Filling In The Blanks
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.
Chapter 98: A Difficult Chance
Zidane was aroused from a slumber that felt like it had lasted for decades. His limbs were stiff, but he imagined he was so accustomed to the sharp pains that if he didn't move, he didn't need to go through anymore unnecessary discomfort.
However, with curiosity bouncing around in his mind, having been trapped in a lifeless world for who-knew-how-long, he didn't sit still for long. He strained his neck to the side, watching through blurred, dark vision as Bronson grunted and struggled against silent soldiers.
Either he was being taken for another round of torture fun, or Zidane was in for it again.
His throbbing heart nearly melted into the floor. He didn't think he could stomach another round – nor survive it.
The genome ground his teeth, hoping not to call out. The pain of consciousness prickled his sinuses, stinging tears into his vision.
He would happily welcome death now.
Though he didn't remember much of anything since his already-shadowed conversation with Bronson, he imagined from the way his fingers twitched unnaturally, or the warm pool underneath his side that he had endured more torture.
His body shuttered, and a foreign voice cried out. It tore from his lungs, and sounded strange to him, making him wonder in his dazed mind how long it had been since he'd heard himself talk. His eyes tensed as they threatened to roll back into his head, threatened to rob him from his mildly coherent thoughts, and threatened to inch him one step closer to death.
That didn't sound so bad.
Boots stepped into his angled view of the floor, though he couldn't control his shuddering limbs enough to focus on what was coming his way. The light burned his pupils. But he couldn't seem to look away. His heart beat in his throat, making him gag as the figure moved closer.
He couldn't hear Bronson.
Maybe they killed him.
How did he get so lucky?
But from the way his body was reacting to the first comprehensible awareness in what felt like a whole lifetime, he figured he wasn't too far from death either.
"Zidane…" the voice nearly groaned, and though physically, said genome hardly looked like he grasped anything, his mind was spinning with new questions. An odd sort of penalization it was, paralyzed in your own body, but just mentally sharp enough to ponder questions that wouldn't be answered. "Zidane… I cannot believe this…"
Finally, after what seemed like ages, his trembling muscles succumbed to exhaustion and he lay still, able to twist his neck and search for any features that made a face.
It was a long, slender face with high cheekbones and slim, glinting eyes. From what Zidane could make out, the figure had fair skin – tall but lethal and nimble. The blonde blinked his eyes shut. "Who...?"
There was a shift, and the figure cupped thinned lips with a strong hand, letting it slowly slide down his chin and fall limp back at his side. The leather of his boots crunched as he leaned down closer to the blonde, his hands hovering over a nearly-lifeless body. He hesitated, knowing he could hurt the genome with a simple touch.
"I suppose I don't blame you for not recognizing me."
Zidane let out a heavy, strangled breath in reply.
"I've been collecting the remnants of potions in the medical ward for two weeks now. Kuja is so stingy with his supplies, but I've managed a little less than one… try not to spit it out, that is all I ask."
The blonde still had no idea who was kneeling next to him, slowly tilting the thick, sour liquid into his mouth. It burned his raw throat, and he nearly choked it back up, but he forced it down with the little hope that he would be able to see his savior.
His vision began to clear, if only slightly, and he didn't feel the trembling pain crawling just under every inch of his skin. The world seemed to grow still, and compared to the way he had been feeling the last week and a half (nearly two weeks) since Kuja had captured him, he felt fantastic.
As his health seemed to click into somewhat of a stable place, he gasped, gulping up too much air and sending himself into a coughing fit. Water trickled down his throat moments later and Zidane groaned. He tilted his eyes up, hoping to catch the light, just to make sure what he was seeing was true.
"I can't…b'lieve it…"
A hint of a smile began on the figure.
"Av'lanche?!"
The elf shook his head, clearly pleased that the information finally stapled itself into his old friend's mind. "It's been a long time, Zidane."
