To See Another Day Chapter 28
See Another Day
By Kain Servant
Sword? The sight of the steel made him jump as woke from his long sleep. No...it was just a dagger - bloodied? He didn't kill...did he?
He was a...journalist. That's right, a journalist for the Lindblum Times. With a groan he rolled out of bed and fumbled for his shoes. And he was going to be late for work if he didn't hurry.
On the other side of the bed someone stirred, and he stared over at her for a moment...not daring to look at her face. He couldn't remember who she was, what had happened the day before. It all seemed like such a long time ago.so vague - he remembered a long deep sleep...darkness...he remembered that the day before.
That the day before he had remembered. That the day before he had loved. He stared intently at the girl's bare back...lying comfortably on the bed. It wasn't her...who was she? Was this some sort of sign from his future? The future he didn't have...Slowly he picked up the dagger on the floor and sheathed it in his belt.
A grin came to his face. He felt like he was dying.this was the last time he would go to the "office"...he had never really been there - but somehow it was still sad. He would end it all today.there would be no more N. And...there would be no more Zidane.
"Good morning." She said brightly as he walked into the door, a cup of coffee in her hand. He stared long and hard at her, looking at the slight crease in her cheek as she smiled, taking in the slight lavender fragrance that wafted from her, hearing her breathing quicken slightly as he took the cup from her fingers, clasping them with his other hand as he set the cup heavily aside.
"Don't put me through this trial any longer. I know what you want - but it's too late. Everything has been my fault, it always has been. And I don't want to continue my life knowing that-"
"Look...N." Her fingers returned his embrace warmly, "Let's just finish this last day. We only have one more category of Zidane's life to go through, and then the article is complete."
"It's not-"
"Please...?"
He couldn't resist her voice. He slowly sank into the chair, gripping the handle of his coffee mug like a vise, "Alright...what is this category?"
"Zidane and Garnet. I've already gathered up most of the facts, so you don't have to do anything...just listen."
"...Alright."
"Good." She coughed lightly, rustled a few papers, and then began, "Zidane's relationship with Garnet began on an illfated mission for Regent Cid which unknowingly began the War of the Worlds. His mission was to kidnap Princess Garnet, a sixteen year old jewel of Alexandria...his mission was successful - but his kind heart could not keep from involving himself with his captive. In the fog of first love and a whirl of events, he promised that he would be her protector...and therefore linked himself to her for the rest of their collective lives.
"It was not the protection such as the knight Steiner gave to her. Steiner's care was helpful yes, but not intimate. Not what she needed. She needed someone to cling to, someone to care for her, just as Zidane needed someone to love. So they both fell slowly into this complementing relationship, hindered by wars and plots, by Steiner and Kuja and by themselves...
"Something happened to Garnet, during the long and grueling war, that Zidane was never aware of. Something that she kept from him afterwards, not completely by choice...When the heroes were captured by Kuja, and imprisoned in Kuja's lair...Kuja summoned Garnet to him personally. He revealed to her his fears of the end...he was certain that Zidane would defeat him in the end - not by power, but by strength of will alone. He told her that he didn't hold it against Zidane, since Zidane was his brother - but wanted Zidane to be happy. Then he told her that what had ruined him.and seperated him from Zidane, his brother...was his lust. He had sinned and lain with a woman - and in so doing was twisted in his mind, became evil...because genomes were not meant to defile themselves with such sexual impurities.
"She...believed him...in the few times she visited with him privately, she grew quite a strong attraction for Kuja...but she loved Zidane, and planned to be with him in the future. Kuja never took her virginity, saving that for what he called a "promise". If she really loved Zidane, she would never give in to him...never let him fall and become evil like Kuja had. And she promised.
"Of course the promised meant nothing - but in the time that past afterwards, when she was married to Zidane, and their love should have been consumated.she found herself holding back. Wanting to commit to him - but then not wanting to, because she was scared and childish...too easily manipulated. In short - there was no one to blame for her holding back but herself. A promise to a dead man meant nothing. But thus, her childishness seperated her from her love, and shortly after...ended her life.
"Thus ended the life of one of the two players, but one still remains...with as much life and as much hope as he was born with - and the key still in his hand..."
"Garnet.there is no hope in me."
"There is.oh, there is, can't you see. You are still the greatest man that ever lived - all you have to do is open your eyes and see - forget your mistakes and be! Fault is irrelevant now - your life is at stake. You can't throw it away!"
"But why not? Why not.why should I live?" He looked up at her, tears in his eyes - wanting to throw his soul at her, because words couldn't describe what he felt, "What can I live for now that you're gone? I...I just want to be with you."
She took a step toward him, putting her hand on his cheek, "What can you live for? Live because you remember what we were...or you can still feel my kiss on your lips, still hear my words in your ears? Walk remembering the times you laughed and smiled and loved before, and knowing that if you go a few steps more you might find laughter and love again. Live to see another day, Zidane, to see the light it brings! One more day and you might find your love for life again! Please...for me..."
Live for her...Live for her... He breathed...
Live for her... To see...to...he cried, resting his shoulder on her arm. To be...The task was too hard to fathom...he didn't want to think, or be, he just wanted her in his arms.
For her...her last request...he cried...
"I...I will."