distant sort of haze. "Sounds like we're all ready."

She gave him one nod before turning back to the papers she had sprawled around the table and began collecting them. He gave her a half smile before he turned to leave, walking through the house slowly, unsure how he felt about the current situation.


The day was hot.

It was too hot in nearly everybody's opinion.

Mae had bounded out the door after breakfast, on a search for Vivi and Eiko to play with for their final day together, and Zidane had crept back downstairs, seeking some sort of coolness. Dagger lingered around Beatrix and Steiner, asking about plans and making sure everything was in order before Beatrix took her leave to get final notes for the map from Quina. Amarant had disappeared to the bar, convinced at least one of them would have fans and cool drinks still and Freya followed him, though she'd never admit it, because she wasn't accustomed to quite a sweltering day.

It wasn't just the temperature that was soaring either. It was muggy and sticky, and Dagger had to continually pull her hair off of her neck as she maneuvered throughout the day. Steiner stared at her with a sudden interest.

"Are you going to cut it again?"

The question startled her, and she didn't expect her male protector to ask her such a thing. "What?"

Steiner gestured to her hand, still gripping the raven locks between her gloved fingers. Her chocolate eyes swiveled down to her mahogany gloves and she blinked. "Oh… I guess I haven't thought about it."

"I think it looks nice either way."

She smiled, realizing that Steiner was trying to compliment her in his weird way. "Thank you, Steiner," she stood up. "Maybe I'll go find Ruby and ask her to cut it for me."

He smiled at her, his eyebrows disappearing behind his helmet again as she left the room. She noticed that he seemed more upbeat, and almost happy, which was usually more than Steiner could say for himself. She chalked it up to their mission being completed in a few hours with no casualties on their part.

She thought then about Puck in Bermecia, and she slowed her step, temporarily halting her mission to find the twenty-year-old thief. There were others in their makeshift resistance, of course, that perished, but none that were a greater aspect than the Prince. They would need full support in that city, and she intended to give them everything they needed once she reclaimed her kingdom. She knew that Alexandria would need support, but considering that the city was practically in ruin anyways, she knew in her heart that she would want to start helping all of those who helped the resistance, before she helped herself.

"Dagger! There you are! I've been looking for you!" she looked up, breaking from her reverie as Blank jogged towards her.

"Hi, Blank, what's wrong?"

He shrugged, "Nothing's wrong, I was just looking for Zidane. I wanted to have a good spar, and Marcus, Cinna, and Zenero are taking bets on who would win since Vivi wiped him out last time!"

She raised an eyebrow, "He slinked off to find somewhere cool in the basement. That's the last I saw of him!" the redhead grinned and gave her a half salute before wandering off. "Blank!" she called, and he whirled around impatiently.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Ruby?"

"What's wrong?" he winked, mimicking her words from earlier.

She swished a hand through her locks, "I want her to cut my hair!"

He jerked his finger in the direction she'd been going, "She's down by the field with Vivi and Eiko!"

"Thank you!" she called before setting off again. Her mind wandered to the Tantalus boys and a grin unconsciously spread across her face. They were ridiculous – taking wagers on who would win!

She found a full-blown smirk on her face after a moment when she realized she'd made up her own wager that Zidane would most definitely win that battle.

The grass was brittle and pokey because of the sun, and she felt an overwhelming sense of heat that only came from ridiculous weather like today. It wasn't the first time she yearned for the cool forest back on the Outer Continent. The trip back to Qu's Marsh was going to be a long one, and her stomach dropped when she thought about the long trek from the marsh back to the coast to the airship. She knew that she wouldn't be allowed to brave Fossil Roo, even if there were going to be at least a hundred people with her.

Steiner had informed her that he would be leading the first few groups through the underground maze. Beatrix liked to pretend that she was going to go with him, but ultimately, the raven haired teenager knew that he would make the brunette get on the airship – to protect Dagger and for her own safety as well. He was opting instead for Quina, since the qu apparently did a well enough job getting them through the first time, though from Beatrix's frustrations with the map, Dagger wasn't entirely sure.

Lysandra would be making the very first trip with Steiner, and moving forward with Freya because she wanted to be the first outsider after Terra to see the resistance hideout. Zenero, Ruby, Blank and Marcus would also go through Fossil Roo. Dagger knew that Cinna would gripe the entire airship ride back to the forest because he wanted to go through the tunnels with the rest of his team. Dagger didn't blame him, though she figured Cinna had it better – at least he was forced to take the airship route because he needed to help drive it. He and Baku would be in charge of getting her and Beatrix back safely. It was too risky, in case of an ambush, to let Zidane and Vivi go through Fossil Roo, so the girl at least had the blonde's presence to look forward to on the ship, though he was probably going to be right there next to Cinna complaining.