He closed his eyes, trying to yank back the emotions threatening to tumble out. All of a sudden, everything from the dream world was toppling into itself, and Zidane was caught underneath the foundation. "Too long."
Avalanche sat down completely on the ground, stretching his long legs out, parallel to the genome's limp body. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."
"B'lieve me," he heaved his chest, reveling in the fact he could breathe. "You've done plen'y."
There was silence for a moment as Avalanche waited for the question he knew would come.
"But…" the shorter friend mumbled. His body burned, but this new clarity in his mind helped him move past that so he could speak with the other blonde. "Why? Why're you doing this?"
Avalanche shifted his boot on the stone floor, crunching the gravel beneath the heavy leather sole. "I want to hear your story first."
"What?"
He turned his head, long platinum hair falling over his shoulder as his light eyes peered down at the broken soul in front of him. The potion wouldn't last long, and neither would their time together. Avalanche knew that the guards were coming for more interrogation, and he knew that this might be their only chance to talk.
"What happened to you after that day?" Zidane closed his eyes, so Avalanche continued. "You left us to rest, and hours later, Elouise came wrapping on my door, Vienna and Griffon already trailing unsettlingly behind her. She said you were taken away, probably dying. But now you're here with people we deem our enemies… Something doesn't fit. That isn't the Zidane I knew. What happened?"
The blonde let out a sort of chuckle, a shrug tracing the sound. "Will you believe me?"
He leaned forward and tilted Zidane's head back, letting another small bit of the potion leak down his throat. There was no hesitation before his answer, "I will try."
This bout worked faster than the last, and he found himself able to sense the acute pain in his limbs, healing themselves in a contorted way. However, his speech became clearer, and he understood how serious Avalanche was about the question. "I'd been having dreams. Dreams of myself in a com'letely different life. I was a 'lil younger and something about the people and places I'd see in these dreams were so fam'liar. But then I'd wake up, and t'was just us five friends again."
He took in a deep, shuttering breath, hating the confusion he was forced to remember when recalling how he awoke.
"Elouise left me that night to get more sleep. She was worried, y'know?"
"We all were. Especially when you didn't clearly recognize us when you first woke."
He gave a vague nod and continued. "I wen' to sleep, and when I woke up –" he flicked his finger, trying to gesture but unable to move enough, "- I was here."
"In the Alexandria dungeon?"
He nodded again. "But it was a big room – maybe a connect'r of corridors? I don' remember. I woke up on a cot, and there were a whole bunch of people around me on cots too; nobody else was awake, and when I tried to wake them up, no one would."
Avalanche narrowed his eyes, and the genome could already sense the suspicion in his demeanor.
"Guards came in the room and chas'd me down. I ran into a black mage – a mage I met in the dream world when I left Libby's the day I disappeared. He actually talked to me, and was littler, in d'ffer'nt clothes than the regular mages we hated. He recognized me too; we ran together, trying to find a way out."
"But that doesn't explain –"
Zidane shook his head, "Let me finish, please." He was already feeling tired.
Avalanche's eyes flickered to the door, knowing he needed to be open-minded if he ever wanted to hear the whole story.
"That's when we ran into the resist'nce."
The blonde continued to retell his tale – staggered and sluggish - explaining what the resistance had told him. He recalled the facts about Kuja and the war, and the revelation that all of those dreams had been true. Zidane watched with off-kilter vision as Avalanche's face grew less skeptical, and longer – more shocked and interested in the story.
Slowly, his memories continued to come back to him, and his skill as a fighter and a thief with it. He even dared tell Avalanche about Blank – his best friend from a different life who would do anything for him; Steiner and Beatrix who would do anything to restore their kingdom, and even Dagger… her smile and her encouragement, and everything in between.
The elf's eyes traced his friend's face for a long moment. "You love her."
"What?" Out of that entire story, that's the first thing he said?
Avalanche laughed, "By that statement alone, I can tell. I know you aren't lying – how could you lie about someone you love?"
