Filling In The Blanks

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

Chapter 97: Old Wounds

The morning sun finally broke over the dusty horizon, its rays casting a torch of light over the hill she rested on. Her back itched up against the bark, and her hands fell limp, stretching her shoulders, at her side. She stared blankly in front of her, down the hill, dipping into the forest. The colors of the leaves were changing, though she suspected on the Outer Continent that there wasn't any actual winter.

She'd never experienced snow before, and maybe it was just her mind trying to give her thoughts a break from all the stress, but she found herself wondering what it was like, and where she could witness it. She heard Oeilvert had snow, but she doubted, with the way things were looking, that she'd ever make it there.

As the wind tugged playfully at her hair, she ground her teeth, making a satisfying sliding noise to block out the silence. She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, and found in the moments following she couldn't find another restful position.

Dagger couldn't stand sitting in those meetings anymore…

But she couldn't stand being out of the loop either.

It had been a week since they'd fled from Dali. She almost felt bad for the new recruits that still continued to join them every day, because the mood wasn't nearly as upbeat as it should have been when they arrived on the edge of the forest. According to some of the newbies, Marcus, Ruby and Quina were scheduled for a return at any time now; it was something Dagger was hardly looking forward to. She hadn't had to be the one to tell Cid – or any of the others – that Zidane had been abducted, but she didn't have to be there to know the anguish and heartbreak Baku, Zenero and Cinna had suffered – she didn't want to know about the others as well.

Needless to say, she was frustrated. She was usually pretty good at knowing what Cid was thinking or what he was planning on doing (part of it was that he always liked to run his plans by Dagger, though she hardly ever disagreed with his judgment), but this time was different. She wasn't sure if her uncle was waiting until the rest of Tantalus could be informed about Zidane, or what before they went back to Dali.

She closed her eyes against the soft sun. A tree frog buzzed in the distance – starting low and growing to the annoying hum in the back ground. She clenched her fist at her side. Maybe Cid and the others were just having a hard time finding a maneuverable plan back into the city? Or maybe there were troubles with the ship – or maybe…

Hilda had returned in the second round of recruits to the resistance hideout. She followed Ruby loyally the girl's second time through Fossil Roo, and hadn't complained once about the distance, heat, lack of supplies, or anything. Dagger heard it had been a real treat for anyone around when Hilda suddenly showed up in front of Cid.

He had stared at her, words stolen from the back of his throat as he gaped dumbly at her – his usual cordial quirkiness had been stunted by the surprise of her presence, but after he had soaked it all in he had laughed and bounded towards her, twirling her around and demanding her never to leave his side again. Leave it to Cid to be dramatic without any sadness at the years they had spent apart. He willed her to tell him the news of their city and the outside world, and she rolled her eyes and told him "In due time. Just be patient my dear Cid." And that's all he needed.

But now that Hilda was back, he seemed distracted. Beatrix had suggested to the raven that it was probably because she was stressed that she was seeing it differently, but Dagger's sharp chocolate eyes caught the unfocused look on her uncle's face, and the way he wouldn't answer a question without stealing a glance at his long-lost wife first. Maybe now that Hilda was back… things didn't matter as much to Cid anymore.

She felt silly saying that; silly and immature and rude. But she couldn't help but feel he surely wasn't pressing the matter of Zidane's rescue, and nobody seemed bothered by that.

She puckered her lips and scratched her shoulder where the bark stuck out of the tree at a weird angle. That was the reason she hadn't been able to stay in those meetings any longer. The lack of discussion told her that there were no plans – still – about infiltrating Alexandria, and the lack of leadership told her… what exactly? That nobody cared? That they were waiting for her? The possibilities were endless.

Her toes twitched in her faded boots, and she felt a sudden restlessness under the morning sun. It had been a week. It was time to go.

She forced herself up from the ground and wiped off her yellow pants, trying not to be bothered by how quickly her clothing from their nearly three-month-long mission had been stripped from her pack and scrubbed until it looked brand new again. It was an incredibly nice gesture, but how could she sit here in freshly cleaned clothes when Zidane was probably laying battered in a dungeon, still not home from the operation?

