Shadow Fire

Opening his eyes slightly, Zidane noticed that Vivi had snuggled closer, his head resting against his chest. Sleepily, he smiled, before closing his eyes. So, he has black hair... Looks nice and silky...

After a quick debate, Zidane gave a yawn. As much as he tried, even he had to succumb to sleep. Realising that there were only 3 beds, he knew he'd have to share with someone. There's no way in hell that I'm sharing with Rusty... screw that! And, as much as I'd like to share with Dagger, it wouldn't be appropriate. Guess I'll be sharing with Vivi. Hopefully, he won't mind. Glancing over at the others, he put on his 'everything will be okay' smiles, before taking his shoes off, and clambering onto the bed which Vivi was sleeping on. He stared at the sleeping mage for a few moments, before giving another smile, before closing his eyes.

As the group went inside the inn, two children raced by, whispering excitedly amongst each other. "Did you see that?" "I sure did!" The kids raced on by, unnoticed. Inside the inn, Zidane gave a soft chuckle as he stared at the innkeeper. "Look at this..." he laughed. "Sleeping on the job?" Waking up, the innkeeper apologised, but stared for a moment. The blond glanced at Dagger, before smirking back at the innkeeper. "Hey..." he warned. "I know she's cute, but it's rude of you to stare." Blinking, the innkeeper shook his head. "Oh, I-I wasn't looking at the young lady..." he defended. "I was just... The room is right over there. Make yourselves at home."

Zidane shook his head with a chuckle. "Vivi..." he murmured. "The inn is this way!" He couldn't help but smile at the mage's enthusiasm.

Zidane caught Dagger smiling at him, giving his own grin. What can I say... I'm good with kids.

Zidane raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, allowing Vivi to keep hold of his hand. He's probably wanting me to protect him. He is a kid after all...

Zidane chuckled softly. "No, no, no..." he said. "Try... uh..." He glanced over at Vivi, wondering what he'd say. With a warm smile, he turned back to 'Dagger'. "Just say..." he continued. "...Alrighty!"

"Is that okay with you?" the blond asked, grinning at the nod of her head. "Great, Dagger. Now, let's work on your speech... Try to sound more casual. Like me." His grin widened.

"That?" Zidane asked, caught off guard. "That's a dagger. All knives of that length are called daggers. Short swords are a bit longer. The big sword you hold with both hands is called a broadsword. And..." He found himself interrupted from the princess.

Zidane halted Garnet, before looking over at her. "Wait!" he called. "Hold it. You're a princess! You can't just go rushing in there. People are looking for you. You need a new identity." Steiner shook his fist. "Insolent fool!" he growled. "The princess need not sneak around! Besides, we're heading back to the castle. You leave her alone. And you will address her as 'Princess' from now on, you silly peasant." The blond gave an exasperated sigh. "Dammit, Rusty!" he snarled. "Why don't you just shut up? Who do you think you are? I don't take orders from a stuck-up jerk like you!"

Zidane gave a soft sigh of comfort as he felt the sun's rays on his body. Suddenly, he glanced off into the distance. "Look, there's a village!" he exclaimed. "I think I've been there before..."

The thief blinked, before looking over at the mage. "Huh?" he asked. "Oh, uh yes... everything's fine. Just a battle to help you guys out."

The blizzard quickly came to an end, and as he raced back to the others, he noticed them waking. "Hey, there..." Zidane chuckled. "Everybody okay?" Steiner narrowed his eyes and glanced over at the blond. "You!" he growled. "What just happened?" The thief glared back. "It was no big deal." he shrugged. "Trust me on that..." Steiner clenched his hands into fists. "You're hiding something!" he demanded. "Tell me now!" Zidane shook his head. "Hey, nothing happened..." he said defensively. "You heard me." The knight glanced at the princess, before gasping. "You!" he choked out. "You...didn't touch the princess, did you?" The blond took a step back in surprise. "WHAT?!" he screeched. "Just what are you accusing me of?"

"Agreed, I always hated water myself." Umbra jumped down and used his Iron Boots to sink to the floor. This will be interesting...

Happy birthday, even if it may be a bit belated. Work kinda does that to you. Oh, and Rumiel... thanks for your recent gratuity.

Zidane fell flat on his ass as he was knocked back, but quickly jumped to his feet. His eyes flashed dangerously and he lunged towards Sealion. "No!" he growled. "You won't defeat me..."

Zidane dodged, lunging at the mage, blades gleaming. "Eat this!"

Zidane gave a wide smirk, drawing his daggers. "Nice..." he snickered. "I could use a warmup."

Zidane narrowed his eyes at the mage. "You..." he hissed. "Are you the one causing this blizzard?"

Yes, Fox still does have daddy's shades. As for the multiplayer, apparently, only the Arwing can be used in Battle Mode. Also, Expert Mode is fucking insane. I almost died on Corneria and Sector Y. Just got to Aquas. You take massive damage VERY quickly. Lesson: DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!

"Master Vivi!" Steiner shouted. "Are you okay?" Suddenly, the knight slumped down beside Vivi, falling asleep. Zidane rushed over to him and gave him a gentle kick. "Yo, Rusty!" he exclaimed. "You're...not alright, are you? What happened to you guys? Hey, Rusty! Move it or lose it! Get up! ...it's no use..." His eyes suddenly began to grow heavy as he glanced around, noticing everyone was asleep. "Oh no!" he murmured. "Garnet! Not you, too? Garnet? She's out cold... Shoot... I'm falling asleep..." Slumping to the ground, his eyes closed as he fell asleep. Suddenly, he heard a strange bell, which roused him from his sleep. "What's that sound...?" he wondered aloud. "It came from over there... Is somebody there...?" Slowly, he began to walk off in the direction of the noise.

^This Oh, and recently: I just unlocked Expert Mode. Damn, some of those medals were tough.

After making it through much of the cavern, Zidane stopped as the wind seemed to be even fiercer in this place. Turning back, he noticed Vivi. "Vivi!" he called back. "Hurry up, or you'll be left behind!"

Steiner lowered his gaze solemnly. "Oh..." he said softly. "Forgive my indiscretion." Zidane gave his warm smile and placed a hand on Vivi's shoulder.

I can't, because I don't have the game at the moment. It got lost in postage, so, I had to resort to using Amazon to buy another copy. Once I get the game, I will be all over this place.