Zidane was quiet as the taller leaned back, suddenly becoming more reserved. "What is it?" he questioned, as the other blonde ran a hand through his long, thick hair.
Light blue eyes suddenly locked onto sapphire. "I get them too."
"Wha'?"
"It is as though there is another life I lived, without really remembering when I lived it."
Zidane nearly sprung up, and his body twitched like he meant to, but the spasm set him flopping back down in pain.
Avalanche took this as a cue to continue so the blonde didn't keep trying to move. "There are many holes in Kuja's story, and it's always made me wonder."
" 're you kidding?!" the genome coughed, his head jerking to the side.
There was a spout of yells that echoed from down the hall, startling them both. Avalanche placed his strong hands on each of Zidane's shoulders, leaning over him with the utmost seriousness. "I'll do everything I can to save your life."
"Av…" he mumbled, the adrenaline of the potions wearing off. "Vienna and Griffon… they weren't ever real. Don' worry, they didn't die. Kuja told me."
An expression of relief blossomed over his old friend's face. "Thank the heavens." But the elf continued to stare at him, as though waiting for something more.
"And I met Elou'se's uncle. Her aunt's a dreamer too."
It was almost like his friend had been expecting some sort of information on the girl to come up, for he hardly blinked. "She can be convinced."
"How do you know?"
The elf's eyes sparkled as he shook his head, the smallest hint of a fond smile overtaking his features. "I will take care of Elouise."
Something clicked in Zidane's mind as he slipped back into the muddle of disorienting pain. Teetering between clarity and dizziness, he realized that the elf's words reflected back on a statement he had made only minutes before.
How could you lie about someone you love?
Maybe it was just the muddled parts of his mind making ridiculous connections…
But the genome knew that Elouise was in good hands.
One hour earlier…
"Are we sure about this?"
"The only reason everyone is so unsure, is because we used to do this without them having anything over us," Blank grunted, twisting his hand around his wrist like it was bothering him.
"That's a pretty big reason," Cinna mumbled rolling his shoulders.
Everyone was tired, and everyone was weak. Dagger and Eiko had been unwilling to spare white magic to help heal anyone so they were rested when they finally came across Zidane. This was their third attempt into the castle in a little less than a week, and they knew from the howls that came from the dungeon – recognizable or not – that each time they failed, if Zidane was still alive, he was suffering immensely for it.
They could not return to Dali after each attempt into the dungeon, for it was rather obvious that the resistance was trying to break in. They couldn't risk Dali's hardly-rebuilt life just by sneaking back to get fully cooked meals and fresh clothing. They retreated to a different spot every time they left Alexandria and all of the uncertainty was hard on everyone.
"Hey," Steiner mumbled, shuffling inconspicuously towards Beatrix. She was strapping extra armor around her already-armored pants, and tightening her sword on her side.
"Everything okay?" she asked him, her hazelnut eyes glinting as she stared at him.
"Are you going to be alright going in there again?" he gestured lightly to her leg. She had taken a nasty slice on crumbling stone on their first attempt out of the castle, and running around on it hadn't exactly helped the condition. The brunette was proud, however; she walked with as little limp as possible, straight-faced and squared shoulders. Freya had offered to heal her, but it was no white magic so the injury was still very real.
"I'll be fine, Steiner. Let us just go and get him out, so that we can go home and heal."
His dark eyes swept over her body, but she showed no signs of weakness. "Alright."
"Everyone ready?" Amarant called from the front of the group. They had found that his speed and tunnel-vision attitude made him an efficient leader into the city. He was quick and easy to follow and everyone was as grateful as they were surprised.
Then they were off. Dagger ran on autopilot, dodging debris and mounds of fallen stone and buildings as they maneuvered deeper into the city. They still didn't dare follow the river into Alexandria, but as it was the easiest way into the dungeon, they looped around in the city, giving the castle a wide range, and snuck up on the river again once they were close.