She bristled just thinking about it again.

Her legs brought her quickly down from the top of her favorite morning spot, and her feet tromped in the dirt loudly. She swung her arms to give herself authority and confidence, which actually worked nicely. People stayed out of her way enough so she had a clear shot to where the meeting was taking place.

Dagger opened the door, hovering on the inside where nobody would see her. All heads were bowed around the table as her team, Tantalus and various others hunched over maps and notes and anything else that might help them. Nobody noticed her enter.

"We're not going to have long enough once we're in to search every single part of the dungeon," Steiner argued, his voice sounding more irritated the longer he talked. "We have to think about where they would put him."

"On one hand…" Freya mumbled, "the deeper into the dungeon, the more drastic the punishment; and yet – closer to an exit. But if they put him closer to the castle, the living conditions are probably better, and there is less security. No matter what has happened, Kuja would not want the possibility of escape."

"So that gives us no clues," Amarant grouched with a crease in his forehead. "Why can't we rush the damn place with an army?!"

"We are not sacrificing so many on something like this!" Cid explained hastily, "While I believe it is important for Zidane to be rescued, this is not even our fight with Kuja. We cannot have half the resistance die to save one boy."

Dagger almost lashed out, retorting harshly to her uncle, but she wanted to see first if anyone would disagree with him.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when the room remained silent. Her eyes swept the premises and breathed a sigh of relief when she found Blank nowhere in sight. She took comfort in knowing he would have disagreed if he were finally allowed to attend a meeting. Most of Tantalus looked like they wanted to say something, but she knew as well as they that if anything biased like that was tossed out in the open, they would probably be kicked out for being too 'emotionally involved'. Dagger was surprised Cid was still letting her in.

"We need a plan before we go to Dali," he said with a sense of finality in his voice; his figure stretched up and back in his chair as he rubbed his temples.

"We've never had a plan going into the castle before – I don't see how it should be such a big problem now!" Everyone whirled around at Dagger's voice – the girl hardly spoke anymore.

"Dagger –"

"No!" she snapped at her uncle, trying not to flinch at the harshness of her own voice. "Zidane should not be sentenced to death because we are too afraid to make a move! He would never let one of us go through that – even if he was ordered to wait!"

There was silence for a moment before Cinna's quiet voice floated up and over the tangible tension. "She's right, you know."

"Of course I'm right!" She huffed, shaking her head frantically. "We've waited too long already! I know we have to go back… and if we can't find a plan now, we make one up as we go! We cannot stand back and wait for death to take him!"

"If it's a question of authority and experience, I'd be willing to lead the charge," Baku offered, feeling more confident in voicing an alternative since Dagger had spoken. "If you don't want to sacrifice Steiner and Beatrix, I'd happily go in their place."

"And the crew will follow our boss," Marcus piped up strongly.

"We won't be left behind in such a time," Beatrix argued. "If a plan for Tantalus to go is being made now, then I want to be a part of it."

"The same goes for me," Freya added.

Steiner's head swiveled to Cid, ever-loyal, and ever-listening. The old man bowed his head, looking his age for the first time in a long time.

"You'll go back to Dali, and you shall attempt to get into the castle to rescue Zidane." Because Dagger was the technical leader of the resistance – there was no arguing with her when she was insisting they go right away, and especially after so many had already offered their assistance. And both Dagger and Cid knew that very well.

Tantalus started moving before his sentence was even finished. They scrambled from their seats and were prepared to make a full getaway before Cid's voice boomed over them with authority.

"But!" he urged, sounding commanding. "I fully expect complete and utter following of instructions! There shall be no arguments, and if anyone disregards an order, it means trouble. This is an extremely dangerous and delicate operation! I want you out of there immediately if too much danger lurks ahead. You can always make multiple break-ins to the castle, for I have seen you do it before! Now move quickly! You shall depart in a few hours!"

Everyone began flooding from the room, and Dagger was amongst the crowd until Cid called her back. She walked rigidly, like she was being slowly paralyzed, towards her uncle.

The voices became more hushed the closer to the door the huddle got, and she didn't need to glance backwards to know that Steiner and Beatrix lingered, wondering if they should be present, and what he was going to say to her.

