I dedicate this translation to July 7th, the 9th year anniversary of Final Fantasy IX!!
I LOVE YOU FFIX!!! I LOVE YOU ZIDANE!! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!
In this, Zidane and Garnet are both 25. Exactly 9 years from their age in FFIX. (16+5=25). They are basically talking about the past.
By the way, the 7th of July is also the day that people reunite with their loved ones and make wishes.
I do not own the original, but I do own the translated one since I translated it.
If you ever decided to check out the original, click here
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Memories
Now the song became a lullaby that Garnet sang to her children every night. And sitting on the bed along with the children and listen to her sing was Zidane's every day routine, as well as this day.
Today, after all the active kids finally fell deep into their sleep. Garnet asked Zidane.
"Hey, do you remember what day is today?"
"Today?"
Lying on the bed, Zidane lifted his face up from the magazine he was reading.
"But, the day we met was.."
"January 15th."
"And the day of the reunion was also.."
"January 15th."
"Yeah, and our anniversary was.."
"May 16th."
"There's no way I will forget about those. And? What day is it today? It's July 7th."
Garnet chuckled softly.
"9 years ago, our story started on this day."
"This day..from 9 years ago?"
"Yes, exactly 9 years."
Although Zidane contemplated about it for a while, he gave up after deciding that it was no use.
"Since it's such an important day today, let's chat about the past and relive the memories."
Hearing Zidane's suggestion, Garnet concured it. "Sounds interesting."
"Oh, yeah. I never asked you that before, but what did Dagger think of me when we first met?"
"Eh?"
Garnet was a little surprised at the way this conversation commenced.
"First impression....was not that good."
"Eh~~? Really?"
"Yes, I thought you were rude."
Garnet pumped up her cheeks.
"Hey, now Dagger that was mean."
Zidane's expression was awkward.
"Because you said rude things when we ran into each other on the stairs."
"Was that so?"
"You forgot? You said "I've dreamt of meeting you here ever since I was born.". I thought you were mocking me."
Zidane scratched the back of his head, embarassed.
"Well, because I thought you were pretty. And it was kind of like my instinct..."
"Zidane was like that to every girl."
Garnet twisted her head away from him after a slight "hmph" from her nose.
"It's a misunderstanding! It was more like I wasn't serious..."
"Oh yes that explains everything. You were not serious towards me from the start."
"No It's not like that!"
Due to Zidane's unexpected loud holler, Garnet's eyes snapped to the children.
Their mouth merely twitched and went back to sleep.
"Zidane..!"
"S-sorry sorry."
Zidane slowly pulled away the right hand that Garnet automatically covered over his mouth.
"I got sort of anxious."
Though the words had a joking light lilt, Zidane's bright blue orbs were stern. Garnet tilted her head in confusion.
"Though I never said it before, Dagger was special."
"Special...?"
"It was a really strange feeling. When I peeked your face, your eyes were full of sadness. I thought you and me were a lot alike."
"Eh?" Questioned Garnet, astonished.
"I've always been searching for my hometown around that time. Traveling around alone. Even when the journey stopped I still persevered. I was always searching for the "blue light"."
Eventually, that "blue" revealed itself.
Then, that "blue" in his memories pained him as if thousands of knifes had cut through his flesh.
To Garnet, his misery felt so realistic that it felt like her own.
"You are saying that I am like you like that?"
"That was what I thought. I felt we were similar. 'This girl might be searching for-not things, feelings? And she was probably suffocating by the anxiety.
So I decided to go save you even if it meant to be kicked out of Tantalus. I was certain that I had to go."
"Oh..."
Garnet gazed at Zidane with misty, obsidian irises.
Yes, although that time he wondered if it was destiny,
but now, Zidane was more than positive, that it was definetely fate that brought them together.
If someone gave him an angel like her, then he could think of no one else but God, that did this.
"I am really glad that I went to save you, even now."
Whispering fondly, he dropped a gentle kiss on the almost liquidfied eyes.
* * *
"You met Freya when you were travelling?"