It had been getting increasingly harder, however, for with each attempt into the castle, there were more guards and more dangers lying ahead. Kuja knew exactly what they were doing now, so their element of surprise succumbed to exposer more and more each time they rallied to break in.
The wind was colder than usual as Amarant lead them on light feet in their usual swoop, parallel to the castle. The first rays of light hadn't even sprung over the horizon yet though the sky was lightening. Usually, she would embrace the brightness of day, but that morning she was dreading it. They needed to move fast, because the lighter it got, the less of a chance they had.
The group slowed down as the sounds of the river trickled nearby, water rushing calmly, like it was waiting for the explosion at the castle to happen before it raged. All was unusually quiet, but that didn't stop them.
Dagger's breath puffed, creating a warm, fleeting cloud in front of her face. She brought both of her hands to her mouth and blew the heat into them, suddenly realizing how cold she was, despite the run she just made. Her hands felt clammy; she was more nervous than anyone suspected.
Blank must have sensed it and put a calming hand on her back. She glanced back at him and saw the ghost of a smile on his lips, trying to encourage her. But when he tilted his headband up enough to see her correctly, she saw the same haunting nightmares of that day in his eyes. It felt like a lifetime ago, watching Zidane's already unconscious body be dragged away.
Her brown eyes quickly veered away.
"I do not like this feeling," Freya murmured as they crept closer to the river. Her ears stood erect and her tail twitched with uncertainty as the haze loomed over them like a veil.
Beatrix could feel her leg throbbing, and the hair on her arms and neck standing up straight. Something was amiss at the castle, and they weren't entirely sure what it was.
Everyone could feel it; even Eiko, who was quiet and gripped her staff tighter than she usually would. She put on an incredibly brave face, but the way her arm flicked down to grab Vivi's hand and squeeze it told everyone otherwise.
But they continued on.
What other choice did they have?
Footsteps became lighter, and breathing became almost non-existent as they pushed closer to the water. Gravel rolled under their feet, but was silent as it gave way. Weapons were drawn without an order and they fell into a thin line, ready to make a break into the castle.
The river continued to whisper next to them, rushing in the opposite direction as they were moving as though it were urging them to turn around. They ignored the unanimous feeling and trekked on.
"We're close… Let's be on our toes," Amarant advised though it went without saying.
They saw no men. No soldiers. No sounds.
No dreamers.
They came to the open pond – the last step before the entrance to the dungeons. Remembrance flashed through the original group members; two years ago now it was, since they raked their way out of the dungeon after Zidane and Blank had gone in, blind and alone.
Amarant stepped up first, his weapons raised in both hands. His knuckles were white against the metal, and his green eyes flashed with suspicion as he padded ever-closer to the ominously dark opening. Freya passed a cautious torch in his direction; at that time of morning, there was no way around exposing their position with flame if they ever wanted to navigate the tunnels. Kuja didn't light the candles on the sides of the walls for a reason.
He leaned forward, his breath hitched, as his arm extended with the torch. It lit the first few feet of the passage, and he froze.
"Fuck."
A battle cry erupted from the tunnel; who knew how many soldiers were awaiting them in the dark, hoping to ambush them in a more creative way this time.
Vivi let out a screech and turned to run, tripping over himself in the process. Steiner swooped down, grabbing him under the armpits without even stopping as the group scattered. They moved straight, Steiner's tunnel vision carrying them in the most expected path of safety.
Beatrix and Freya, a little more creative, arched to the right, Eiko trailing them, hiccupping on her own fear. Amarant bobbed in a sloppy path behind them.
Tantalus veered to the left, Cinna violently yanking Dagger with him. Baku puffed as he scrambled up a broken ledge, hoping to get to higher ground.
"What was that?!" Marcus cried. "What the fuck?!"
Kuja's soldiers split and followed the three groups, disorientation occurring when each individual man knew exactly what target he wanted to follow. Many slowed down to bump into each other, shoving and pushing to make it in the right direction. But that didn't give the elites too much of a head start.