Though the girl had no reason to believe her uncle was going to give her bad news – he was probably just going to encourage her like he always did – she had a terrible feeling rising in her gut like a flower wilting under too much water. The candle in the middle of the room flickered, sending long shadows across her porcelain skin. Her eyes glinted with that small light, young and restless and entirely unsure.

He stared at his niece for a moment, taking in her demeanor since the last time he saw her. She had seen things, no doubt, on her long mission that he wished she didn't have to see. They were things a princess shouldn't have to go through, but he was proud that she was so strong because of it. After all that had happened, here she was, still stout enough to stand before him.

Which was why it was going to kill her when he finally spoke his mind.

"Dagger," he started softly, and instantly she knew. She took a step back, trying to barricade herself against his sour report. "You cannot go."

"What?!" she gasped; he assumed she had known it wouldn't be a positive conversation, but she probably didn't expect that.

"You're too emotionally involved… You'll make rash decisions if you go with the rest of your friends to get Zidane back. And what happens if you don't succeed? I think it best if you stay here."

Her face flushed and heat rose to her neck and cheeks in anger. She stumbled over unspoken words, her mouth flubbing like a fish from her lack of response. What could she say to that? Telling her she couldn't go was the biggest slap to the face she could have received.

"Are you joking?" was all she could manage after a full minute of questionable expressions.

"I don't want you getting hurt."

Her fingers curled into fists and she squared her shoulders, narrowing her eyes at her uncle. She already had her suspicions that he wasn't trying particularly quickly to send in help for the blonde, and this was only solidifying her point.

Cid, on the other hand, knew she had it all wrong. He knew that tensions were stretched thin, ready to break at any moment. He knew that Dagger believed he wasn't trying to do everything he could, and he didn't blame her. But in all reality, Cid knew he couldn't move without some sort of a plan – and half of that plan was how to get Dagger to cooperate in staying behind. He had already sent a mail moogle away to get any information from the supply train into Alexandria, back to the resistance to better their chances of getting to the genome.

"The only hurt will be from being left behind. I cannot just stand back while they try to break into the castle! I belong there!"

"You won't die to see this mission through!"

"I have a right to be there as part of the team!"

"You have a right to stay here as a princess!"

"I don't want to be if it means abandoning everything I stand for!" she insisted. She was trying to keep her voice steady and the calmness of the lifted conversation was nearly eerie. Dagger didn't want to fight with her uncle, but she found it increasingly difficult to stand beside him in his decisions. "Now that you have Hilda back, you don't care anymore!" she blurted, and nearly covered her mouth and apologized, but she didn't. "You don't care about helping the others now that Hilda is safe," she found herself continuing.

"Unfortunately, it isn't your place to choose." That was Cid's way of doing things. He completely ignored her crack at him, trying to stay calm even though the accusation stung him more than she might have ever known. How could she say he didn't care? He wanted her happy above all else, except keeping her safe.

Dagger tried to imagine the way Beatrix stood, tall and proud, when someone tried to contradict her. The girl tried to mirror the ex-knight in such a way, and leaned forward slightly to Cid. He may have been one hell of a leader, but if she was ever to be a ruler after this war was over, she was going to have to start making her own decisions – so why not start now?

"I'm sorry but… it's not your place either."

And with that she turned and walked out without turning back, determined to get on that airship – whether she was welcomed or not.


The airship was nearly ready to take off, and so far nobody had cracked in resisting Cid's order that Dagger be left behind. Apparently, the matter had already been discussed and forced onto everyone else. She was frustrated and upset; everyone was ganging up on her. She couldn't be left behind, it just wasn't fair! Steiner and Beatrix wouldn't look at her, and all the others did were give her a pitying glance. Nobody would go against Cid's orders because it was already a miracle they had all banded together enough to move without a plan. Only Dagger's stamp of approval could rival Cid's authority.

The dark haired girl hadn't seen Blank all morning. Her brow creased, finding some satisfaction in the fact that they weren't going to let him go either. It was childish to feel this way, but she couldn't help but feel that if she wasn't allowed to go, the temperamental redhead shouldn't be able to either. She cringed though, when she realized that perhaps Blank's situation – not being a princess or anything – was a little easier to tackle danger with.