"Yeah, I was a fighting rookie back then. So she was a great help."
Freya was already was proud fighter 11 years ago. However, she still had sparks of youth and ambition in her eyes when he met her at the age of 14.
"When I think about it....Freya was so young."
"She still seemed younger than us when I met her."
"Somehow.....I have a feeling that Freya is old ever since she was born."
"---Zidane, stop teasing her like that."
Garnet giggled amusingly and said.
After laughing a while, she inquired.
"Hey, did you love Freya?"
"No."
Zidane denied immediately.
"She was so calm. Like a mother but nothing like a female."
"How about at least calling her a 'sister'?"
"Freya said the same thing too."
Zidane laughed in a low, pleasant pitch.
"How about Ruby? Did you love her?"
"Huh? How did Ruby come up?"
"I was curious a long time ago. You two seemed to be happy."
Due to Garnet's eyes that was filled with interest, Zidane sighed and confessed.
"We were brothers and sisters. When she first came to Tantalus, she was weirdly passive. But to me she was friendly all the time. Maybe because she saw me as a little brother or something."
"Hn?"Pausing suddenly, Zidane made a small noise out of his nose.
"What?"
"Well, Ruby was cold to everyone at first, true...But now that I think about it. When I began to realized that she was sticking to me a lot was when she just started to talk to Blank."
When Garnet snickered quietly, Zidane laughed with her.
* * *
"Speaking of which, I never realized that I met Amarant before Freya told me."
Garnet nodded in approval.
"Me too. I couldn't believe that Amarant was a wanted man."
"And that was."
"Zidane's fault."
Garnet chuckled.
"Zidane, do you remember?"
"Er...I didn't remember his face but I had an impression that it was really a tall and tough guy."
Zidane scratched his cheek with his forefinger.
"I never thought he became a man who people would get rewarded to catch....maybe I did something bad."
"Freya said that Amarant tracked you around because he wanted to know the reason why you didn't fight him."
"How can you escape if you get beat up by a person that's so big?"
Garnet blinked towards Zidane's instant response.
"....That's true." She replied.
"But I think Amarant changed."
"Yeah, at first he was this boring cold man."
"We separated for a while in Ibsen, right? He seemed to be thinking a lot when you ran in and brought him back."
"My actions must be like a culture shock to him."
Zidane stretched his arms casually, leaving a "But.." hanging in the end of the sentence.
"Why the heck was he so popular?"
"You are saying that again."
* * *
"Steiner was in the castle ever since Dagger was little, right?"
"Yes. He was there when the Pluto security team was established. He was Mother and Father's bodyguard. He was always beside me."
"Was he like that when he was younger?"
Garnet considered with her finger pressing against her lips.
"I think he didn't change much."
"I bet he's born purple faced."
Garnet pulled a forced smile at Zidane's peculiar remark.
"But Steiner was very keen. He noticed my slightest bit of depression and tried to console me all the time. There was not many people who supported me when I ran out of the castle because of Mother's drastic changes, but Steiner was there for me."
"If Rusty hears this he will burst out crying."
Zidane shrugged.
"What about Beatrix?"
"Beatrix...I think she changed. She was not that kind to people. And we did not speak so much."
"Hmm...that makes sense."
Perhaps even in Alexandrian history it was rare for a royalty and the guard to have deep bonds.
Especially when Steiner was an advanced soldier.
"Oh that reminds me. I heard Quina worked for the castle kitchens before."
"Really? That is surprising."
"I thought she's gonna make some terrifying stuff. Though there after all these years I haven't seen a frog cuisine yet."
Garnet examined the ceiling.
"...Maybe you are not so sure about that."
* * *
"...Why did we let Vivi come with us again?"
Garnet threw Zidane a criticizing glance when he recalled the memories.
"Oh. At first he accidentally jumped on stage."
"Yeah. When I was acting an Cornelia Princess, he used fire and busted my identity. Mother drew cannon fires at us on the Invincible..."
"And you two dropped on Evil Forest!"
"That is right."