Luckily, Kuja's over-confidence would be his downfall once again. He didn't place nearly as many soldiers at the entrance of the dungeons than they first suspected, and the group quickly dispersed into more manageable targets.
"Cover me!" Dagger insisted, knowing it was a long shot but having to do it anyways. The boys didn't ask as they spread in front of her, ready to fight. Ruby kept her back right up against the girl, determined to be the last stand between Dagger and a takedown.
She felt the energy shift in her body, creaking from sitting too rattled and ready for too long. She sucked in a breath, feeling the way it ping-ponged along inside, flitting heatedly to her hands. Dagger clenched her teeth when the magic ripped from her palms and spawned into the air.
A great screech sounded, temporarily stunning everyone within earshot. The eidolon Ark spawned with the mightiest of roars. Ruby was thrown from her position against Dagger as the creature soared above them, whooshing down on the small landing outside the castle. For being a machine, the lively characteristics it featured were deadly and horrifying.
Tantalus gathered themselves from the ground, having been knocked off their feet, and raced down to aid the others. Soldiers' commands and shouts turned to screams as nearly non-existent shadows sprung out in long, twisted shapes, enveloping all of Dagger's enemies it could snag.
"What is this?!"
"Call for reinforcements!"
"This was such a mistake!"
"Heads up!"
"Watch the shadows!"
"There's nowhere to hide!"
Cries from all over began enveloping them as Freya came leaping back down to the entrance. Without thinking, she plunged herself into the opening, hoping to blend in with (or go unopposed by) Kuja's retreating men. They were flailing and shrieking – a sensitive noise for Freya's acute ears, but she continued on, pumping her arms to keep up with a flee of terror.
Beatrix hobbled in after her without a moment of hesitation. She was slow, and could hear Eiko's light footsteps bounding in an offbeat pattern from the other soldiers.
Pounding feet and heavily breathing bodies were shoving through the tunnels now. No one bothered to stop and light a torch and didn't hesitate if their partner was lost behind them in the crowds. Beatrix's leg throbbed as a particularly tall soldier slammed into her from the side. She cried out in shock and hit the wall, collapsing on the ground. Her head spun as her hair plastered itself to her face, wet with sweat and anticipation.
She heard Eiko's light voice, and pondered the safety of it. Would Kuja's soldiers stop to search? Or allow themselves to be sucked up in the retreating herd?
"Beatrix!" it surprised her when Amarant hoisted her up, pressing close against her on the wall and grunting every time he got shoved into. Wounded, frenzied soldiers were amongst them now – even more dangerous than before. The woman slumped against her savior in exhaustion.
"Let's keep moving!" a rough shout from Baku sounded not too far off, and the brunette was relieved to know everyone had had the same plan once Dagger's summoning took care of the entrance.
"Where's Dagger?" she voiced aloud, hoping at least to not lose track of the girl.
"They're still outside. Her, Ruby, Steiner and Cinna are taking care of new soldiers surrounding them from the outside. Don't worry, Ark is still out there. They started shooting arrows from the castle, but I think everyone still out there is safe," Marcus reported as he started to move again. "This might be our only shot to go!"
"Right," Beatrix nodded, dazed but determined.
The group of them hustled down the hall, having been bypassed by the swiftest soldiers. The halls suctioned the cries of fear and frustration from behind and ahead of them, not allowing them to listen to their thoughts in silence.
"Where do we search?!" Blank asked hastily. "Where do we even begin to go?"
"We have to get beyond these bends first," Vivi insisted. "I know I can't see much, but there weren't a lot of options to turn until we ran into you guys! Or we might not have gotten out!"
"That is good news at least! Well done, Vivi!" Freya praised as she narrowed her eyes. It seemed she had the best night vision as well. "We are coming up on our first fork; where do you suggest we turn?" she asked to no one in particular.