She heard Steiner's footsteps before she saw him, and when she turned to face him, hope sparked on her eyes. Maybe he was just waiting for the last minute!

"Be safe, Dagger," her murmured to her. "Tell Ruby, Marcus and Quina that we're sorry we couldn't be here to support them when they find out."

Her jaw almost dropped. "Steiner," she groaned in a whisper; she hoped the painstaking expression on her face would make him feel bad. "Why are you letting this happen? You know I deserve to be there."

Instead of answering, he wrapped her in a light hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured. Her cries of agony and screams of hatred for stopping her from running to Zidane's aid in Alexandria rang in his mind.

"Hey! Heeeey!" the crew boarding the ship turned at the noise, and they saw Ruby and Marcus racing towards them, having broken ahead of the group they were escorting. "Where the hell are you guys going?!" Quina came puffing up moments later.

Freya looked around for Baku, same as the others, hoping that he could be the one to explain. But the leader of Tantalus was nowhere to be seen. She let out a sigh and walked back down the ramp to greet them. "We are leaving on another mission… Get aboard the ship and you shall be briefed on the way."

Ruby groaned, letting her shoulders slump. "Ya'll don't even wanna tell us what's goin' on?"

"We will," the Bermecian insisted, before grabbing Ruby and Marcus' pack. "Let us go."

"Where's Baku?" Marcus nearly demanded. "What happened in Dali that's making us go on another mission so soon? Ruby and I just got back and –"

"Quina!" Freya called out, ignoring the two thieves. "Come on, we are leaving!"

"Why we go so soon?" he asked back, but she still refused to answer him. Those impressions of Blank collapsing into her arms burned, and she wasn't looking forward to seeing three more anguished faces on the ride back into the Mist Continent.

As other resistance members trotted forward to meet the new recruits and herd them into the space, an argument broke out amongst the people getting on the ship. Nobody wanted to tell them right there, because it would only slow everything down, and they'd wasted too much time as it was. Steiner stepped back from Dagger, giving her one more apologetic look, before trying to break it up.

She stood there aghast. How could this be happening? No one even had the proper decency to –

"Hey Kid," the raven whirled around to see Baku's face under a hood. She almost laughed – he looked ridiculous.

"What are you doing sneaking around, Baku?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

He dropped a pack in front of her. "Look, I know you want to be there. I know you're upset because nobody ain't givin' you the time of day before we leave to get Zidane. Believe me… we've been in this position before, and anyone who's left behind has it harder than the rest."

She puckered her lips before pulling them into a thin line, wrapping her arms around herself. "I appreciate you being the only one to come and say something to me, but that's not really helping."

"Just lemme finish, okay?"

"Okay…" she nodded, unsure.

He scuffed his feet in the dirt, glaring hard at the burlap sack he had dropped at her feet. "Nobody likes bein' left behind. I had to have the same conversation with Blank this morning. Cid's orders that he doesn't join us on the mission."

While the feeling gave her great relief, her heart went out to the redhead, who was probably sulking by himself somewhere, in need of some company.

"But," Baku grinned, delighted that she hadn't stopped him again. "Us Tantalus members never been very good at following the rules." He gestured to the sack. "Get in, and I'll haul you on board. Blank will be waitin' for you in the cargo room – don't come out for a few hours, and they'll have no choice but to keep going."

Dagger blinked, taking an unusual amount of time to realize what Baku was saying. "Really?!" she yelped before he hastily shushed her. "Baku… thank you."

"Just get in before we're caught! That scuffle's almost over!"

She quickly pulled the sack up around her, and Baku used the drawstring to close it all the way at the top. He hoisted her gently up onto his shoulders and tromped around the group while they finally got the three newcomers to just get on the ship.

"Baku!" Marcus barked. "There you are! Come explain the damn situation! Nobody is telling us anything!"

"Hold on a minute," he grumbled back. "Give a man some time to put his luggage in the cargo room you shit!" and then he moved hastily inside, away from the others who were boarding the ship.