She let a smile appear on her face, bringing a fond heat into her chest. She could do without the complaining of course, but the fact that they were doing so because they couldn't support their friends and allies made her proud.

That just left Eiko and Amarant on the airship with them. Neither were probably going to be particularly entertaining company – for Eiko was always loud and asking questions about the ship, not bothering to amuse Dagger when she was flying on such a technologically advanced vehicle, and Amarant was too sulky (and way too frightening) for her to deal with anyways. They didn't know the way well enough to lead groups back to their hideout, and the ex-knights didn't think it would be a very wise idea to get new recruits lost.

She finally made it down the gentle slope of a hill as familiar figures brought her out of her thoughts. Ruby sat in the grass, her long legs stretched out in front of her with her skirts pulled up and tucked around her like shorts. She saw the leather sheath of her dagger tossed aside and figured if the blonde thief was trying to get any sun, she wouldn't want the tanline of the leather protector. The thought of Ruby caring so much about tanning, of all things, made her grin.

Mae, Vivi, and Eiko were all poking around the pumpkin patch, hiding from each other and laughing about nothing in particular. The girl stopped far enough away not to interrupt but simply to watch Vivi and Eiko act their own age verses the years older they needed to appear. Mae was a good friend to have, and she was glad they came back to Dali for the simple reason of introducing the two to the young raven haired girl.

"Okay… time for a haircut," she murmured to herself, hoping that hearing her voice aloud would stop her from delving back into her musings. She was beginning to feel the ache of leaving Dali again, and a quick flash of dirt walls collapsing around her as she darted through the hideout was enough to make her want to turn back around and flee the presence of others. "Ruby!" she called before she could stop herself again, and the girl turned around.

The three children hardly noticed Ruby move from the grass and meet Dagger halfway on the lawn.

"Hiya, darlin', what seems to be the problem? Did Blank get his damn hand stuck in that locked cellar door again, because I swear to sweet honeysuckle –"

"No!" Dagger laughed, putting up both hands in defense, hoping to stop her accusation. "I was just wondering if you'd do me a favor?" The older girl raised an eyebrow and Dagger shook her black hair out. "Haircut?"

Ruby's almond eyes lit up. "Why didn't ya just ask?!" She laughed and grabbed both of Dagger's hands, dragging her back the way she came. "Finally! Someone who's appreciatin' my talent!"

Dagger forced herself to bite her tongue, hoping to stop from offending the girl by not asking how many people's hair she'd actually ever cut.


"Dude, why are you hiding down here when everyone else is being productive?" Blank had gotten distracted with all of the plans upstairs, and nearly forgot his wager with his teammates. He wanted to stake out the map before they threw him into the dark depths of Fossil Roo, hoping to get any edge he could in leading people who put all of their trust in him so quickly. Of course, the map was so twisted and turned, it nearly made him sick looking at it, so he opted out as soon as he was reminded of the blonde downstairs.

"I could ask you the same question," Zidane shot back with the perfect amount of playful sass.

Blank rolled his eyes at his best friend, "You're sure melodramatic, aren't you?"

"I could say the same about you!" the blonde let out a laugh before rolling off of his mattress and standing up.

The redhead rolled his eyes and crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest, clearly not amused. "Get your lazy ass up and let's go spar! I have a bet to win!"

"A bet? Do tell!"

"Marcus, Zenero and Cinna are taking bets on who would win in our sparring match."

"Really?" Zidane laughed, his eyes sparkling with the common mischief of a thief, "And what did they say?"

"Well…" the redhead scratched his head. "They all said you would win."

A howl escaped the blonde's mouth as he clutched his sides. "So it wasn't even really wagers! It was just them telling you I could kick your ass!"

He narrowed his eyes, though Zidane simply saw his lips protrude in a sour expression. "I retaught you everything you know!"

The blonde strode forward, confidence behind his steps. As irritated as Blank was being challenged, he couldn't help being relieved that the honest strut of his best friend replaced the timid footsteps of the lost dreamer they'd found two years ago.

"And I taught you everything you knew to begin with!" Zidane snickered before the shorter of the two could reply. "Let's go spar then!" he threw up his hands in delight and shot up the stairs.

"You're such a little shit, you know that?!" Blank yelled after him but he was grinning all the way anyways.

