One Day, We'll Meet Again

Chapter 10: A Memory of Your Past

By: Kawaii-Leena

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX. They are copyrighted of Square Enix/ Square Soft. I am borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes only. Thank you.

Okay… I'm definitely SO sorry for not updating any sooner! I know, I know… it's my fault… I was too lazy to update and quite busy with school and internet… but hey! I'll give you a long chapter to make up for the time lost! I will update my other stories after this…

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Here Comes the Villain

A new dawn is wakening, a new day has appeared. The bright yellow sun slowly drifts upwards towards the blue and serene sky, secretly telling others that a colorful morning will soon begin towards the lands of Japan and the other parts of the world.

As a piece of light softly creeps inside our dear character's window, Zidane Tribal, the young bachelor rolls around his King size bed inside his four walled sophisticated room, continuing his peaceful slumber. It could've lasted a few more minutes, maybe even hours, if it wasn't for the annoying call of his cellphone located in the nearby table.

Zidane tiredly opens his right eye, and then rolls over to the other side of the bed, facing the ringing and vibrating p900i Sony Ericsson cellphone of his. Grunting a curse under his breath, he exhaustingly reaches for his cellphone and refuses the call, slamming it on the table. With a sigh, he rolls over and gets back to sleep, when his cellphone rings again.

With an annoyed sigh, he turns around and refuses the call again. As he was about to turn again, the mobile phone rings for the third time, breaking a nerve of the stressed bachelor.

"Fine, fine, I'll answer!" Zidane gives in, raising his hands to the air. He sits up and reaches for the sophisticated phone, accepts the call and presses it to his right ear, giving a yawn first before answering, "Hello?"

"Zidane…? Is that you?" a soft and familiar voice echoes in the other line. "It's me, Zidane… long time, no talk, ne?"

The blonde bachelor widens his eyes, his heart pounding against his chest. He starts to sit up straight, and gathering the strength left, he mutters, "Mikoto?"

A soft chuckle is heard from the other line, and with a secret friendly smile, Mikoto, Zidane's younger sister, replies, "I'm glad you still remember me… it's quite some time since you moved away from Nerima… where have you been? Have you been eating fine? Do you own your own house? Do you—"

Zidane closes his eyes and sighs loudly, stopping his younger sister from asking further and simply annoying questions. "I'm fine, Mikoto… perfectly fine," he opens his eyes, his eyebrows slightly narrowed. "You don't have to ask these questions… I'm fine… just… fine… away from there… away from mother…"

Silence soon meets them. Zidane continues to press his phone against one of his ears, his blue-green eyes staring right ahead to the far wall quite ahead of him. After a long and quiet pause, Mikoto softly tells him, "I missed you."

The bachelor's eyes soften a little, and soon, he feels a little guilty, as he remembers the memories that haunted him 3 years ago. Shaking his head in arrogance of that painful past, he mutters quietly, "Just get to the point… why did you call me?"

"It's about mother, Zidane… she's dying…" Mikoto exclaims, her voice sounding quite desperate in the other line. "Her illness is getting worse. She is bedridden by now, and Kuja is guarding her, together with Uncle Baku and the rest of our family relatives." She pauses for a while. "Zidane, she wants to see you. Please… go home… at least for a little while? She has one request…"

Thinking for a while, but when he felt a pinch in his heart, he finally gave in, "Fine… I'll go there first thing tomorrow," he smiles weakly as he continues, "And I'll bring home a certain someone with me…"

Mikoto was puzzles by this, and asks, "A certain someone? Really? I wonder who that is…"

Zidane smiles weakly and replies, "My childhood friend… bye," then he hangs up the phone, leaving Mikoto stunned in the other side of the line. The young bachelor soon sighs to himself and puts the bed to one side of the table, and then goes back to sleep. It will be a long conversation later this day when he goes to Dagger…

Meanwhile…

A young 19 years old teenage girl, with flowing streaks of golden blonde hair and ocean-like blue green eyes, wearing a red hang-top and blue miniskirt with brown boots stares at her k500i Sony Ericsson cellphone, her mind on the go.

"A childhood friend, eh?" Mikoto then smiles. "It's been a while… I hope she can cope with Mother's plans, though… but I'll support her… Zidane doesn't deserve mother's soon-to-be tactics…"

"Mikoto!" a voice calls behind her. The young girl turns around and sees her 23 years old older brother with long flowing white hair, wearing a white t-shirt and loose black pants. "Did you call Zidane?"

His sister nods with a weak smile. "Yeah, already called him… said he'll be here first thing tomorrow, with a special someone…" Kuja, like Mikoto's reaction, looks surprised. She just smiles at him, "Let's just see about it when he comes… I'm sure most of us will be surprised by then."

Kuja scratches the back of his head and sighs, "I wonder who that person could be?"

At Zidane's Office

A young blonde man with focused blue-green eyes, namely Zidane, enters the door of a large four-walled office, scanning the pages of a yellow folder on his hands. He is wearing a long sleeve blouse and black pants, his firm dark shoes making sounds in every step he makes on the carpet floor.

Sighing, the bachelor puts the thick folder on his neat and dust-free desk, his eyes sad as he scans the room. So quiet, so queer… he sighs again, and then sits on his chair, puts his elbows on his table and then cups his cheeks with his hands, pondering.