Light seeped through the satchel, highlighting the criss cross patterns of the stitching and the fringing from old age. She squeezed herself tighter into a ball, feeling her pack tight against her back. She knew the others would be angry, but Baku was right – if they waited long enough to reveal themselves, the crew would have no choice but to keep going.

The lights disappeared so Dagger assumed they had turned away from the outer walls of the ship with the windows, and were coming close to the cargo room. She bit her lip – suddenly nervous. What if Baku was found out?

Before she had time to calm herself down (or rile herself up even more) she was placed lightly on the floor, and she could feel Baku fiddling with the tie at the top. After a few moments, she was able to push the top apart and stand.

Blank, who had been sulking against the wall, leapt to his feet and hurried forward, staring wide eyed at Baku and Dagger. "You brought her too?!"

"Can't have ya going without any company – I know how whiny you get!"

The redhead let on a challenging grin as he stared at the girl, the same determination he was feeling flickering in her own eyes. "We're going with then…"

"Just stay here for a while, okay? Or you're going to get me in some trouble!"

"Thank you, Baku," Dagger said, intertwining her hands in front of her stomach. "How can we repay you for doing this?"

The man gave a smirk and shrugged his shoulders before twirling his mustache on his finger. "Help get Zidane back alive."

The two teens looked at each other only for a moment before they nodded. "Deal."


The walls seemed to spin, and there was a dragging noise bringing him out of his merciful unconsciousness that wasn't settling with him well.

Even as dizzying as it was, he was forced to open his eyes, his head lulled forward to stare at the slow-moving stone path underneath him. Lifting his head, he saw that a guard held each of his arms, and they were dragging his useless body down a sloped path.

"Where are we?" he groaned, even though he hadn't meant to.

"You're finally bein' moved to the dungeon, scum!" one of the soldiers told him, "Probably smelling up the place with your death too much."

The blonde didn't bother to answer.

Zidane had learned very early on in the week he'd spent captive by Kuja, that smart remarks made him feel better, but the punishment worse. And the more and more punishment he got, the less and less he tried to fight back.

It was almost an act of compassion for Kuja to order the dreamer down to the dungeon. That meant that the constant interrogation would be over at least – no guard wanted to spend that much time downstairs. However, it wasn't going to matter much soon. Zidane hardly had the energy to lift his head and speak, let alone try and stay alive. He already felt cold, and the further into the dungeon they went, the clammier it got. His entire body was numb – probably the effect of some spell so the guards could move him without trouble – but he knew the pain would come back.

The pain always came back.

He hadn't had time to really inspect his wounds much, but the constant flow of warmth on the side of his face said that he had some blunt trauma to his head, and the mangled way his leg had sat for the last six hours as he was tied to that chair told him they'd re-broken his once-healed limb from his last fight with Kuja.

There were other things, but none with a sharp enough pain to stick out like the leg breaking or the head bashing. He really didn't want to relive the experience again. Kuja was determined to get information from him, and while it was already starting to slip what exactly the dark lord had wanted to know, Zidane knew he hadn't given it to him.

"This bitch is so fucking heavy!" one of the soldiers griped as they lugged the blonde along.

"M'be you're jus' a puss," the genome mumbled back, the slightest of grins stretching onto his face. He couldn't help himself sometimes – these soldiers were just ridiculous. Even in his cloudy, half-unconscious mind, he couldn't stand the way they couldn't do simple tasks without making it a big deal.

"What'd you just say to me?!" he yelled (unnecessarily) as he shoved the blonde into a wall.

His entire body shook with the impact, and his head lulled to the side. However, the small, delirious smirk never left his face.

"You're pathetic," he told the soldier again, before a loud rumble echoed down the hallway and he was forcibly shoved into a cell. His legs collapsed underneath him, and he hardly had time to register the fact that he was being chained to the musty wall.

The dampness soaked through his clothes immediately, and the deepest sort of chill shuddered down his back as the guards stood over him. One gave him a sharp kick in the ribs, and it took every ounce of energy Zidane had left not to yell out.

When they weren't given the satisfaction of his cries, the guards grumbled complaints to each other and meandered away, slamming the heavy wooden door on their way out.