He ran into Zidane just around the corner of the secret-door-disguised-closet; the blonde had skid to a stop on their wooden floors, staring wide-eyed at the frenzied scene in front of him.

"Why'd you stop?!" Blank barked, stepping out from behind him. "You trying to throw me off my game already?"

Ruby had sat Dagger down to cut her hair, raven locks swept up in her delicate hands. Quina was sitting at the table with Beatrix and Steiner, and the rest of Tantalus was just stomping the mud off of their boots to come looking for the blonde and redheaded duo.

But it was Eiko who burst inside just after them, and was wildly crying – acting in a way they'd never seen the girl act before. She couldn't manage a breath to tell them what was going on, but they knew whatever it was, it was bad.

"Blank!" Beatrix hissed before stepping forward to the girl. She took Eiko's hand, trying to be encouraging but the girl shook it away.

"We have –" she broke down again, shaking her head viciously, "Vivi!" she finally spluttered, and Zidane raced forward, sliding to a stop in front of her on his knees.

He put his hands firmly on her shoulders and gave her a small smile. "Eiko, tell us what happened."

"You have –" she hiccupped and wiped at her face, clearly calmed with Zidane in front of her, "- to come!"

He didn't need the rest of the story to follow her, and the others made haste behind him. The sound of pounding feet was all about them, and the genome was quick to notice that they weren't the only ones headed in the direction Eiko was leading them…

She stumbled as she staggered along the grass, the remainder of her restless team behind her. Tears blurred her vision, but the images she'd seen before breaking off back to the mayor's house were seared into her mind. She couldn't lose her way even if she wanted to at this point.

Zidane felt his heart sinking lower and lower into his stomach. The way the young girl had screamed Vivi's name when her frustration and fear wouldn't let her explain the story. Her voice had cracked, and the sound was raw, like it had torn from the back of her throat without warning, a dry mouth and wet eyes. Her whole body had shook, and her voice continued to ring in his head.

What had happened to Vivi?

It wasn't long before they made it to the pumpkin patch where Ruby let out a cry. She mumbled about being there not even ten minutes ago. The others were having a hard time believing that this was the pumpkin patch at all.

The grass was scorched black, a scar in the meadow. There were patches of brown, frozen grass paralyzed even though the wind whipped around them fiercely. The rest of the garden looked drowned, water dripping from the darkened fence post and scarecrow. It was the work of a battle – a battle involving a lot of black magic.

As the crew continued taking in the surroundings, Eiko raced into the broken scenery towards what looked like a stone in the grass. Beatrix was the first, with her sharp eyes, to spot why it was so important.

"Vivi!" she called out, racing forward, past the purple haired girl, before falling to her knees in front of the stone. "Dagger get over here!"

Everyone followed, even though the raven was the only one called. Chatter rose and fell behind the two teams of resistance members, though they hardly noticed that most of Dali was standing behind them.

There in the grass, just on the edge of the seared earth, Vivi lay, one hand still outstretched, the other gripping his staff. His hat was tilted up and rippled, like the wind was blowing through it, and his feet were apart, as though he were bracing himself when he was still standing.

"Vivi!" Cinna cried, crumpling down in the grass.

"What happened?!" Sam and Tawn burst through the crowd of onlookers, but they got no answer. They crept up slowly behind the members of the resistance, separated in a scattered circle around the mage.

"What can you do for him?" Beatrix demanded of Dagger, shaking her shoulders in a stern panic to get the girl to snap back into focus.

It seemed to work, because the girl pushed her hair behind her ears, and her chocolate eyes flickered over the stone that was once their friend. "He's petrified."

"Is he dead?!" Marcus pushed forward, trying to inspect the little mage. His eyes looked sunken in the stone, unable to shine brightly with their usual golden color.

Dagger let out a breath. "No, he's going to be fine." There was an audible sigh in the entire audience, and that's when Beatrix and Steiner finally whipped around, noticing the civilian presence for the first time.

"There's nothing more to see here! If you are in danger, we will let you know as soon as we know!" Beatrix yelled out to them. It was her most polite way to tell them to leave. The crowd slowly dispersed, dwindling in numbers as people reluctantly moved away. Their eyes trailed; they wanted to know what was going on.

Orange and cyan light gathered at Dagger's palms as she sucked in a slow, relaxed breath. The very essence of this spell calmed her down, and she took comfort in the fact that Eiko had gotten them right away – that meant Vivi couldn't have been petrified long, and that meant he would be alright with a stona. The light settled into an indigo color as her spell completed, and she casted it on Vivi.

