SW/FF Crack X-Over - Part 12
Characters: Zidane, Eiko, Denzel, Cloud, and Terra
Rating: K
Zidane poked his head into the recreation room and smiled as he watched the younglings run around. The good old days, he mused, of simple lessons and lots of playtime.
A bob of purple hair turned in his direction, and its owner shrieked in delight as she ran over to him. “Zidane!” she said excitedly as he grinned at her. “You came!”
“Of course I did!” He bent down to her height as she threw her arms around him. “How could I forget such an important date?”
“You better not have!” she said with a suspicious frown. “It’s not every day a girl turns six, you know!”
“Certainly not,” Zidane agreed as he pulled out something for her. “And in honor of Miss Eiko’s sixth birthday, I brought you this.”
She gasped in delight as she took the yellow ribbon from Zidane. “It’s so pretty!” she said as she tied it into her hair. When it was tied, she glanced over at the window and beamed at her reflection. “It’s perfect! Thanks, Zidane!”
He grinned, thrilled with her reaction as she ran over to a group of girls to show off her bow. As he watched her chatter and giggle with them, he mused at how much Eiko had grown up in the almost year and a half he’d known her. She was to him what Cloud was to Zack: a younger person whom they swore to look after. She had also entered his life similarly to how Cloud entered Zack’s life. The key difference was that Zidane wasn’t the one who had rescued Eiko. Oddly enough, it had been Garnet who saved her.
Eiko twirled about and jumped around, watching her ribbon bouncing with her in the window glass as she did. Zidane couldn’t help but grin as she did so; she looked so happy. It was a far cry from the half-starving little girl Garnet had found almost eighteen months ago in what was thought to have been the abandoned ruins of Madain Sari.
An expedition team had been dispatched there, and since it was on Garnet’s home planet (and she was extraordinarily curious about it), she had tagged along with the team. For security, Zidane and Bartz had been dispatched to safeguard the Senator and the team while they explored the city. What they had expected to find was ruins, artifacts, and maybe some skeletons. They had found all of those things, but they had also found a little girl living there. Garnet had discovered her one day while poking around the remnants of a marketplace. She had opened the door to what had been a fabrics shop. Imagine her surprise when she found a tiny girl of four trying to sew together a dress.
Zidane had come running when Garnet shrieked in surprise. Light saber drawn, he had barged into the shop, only to find Garnet with a little girl. Even to this day, he could distinctly remember the way Eiko’s eyes had widened at his weapon, but instead of being scared, she had been fascinated.
The rest was history. Eiko was brought to Garnet’s home where she was nursed back to health and proper size before being sent off to the Temple. Garnet had been worried about her, so Zidane promised he’d keep an eye on Eiko and report back to her on how the little girl was doing. Their genial correspondence had turned into friendship, and then…
“Zidane!” Eiko’s voice brought him back from his reverie as she hopped over to him. “You didn’t tell me how Garnet’s doing!”
“You didn’t ask,” he teased her. “She’s doing well. She misses you.”
“I miss her too!” Eiko said with a pout. “I wish she’d come and visit.”
Zidane sighed quietly. “You know it’s not that simple for her,” he said. “It’s not like with me, where I can just waltz into the Temple whenever. The next time she has business here, though, I’ll make sure she visits you.”
An excited clamor interrupted them. They both glanced over at the source and saw that some of the younglings were gathered by the room’s other entrance. “What’s going on?” Zidane asked.
Eiko shook her head and continued to watch as the door suddenly opened. A young boy with brown hair that hung in front of his eyes ran into the room, followed by Cloud and Master Terra. The two adults were conversing when the children gathered around them, either clamoring for Terra’s attention or gawking at Cloud’s hair.
“Oh, it’s Denzel!” Eiko said as she waved to him. “Hi!”
He waved back shyly. “Hi, Eiko. Hi, Mr. Zidane.”
Zidane recognized him as one of the younglings he’d seen running around with Eiko on occasion. What he hadn’t known was that he and Cloud knew each other. Before he could ask, Eiko bounded over to Terra. “Master Terra! Look at what I got!”
Terra smiled as she bent down to examine Eiko’s ribbon. “How pretty!” she said. “Did Zidane give it to you?” she added.
“Yeah! For my birthday!”
“That was very nice of him,” she said, shooting the Jedi a quick smile before returning her attention to Eiko. “Be sure to wear it often.”
“I will!” Eiko said. Turning around, she waved to Zidane. “Lessons are probably gonna start soon. Thanks for the present!”
“You’re welcome!” he said as she turned and skipped away to join the rest of her fellow younglings. Smiling, Zidane caught Denzel from the corner of his eye waving good-bye to Cloud. With a rare smile, Cloud nodded to him as the youngster took off.
“Cloud,” Terra began as she ushered the lingering younglings towards the group, “I’ll consider your offer. Let me know when you’ve made a final decision. We can go from there, okay?”
Zidane’s brow furrowed in confusion as Cloud nodded to Terra. The green-haired Master gathered the children around her. Cloud backed out through the door he had come in, and Zidane, curious as to Cloud’s offer to Terra, hurried after him.