It was quiet for a moment as the blonde struggled to breathe. The ragged air ripping from his lungs was the only noise in the room as he forced his limbs not to shake. Shivering was going to make him even weaker, and he wished for a moment – just one moment – of stillness and peace.

"Zidane?!"

The rasping scared him out of his lull. Flopping his head to one side, he squinted his dulled cerulean eyes, trying to see what was only a few feet from him. The world spun at a weird angle, and the longer he tried to concentrate, the more nausea rose to his throat.

"Zidane… What are you doing here?" the voice sounded hesitant, with a tone that suggested guilt, but then, maybe the genome was just hearing things.

"Who…" he mumbled, the words feeling slippery as he blubbered his response. "Who're you?"

There was shifting in the dirt, creating a grating noise against the stone. Whoever was across the cell from him wasn't moving very fast either, and for the first time since being tossed into the dungeon, Zidane smelled the very potent scent of blood.

Chains jangled as the figure slid towards the blonde, and he knew he should be more alert and aware of this being, but he didn't have the energy to defend himself, and both of them knew it.

The candle outside the door filtered in a small amount of light through the sad, miniscule window in the heavy oak door. The bars shot staggered beams of dim brightness into the cell, but all at once the form made sense to him, and the identity of his cellmate suddenly made sense.

Zidane spluttered without meaning to. "Bronson?!" In his haste to speak, a coughing fit bubbled up from his throat, and he watched with dizziness as blood splattered on the floor. Both of them pretended not to notice.

"How did you get in here? Does this mean Princess Garnet has been captured as well?" The man's voice wavered with questions and uncertainty – something the genome hadn't heard in his arrogant tone before.

"I don't…" he blinked his eyes hard, trying to stop the spinning of his world as he lulled his head to the other side.

"Zidane! I have to know!"

"I don't –" he started again, " – think… Las' time I saw 'er," the blonde groaned as he tried to finish his sentence. The numbing spell was beginning to wear off, and the first prickles of pain began biting up and down his body. "She… was safe."

"Oh thank the heavens!" he cried out, and the grating noise of the rusty metal chains against the damp floor shook Zidane where he collapsed. "But then… When was the last time you saw her?! How long have you been here?"

"Week."

"In the dungeon?"

"Kuja's interr'gation."

If he was more alert, Zidane would have seen the impressed expression swoop down and take over Bronson's face. He fell quiet for a moment, the man's eyes sweeping over the genome's broken figure. "I'm impressed," he whispered. "I hardly lasted a few hours."

Zidane seemed to realize something from this statement, and slowly turned his head, grinding his teeth the entire way, to stare at his cellmate. "What're you doin' here? You were on Outer Con'inet."

There was a silence as they listened to water drip down into the musty cell from the corner of the room. Bronson listened to Zidane's sharp, ragged breaths and his gut twisted into a knot, neatly tied into a bow of guilt. "I told Kuja of your plans to gather resistance members in hopes that he would exchange Garnet's absolute safety. I was hoping, that even if we lose this war, I could plant the idea in his mind that Garnet could live, and be ruler of Alexandria, leading her people to obey Kuja. I just wanted her safety."

He rubbed his brow, hating the way that Zidane wasn't answering. It was killing him that he didn't know if the blonde was silent because of the pain, or because he was pissed.

"You came 'lone?"

"Darius and Rendell were with me, but Kuja killed them right after he had the information he needed."

Of course it would be those two to go with him. One had lost their hand in a spontaneous battle while soldiers searched for the dreamers, and he had always blamed Zidane. It was so long ago that the blonde, guiltily, didn't recall which man it was who lost his limb in the battle. Part of the reason this was happening right now was because Bronson, Rendell and Darius had a problem with the dreamer.

If Zidane had even an ounce more energy, he'd be angry, but at that very moment all he wanted was to close his eyes and fall into an abyss of numbness. His leg was on fire, but he was hardly conscious enough to realize how mangled and hurt it was.

He would see too, that Bronson's face, though recognizable, was swollen and his entire right arm and ribs were seared with not even a bandage to cover it from the uncomfortable dampness of the cell. He was weak and his health was failing fast as well, but compared to Zidane he seemed to be in pretty good shape. He shifted closer to the genome, his dulled eyes peering down at his barely-moving form.