The grey color seemed to melt off of his body, away into the grass where it disappeared. He was frozen still in his battle stance for a moment before his limbs flickered back to life and he relaxed into the grass, his chest rising with a satisfying breath.

"Vivi!" Eiko yelped, leaping on top of him. That jerked him back to the present and he quickly shot up as Amarant grabbed the still-sobbing girl.

"Mae!" he shouted, not comprehending just yet that he was safe. Light flickered to life at his hands, and Zidane recognized the powerful fira spell before the mage had time to cast it.

"Vivi!" He called out again, grabbing the mage's arms tightly, already feeling the heat against his gloves. That snapped his friend out of it, as soon as his golden orbs landed on Zidane's concerned face.

"Zidane!" He squeaked. "Where's Mae? Did she make it back to you? Where –" he stopped short and whipped around, eyes staring distantly along the fields.

"What are you talking about? Vivi, what happened?" The others leaned in close, hoping to hear the story.

"She's gone…" he mumbled, despair creeping into his voice.

"What? Who's gone? Vivi –"

"Steiner!" A shriek ripped from the back of the dissipating crowd, and everyone turned their heads. "Beatrix! Someone!" they saw the mayor's wife, her hair halfway fallen from her bun, sweeping into her bewildered, crazy eyes. She was stumbling and staggering, not at all the woman of poise and elegance they'd known for so long. Tears were streaming down her face as her voice tore through the empty, ominous air. She was attracting the crowd back again.

The mayor puffed behind her, his face clearly worried, but he looked more anxiety ridden than heart breakingly senseless.

"Mia?" Steiner tilted his head, stepping forward. "Mister Mayor? What's wrong?" Zidane was still shaking Vivi, trying to get answers out of the suddenly silent mage.

"Where is she?!" the mayor's wife sobbed out, coming to a sloppy stop and shaking Freya, who was the nearest to her.

The Bermecian was startled, and peeled the woman's arms away from her, an irritated expression swiping across her face.

"Where is my Mae?!" She bawled.

"Mae?" Blank mumbled, turning towards Vivi.

Ruby gasped, suddenly putting it together. "She was out here," the blonde thief said slowly. "She was out playin' with Vivi and Eiko… But she ain't here no more… Where?"

Suddenly, the black mage crumpled to his knees and let out a sob. "I remember now…" he whispered to himself.

"Tell me what happened, Vivi."

"Where did she go?!" Mia insisted, racing forward until she met Eiko and Vivi. "Where is my daughter?! What sort of monsters did you lead here to take her?!"

Beatrix unsheathed her sword and placed it between the mayor's wife and the scared, purple-haired seven year old. "Stop!" She commanded in a harsh tone.

Mia stared up at the brunette with angry eyes. When she finally registered that Beatrix had a sword pointed at her, she crumpled back in fear. Most of the resistance members were stunned, too confused and shocked at the current events to make a move.

"Let's get one thing straight!" The ex-knight boomed. "I don't know what happened to your daughter. If you would just calm down and let us get the story out of our friend, we will relay it to you when we know! Second of all –" she was all but yelling now; Steiner put a warning hand on her shoulder, "- we lead no one here! You offered your services to us, and we are eternally grateful for that! But you knew the dangers! You knew your family was in jeopardy the moment we showed up on your doorstep fifteen years ago! You could have made us leave, but you didn't! This is in no way any of my company's fault, so do not dare accuse them! This is nobody's fault!"

There was silence. The tears had stopped, and Vivi shook underneath Zidane's hands. The mayor put his hands on Mia's shoulders and pulled her back, a completely apologetic expression overwhelming his face.

Beatrix sheathed her sword, and turned back to Vivi where most attention was already back to.

"Tell us what happened," Dagger prompted softly, sitting by the mage too.

He still felt tears misting his vision, but he tried to be brave as he sucked in a breath to tell them the story. "We were playing… and they came and took her…"

"Come on, Vivi…"

He finally broke off his gaze in the distance and stared up at the blonde dreamer. "They said an eye for an eye. We'll give the mayor's daughter back if Zidane Tribal comes to Alexandria to get her."


A/N: Whoa! That was intense! I hope you guys thought that was intense and not moving too slow! Tell me what you think! We're finally getting to the part of the story I've been waiting for since I first started writing this beast!

I even had myself on edge about where that was going to end! Sheesh! Sometimes I get way too into this story So sorry if there's still errors closer to the end of chapter – I stopped trying to edit and just got sucked into reading lol.

Thanks so much for sticking with me! Tell me what you think! :D

-zesty-