"Go to the left!" Marcus cried, "First instincts tell you to go to the right whenever you're moving blindly, so maybe the dungeon is in the opposite direction to fool away any attackers!"
"Well hell!" Baku called in glee, "Maybe I did a better job raisin' you shits than I thought!"
"Let's just get through this morning, okay?" Blank huffed as he swung to the left.
As they turned directions, the echoes seemed to take a different angle too – lower voices sounding sharper and higher cries sounding further down.
They continued running, minimal words shouted between each other besides things like 'watch out for those rocks!' or 'fuck, don't step there!' and of course, 'let's move to the right,' or 'take a left'.
Though it might have seemed like long hours they were navigating the darkened tunnels, it was only a few slow minutes before heated warriors yelled in front of them.
Bobbing lights came galloping down the halls, and Freya saw faster than the rest that those torches were clutched by angry soldiers.
But not just any soldiers.
The ones usually adorned with gold armor, and atop the white chocobos.
"There's no getting past them!" she hissed, coming to a stand-still as others ran into her.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Amarant demanded, frustrated because he knew it too. The tunnel was long, and everyone could see the faded light coming though the soldiers were still fairly far away.
"We have to go back! They have enough to force us out using spears and swords!" She took a sharp turn on her heel and began herding them backwards.
"We've come too far!" Blank demanded, shoving back against the force.
"We have to have a better plan! A sneakier one! Next time we can't run the tunnels in a big group! We're too obvious for people who know their way!"
"There might not be a next time!" the redhead howled. Vivi let out a sharp cry, fearful of the negativity that was threatening to take over.
"Then we'll go out and loop around!" Freya insisted though she knew she'd lead the group back out. Kuja's elite men were gaining on them.
Back outside, Dagger's knees began to shake. She could feel Ark resisting her; he wanted to disperse back into the realm of the summons, but she was trying to hold on for as long as she could.
The arrows had stopped, but people leaked from everywhere. While it was nothing compared to that day in the Market Square, it was still exhausting.
"Let him go, Dagger," Steiner told her as he sliced down another swordsmen. "It's okay; there's still time."
"They have to find him!" she pleaded in a yell. "There's no time left, Steiner!"
Before he could reply, a wave of people ran into them from behind as they guarded with their backs to the entrance of the dungeon. Dagger was nearly knocked down by a panting Blank, his tongue hanging completely out of his mouth in exhaustion.
"We have to move, now!" Beatrix ordered forcefully, latching her strong arms onto Dagger so she couldn't disagree.
The older ones of the group nearly had to drag the rest of Tantalus out, Vivi and Eiko bounding, torn, at their heels.
Alexandria was slowly fading into the distance as Dagger's cries once again broke through the suffocating silence of the small group. Vivi and Eiko's sniffles were trying hard to be concealed, and the grunts from the boys of Tantalus (and maybe even Baku) weren't helping the situation either.
Kuja's men wouldn't follow long. They learned on their second attempt that he wanted to slaughter the resistance members on his own turf, and making them come back for a target they wouldn't be able to obtain was too appealing to him.
Another failed attempt to rescue the dreamer.
Another mistake that might cost him his life.
A/N: That chapter seemed so much shorter than previous ones! I had a good time reading it, though I was originally unsure of how it turned out. I think it was good we got a little insight on attempted rescues, and a surprise appearance from Avalanche! Woo!
So my trip was literally the most amazing thing ever. We taught some English, helped renovate a school, and got to help sustain an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia. These elephants were the most gorgeous creatures I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, so if you ever feel like you need to volunteer in a different country, there's a pretty good suggestion there!
Backpacking was great too I got to see the famous Thailand beaches in Phuket, and really get involved in the culture in Chiang Mai I still cannot believe that I'm home after a whole month over there!
Sorry for my ranting :P I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I can't wait to hear from you guys! You are literally the best! :D
-zesty-