"Zidane, this is all my fault." He sighed and tilted his head upward, vision plunging into the darkness that festered on the ceiling. "If I had had more faith in the resistance… we wouldn't be here right now."

Zidane grunted in response, but hardly gave an answer.

"If I could go back and change it, I would… I truly, really would. I'm so sorry – this isn't what my family would want. This shouldn't have been the answer when Dali burned. Please forgive me; if we get out of here, I will do everything I can to help against Kuja – to keep Garnet safe, in the right way. Please say you'll forgive me."

But he turned to his new companion and saw that his heavy eyelids had finally shut, and he slipped into a comatose state.


Blank guessed they were nearly to Dali when the two finally wandered out of the cargo room. They tiptoed down the hall, in and out of the light pouring through the windows from their journey. The closer they got to the front end of the ship where they knew everyone would be, the tighter Dagger clutched onto the redhead's hand. What if they were wrong about where they were and were still close enough to turn around? Or what if they still turned around anyways?

Her stomach flopped over itself like waves, and her face paled as soon as she heard Beatrix's voice for the first time. Blank huffed at her, though said nothing as he all but dragged her forward.

"The observatory is a fine place to store the ship… When we were in Dali before, we scouted it out and found that Kuja never destroyed it. We were already too far gone by the time he got there that he didn't even bother."

"I think it will be better than anchoring in the sea like we did before," Steiner agreed with Beatrix. "We're going to need to stay close to Alexandria for when we get a successful break-in to the castle."

The two teenagers poked their head in to take a look around the ship. Steiner, Beatrix, Freya, Eiko and Amarant all sat towards the front of the ship while the brunette woman carefully steered; Baku had instructed what sort of a course to take to make it easier on her.

As for the others: Marcus, Ruby, Quina, Zenero, Cinna and Baku all sat huddled together on the floor in the corner. Cinna hugged Ruby tightly, tears in his own eyes as she sobbed and sobbed, unable to break from her own crumpled little reality. Baku was silent as he rested a hand on Marcus' slumped form. The eldest thief's shoulders racked, but he tried hard to pretend he wasn't crying. Quina was whimpering, and the others guessed it was a qu's way of crying as Zenero sat by and comforted him and Baku at once. They had never looked tighter than in that moment, and it was heartbreaking. The news about Zidane was broken to them soon after they boarded, and no one had the heart to try and pull themselves together yet – especially with Ruby still sobbing.

There was no time for Dagger to even question the redhead on if revealing themselves was what he wanted. The short Tantalus member strode confidently into the room and opened his arms, eyes shining though no one could see them. "Ruby," he stated firmly, and everyone's heads snapped towards him.

Steiner and Beatrix were up in a second, but nobody was faster than Ruby. A new round of tears burst from her, and she raced towards the boy, collapsing into his arms as she sobbed. "Oh Blank. Oh Blank," she repeated.

The scene must have broken Cinna's heart, for he raced towards the pair and threw himself at them, and soon all of Tantalus was breaking down all over again, holding each other as they reunited with the redhead who was thought to have been banned from the mission. Baku's eyes trailed from his boys (and girl) to Dagger standing awkwardly at the door.

That seemed to tip off everyone else.

"Dagger?!" Steiner gasped, clasping his hands onto his face dramatically. "What are you doing here?! You can't be here!"

He wanted to race forward, but Freya was the one who grabbed his arm. "Dagger, this is completely irresponsible!" she called out.

Dagger shook her head. "It wasn't Cid's decision to keep me there."

"He'll kill us when he finds out –" Steiner started, but Dagger held up a hand to cut him off.

"I'm sure he already has. There is no time, Steiner, to turn back! Blank and I are here now, so you might as well use us! I will not be shucked off from the mission to save Zidane's life." She bit her lip, but decided still to speak her mind. "I-I love him, you know," she stumbled over her words as she said it, for the first time admitting it out loud to the knight. "You won't change that, no matter what rules and stipulations you put on my whereabouts."