So many things and events have happened to his life in less than a week. Does Fate have something in store for him? If it does, what is it? So many things… it confuses him. First, the conflict about Dagger and him, but hopefully, that was already worked out, and now, his mother is dying because of some kind of disease.

"Should I go and visit my mother?" he ponders to himself, his eyes staring to nothing. "But… isn't she the reason why I have the leave my hometown, the hometown I grew to love so much?"

Zidane sighs to himself and mumbles softly, leaning his back on his soft chair, "But what can I say?" he chuckles to himself. "He is still my mother."

He can still remember the incident about his mother when he was still 18… he was at their house, and both of them were arguing about something. Kuja, his older brother was at the corner, watching them, Mikoto by his mother's side, assisting her as she is weak.

Flashback

"How can you do this to me? I have my own life!" Zidane screamed, his eyes furrowed his voice raising. He was angry. He was mad. He was enraged! Wearing a black khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt, he stands in a few feet away from his weak mother who is sitting on a wheelchair.

Huffing and puffing, and with fresh sweat rolling around the side of his face, he angrily spoke out, "I have my own freedom to choose what I want to be, not to be the one you expect me to become!" Raising his hands to the air, "In short, I don't want to be a businessman!"

Zidane's mother narrowed her eyes as she heard this from her son and then argued back, her voice in the same tone and level, "But what do you wish to become, child?"

This struck Zidane and this lets him think, "What do I want to be anyways?" he thinks to himself silently. "What do I wish to be when I grow up?" he pondered again.

Seeing the silence as her reply, she exclaims, "See? You have no ambition!" she points her finger to Zidane and says angrily, "You have no goal! You have no dreams of your future! Is this what you wish to be, a man with no objective, a person without a purpose, a being lacking a desire?" she continued, "You are a fool, child! Your father died being the best businessman of one large part of Japan! At least you should try to continue what he ended!"

Lowering his head, his bangs covered half of his face, he says shakily and angrily, "And do you think forcing me to become what I don't want to be would help that?" this stunned his mother no less. His head still lowered, he continued, "Just because father died being one of the best does not mean I have to succeed him!"

"Every being has its ambition of its own… it only takes time for the person to find the right aim for himself," Zidane stated slowly and angrily, clenching the fists that stood beside him. "It's up to the person to take that chance." Looking up with angry eyes, "It's up to the person himself to decide what he wants to be!"

Raising his hands once again to the air, he exclaimed, "If you were the right kind of mother, you would understand that! Do you think everyone likes to be pushed around and do things that he is forced to do?" putting his hands to his sides, he continued, "It may be a free world, but we have limitations!"

Mikoto cannot take all of this anymore, cried, "Please, stop, Zidane… please… I beg of you…" she gently whimpered, "I know it's hard, but please reconsider! Please heed mother's advice, be a businessman… please…"

Glancing to his sister, Zidane pauses for a while, and then lowers his head. Running a hand through his hair, he nods, "Fine, I'll be a businessman you all are expecting me to be… I'll succeed dad…" he stops and turns around. "But away from all of you."

End of Flashback

Shaking his head, Zidane chuckles, "What a pitiful past I had…" sighing, he pushes away the memories behind him, "Now that I'm now what they expect me to be, I'm sure it's not the end of this mischief."

Soon, the sound of the door opening is to be heard, making Zidane quite surprised. He turns to the door to see a woman with sky-blue hair, wearing blue pants and a white t-shirt, her lips to a thin line, her eyes sad and guilty.

"Ruby, you're here?" asks Zidane, standing up. "I –"

"Zidane-san," Ruby interrupts the handsome bachelor, her eyes glued to the floor. "I… I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday! I… I didn't mean to hurt Dagger-chan's feelings… I was just trying to help you make a move on her, but I guess I helped in the wrong time and place." Turning away with fresh tears on her eyes, she continues, "I'm really sorry, Zidane-san!"

"I know that it's been very stupid of me, since I am just your secretary, I really want to help you," Ruby continues her reason, wiping away the tears on her eyes with the back of her hands. "I don't have the right to butt in your personal lives, but I really had no choice but to do it. I don't mean any harm to any of you two; I don't even have any bad intentions." Turning to Zidane again, she pleads, "Please forgive me, Zidane-san… please…"

Smiling and chuckling, Zidane walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. Beaming at her, he replies, "Don't worry, Ruby, I have already forgiven you," he laughs a few moments later. "Thanks to you, Dagger and my feelings were settled finally. Our misunderstanding got us to the point of confessing everything." He smiles again at her and then walks to his chair. "But I appreciate it that you've gone in front of me to apologize. Not everyone can do that."

Giving a bright smile, she nods willingly. "H-hai!" she soon backs away and gives a short bow. "I'll be leaving now, Zidane-san. I'll be at the counter when you need me." The blonde man glances to her and nods. Giving a short bow once again, Ruby turns away to leave.

Now alone at his large office once again, Zidane suddenly remembers something. Grabbing his cellphone at his pocket, he dials the number of his special friend. After four continuous ringing, the receiver picks up the phone.

Grinning, Zidane leans back on his chair and turns it around to face the window. "Hey, can we meet?"

TBC…?

Okay, I'm SO sorry once again for not updating after a long while, but hey! I updated now, didn't I? Thanks for reminding me Sae! It's been a while! I missed writing so much! Well, tune in for more chapters, cuz I'll be writing more now! Well… I hope so!

Kawaii-Leena