Garnet nodded.
"Oh yeah----that's what happened."
Zidane narrowed his eyes in nostalgia.
"And then Vivi came with us, troubled by his birth, and became mature. He had gone through a lot."
"I....couldn't be with him on that most important day."
"Zidane."
Garnet tugged his right arm, trying to comfort him.
"It was you who taught him so much. Everyone got your influence and grew up. You are a phenomenal."
When Zidane met her eyes, Garnet beamed.
"Really.."
"Yes. That was why everybody went to rescue you."
"Bran Bal?"
"Yes."
Zidane rubbed the back of his head, blushing.
"I really appreciated it."
Zidane peeked her expression shyly when she was grinning tenderly.
"I was so happy when you said that to me."
"What I said?"
"You forgot?"
"I was pretty desparate at the moment...I don't remember a lot."
Although Zidane looked disappointed, he was somewhat content.
"What?"
"Well~ I think you don't remember because it's so true."
"Of course. Who do you think I am? I'm not you."
".....Dagger, what do you think of me as?"
"Bandit."
* * *
"We met Eiko when we were heading to the Iifa Tree from Conde Petie."
When Garnet mentioned it, Zidane nodded.
"She was real childish."
"Eiko will get angry if you say that. She wanted to be a grown up."
"Actually, she is childish even now."
"Zidane." Accused Garnet.
"Because she kept flirting with me so much I understood what Dagger felt."
"Oh, really?"
"I was flirting with you so much back then didn't I? It's kind of embarassing talking about the time when I was full of signs of youth."
Garnet smiled.
"When did you notice my super flirt?"
"Urm...I can't recall that much of it."
Zidane slouched his shoulders the first time after 9 years.
"But, maybe it was that time when I began to really notice you."
Hearing those words, his face opened up with joy once again.
"What time?"
"When you treated me as a child and strictly refused my idea to go with you. You were speaking to me so seriously, I got strangely pissed off."
Zidane raised one of his eyebrows.
"Then, when you started to hold interest for other girls. I became concerned without knowing why."
Garnet coughed, reminding him to control his overwhelming happiness that was spilling out from the big grin.
"I was so surprised when you said that we can get married in Conde Petie."
Said Zidane, abrupt remembering.
"We had to if we want to get through."
The answer was cool.
"But even though it's fake, it's still a wedding. Normal girls would treat it as a big deal."
"Well, are you saying that I'm not ordinary?"
Zidane scratched his head for the third time.
"No..but I'm saying that if you hate me you wouldn't have agreed."
"Do you want me to say that I already fell in love with you back then?"
"Not like that...but yes I do want you to say it."
"Yes, I already loved you."
Zidane's head snapped up in shock to Garnet's direct words.
"I already loved you. I'm sure of that now. When I was 16, I did not have friends, and I never even talked to a boy with the same age."
Zidane nodded, implying her to continue.
"So I didn't know. You are always joking, always saying unexpected things. But you are also reliable and very, very kind.....because you are that kind of person, I fell in love with you."
Garnet quickly continued before Zidane's facial expression twist into impossible shapes.
"But..when I truly realized that you are irreplacable, was after you left."
During those 2 years, Garnet suffered alone.
Zidane felt more guilty than he had ever been.
"People say that first loves are never going to come true. Nonetheless, you came back."
Garnet said, beaming. Zidane embraced her with the identical smile. Both loving, both tender, both...cherishing.
* * *
"Hey, Zidane."
"Yes?"
"Did you ever regret about returning to my side?"
"Why?"
"Don't you have other places to go back to? Such as Tantalus, Mikoto and the other Genomes...or your ex-girlfriends...."
".....Dagger."
Zidane warned unhappily at the last statement.
"I didn't even think about going back. I couldn't think about anything except for you."
"Zidane.."
Garnet gave him a relieved yet delighted grin.
"Dagger."
Standing up, Zidane appraised her just like when they met.
"Are you happy?"
Garnet chuckled at the half-joking question, and replied.
"Yes. Very."
-Fin.-
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