Beatrix's shoulders relaxed and her eyes closed. She had been far too much of an influence on the girl; Dagger was taking in her footsteps. Her heart fluttered sadly when she thought Dagger should have been taking after her mother, and not her head protector.

Steiner on the other hand, tensed as his eyes went wide. Of course he knew. He had always known, but up to this very moment he spent every ounce of his logical mind trying to deny it.

"Well stand behind you, Rusty…" It was Zidane who spoke first, and the knight turned around, shocked. As though answering a silent question, the blonde shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Did you come after Blank and I when we went searching? It was dangerous, and we almost died, I'll admit… And yet, you came anyways… I'm finally getting a chance to thank you for that…"

He remembered that day in Ipsen's Castle, when the boy stepped forward to defend their reasoning on risking their lives, just for the sake of discovering where Steiner's father had descended into before his death. He remembered how Zidane hadn't waited for anyone else's approval before he reacted. He remembered the countless times he had saved lives – Dagger's in specific – and how Steiner had thought, that last day in Lindblum, that perhaps he was wrong about the blonde all along.

It was time he start living up to that statement.

His shoulders relaxed and he let on a rare smile saved for only his closest companions. The man breathed a deep breath as he nodded at her, giving his approval without saying a word.

"How far out are we?" she asked, deciding not to keep Steiner in the spotlight for too long. The girl strode to the control panel at the very front of the ship and gripped the guard rail in front of it. Her hair fell in front of her face as she forced an abrupt stop. Her dark eyes scanned the clouds they were passing through, hoping to find clues to their whereabouts before anyone even spoke.

"We probably have about fifteen minutes," Cinna told her, breaking apart from the rest of his team. He sniffled loudly and wiped his nose on his arm, walking towards her. His eyes shined milky in the light as his gaze went from Dagger to the window.

"What's the plan when we land?" Blank asked as Marcus, Baku, Quina and Zenero backed away from him as well. He hardly even noticed that Ruby stayed snuggled in his protective embrace.

"We need to make a pit stop in Dali. We have to inform the mayor what's going on so he can help us in any way that he can. The recruits we gathered are long gone," Steiner spoke with authority, walking to meet the two at the window.

Marcus nodded to confirm, "We walked with Elouise's uncle through Fossil Roo – one of the last groups."

"It's probably good he's gone," Blank stated, tugging Ruby with him towards the window. "I feel like we'd have to tell him about his niece, and I just don't know if anyone could handle hearing that about their family."

The others agreed in silence as Baku took the wheel. "It's going to be dusk by the time we make it to Dali. Are we going to make a move during the day, or at night?"

"Let's rest for a few hours," Dagger suggested, trying to keep in mind that she should stay objective for the rest of the group, no matter how much she knew they needed to get to Zidane. "We leave for our first attempt into the castle before dawn."

"That sounds perfect," Freya praised. "Let us get things ready before we land, so that we may not waste time doing so while we could be taking refuge in the village."

Dagger nodded, truly grateful that she was so graciously accepted into the mission. As she turned to leave, searching for her own bearings to get ready, Blank fell into step beside her. She shot him a quick glance, and he offered her up a rare expression of optimism. As the rescue team stormed the hallway he grabbed her hand and squeezed it through her glove.

"We'll get him back. That's a promise."

She had never been so grateful for the redhead's stubbornness in all her life.


A/N: That was a long chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it though! Things are really heating up It was sad to write, but alas, essential to the story. Can't have me quitting and leaving Zidane there forever! That'd be a terrible cliff hanger!

Lol I have to stop myself from a rant, so I'm a-signin' off! Good night my lovely, and faithful, FAITHFUL reviewers!

-zesty-

P.S. ! I know the editing probably wasn't very well done this chapter! It's so late here, and I have to be up in four hours but… I'm going on a volunteer/backpacking trip to Cambodia for a month, so I will be out of the country! I thought it was important to get you guys an update, and especially warn you that I will be without my story for a month BUT not to worry: I'm not giving up on it! I actually have the next 10 chapters already written, so expect another update right away in July. So sorry for the inconvenience, but thanks for being so patient with my crappy updating! :D

Cheers!