“Hey!” he called out to Cloud as he entered the hallway.
Cloud’s steps slowed as Zidane hurried to catch up to him. The taller man glanced down at Zidane, his expression composed as it normally was. “Yeah?”
“What was that about?” Zidane asked. “I mean, what you talked about with the Master.”
When Cloud’s eyes shifted away, Zidane quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me, if it’s private or something.”
With a jerk of his head, Cloud motioned towards a more isolated hall. The two men walked together, neither of them saying a word until they reached Cloud’s chosen destination. Making sure they were alone, Cloud glanced around before saying, “I’m not sure yet, but I was thinking of making Denzel my Padawan.”
Didn’t see that coming, Zidane thought as he stared in surprise. Sure, it wasn’t unusual for a Jedi to have a Padawan; someone had to train them, but of all people, Cloud? Then there was the little fact that Cloud was breaking a major law of the Code on a daily basis. Unable to not voice his concerns, Zidane crossed his arms and said, “Hang on. Are you serious? What about Tifa?”
“She’s the one who suggested it.” Leaning against the wall, those intense blue eyes of Cloud’s never left Zidane’s as he continued, “I know it’s a risk. Denzel’s a good kid, though. I'd doubt he'd say anything.”
“But you’re going to be teaching him to go against the Code,” Zidane pointed out with a gesture of his arms. “I know we do, but that was our own choice. We willingly knew we were breaking the Code.”
“It’d be no different for him,” Cloud said calmly, crossing his arms as well. “I wouldn’t force him to do anything, and if his conscience were to grow so opposed to what I was doing, then I’d let him report me.”
“But-”
“It’s my choice.” Cloud’s eyes flashed a challenge, daring Zidane to take back his own words. “Let me make it.”
Groaning in defeat, Zidane rubbed the back of his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” He paused, reflecting silently for a moment before asking, “Why Denzel?”
His companion chuckled. “I found him wandering the Temple one day a few months ago. He had gotten lost or something. I took him and led him back here, to the classroom. Somehow in those fifteen minutes, he’d gotten attached to me. He kept asking Master Terra about me after that, so I felt obliged to at least visit.” His fingers tapped against his arm in a rhythmic pattern as he thought back on it. “I guess things just went from there.”
Zidane was only half-listening. Honestly, his mind was still digesting Cloud’s words and trying to come to grips with them. His anxiety was apparent, for Cloud said, “You don’t trust me.”
“I need to be looking out for all of us,” Zidane said, hoping Cloud would understand his position. When Cloud remained silent, he added, “Look, I’ll think about it. I just need some time to, well, mull it over. I can’t tell you what do though.”
“I get what you’re saying Zidane.”
“Yeah, but I don’t get what you’re thinking and that’s the problem.” And it was obviously something he was going to have to try and figure it out. He did trust Cloud; he had a lot of respect for his logic and skills. So either Cloud was completely ignoring reason, or it was Zidane himself who was missing something.
But what?
Rating: K
Zidane poked his head into the recreation room and smiled as he watched the younglings run around. The good old days, he mused, of simple lessons and lots of playtime.
A bob of purple hair turned in his direction, and its owner shrieked in delight as she ran over to him. “Zidane!” she said excitedly as he grinned at her. “You came!”
“Of course I did!” He bent down to her height as she threw her arms around him. “How could I forget such an important date?”
“You better not have!” she said with a suspicious frown. “It’s not every day a girl turns six, you know!”
“Certainly not,” Zidane agreed as he pulled out something for her. “And in honor of Miss Eiko’s sixth birthday, I brought you this.”
She gasped in delight as she took the yellow ribbon from Zidane. “It’s so pretty!” she said as she tied it into her hair. When it was tied, she glanced over at the window and beamed at her reflection. “It’s perfect! Thanks, Zidane!”
He grinned, thrilled with her reaction as she ran over to a group of girls to show off her bow. As he watched her chatter and giggle with them, he mused at how much Eiko had grown up in the almost year and a half he’d known her. She was to him what Cloud was to Zack: a younger person whom they swore to look after. She had also entered his life similarly to how Cloud entered Zack’s life. The key difference was that Zidane wasn’t the one who had rescued Eiko. Oddly enough, it had been Garnet who saved her.
Eiko twirled about and jumped around, watching her ribbon bouncing with her in the window glass as she did. Zidane couldn’t help but grin as she did so; she looked so happy. It was a far cry from the half-starving little girl Garnet had found almost eighteen months ago in what was thought to have been the abandoned ruins of Madain Sari.
An expedition team had been dispatched there, and since it was on Garnet’s home planet (and she was extraordinarily curious about it), she had tagged along with the team. For security, Zidane and Bartz had been dispatched to safeguard the Senator and the team while they explored the city. What they had expected to find was ruins, artifacts, and maybe some skeletons. They had found all of those things, but they had also found a little girl living there. Garnet had discovered her one day while poking around the remnants of a marketplace. She had opened the door to what had been a fabrics shop. Imagine her surprise when she found a tiny girl of four trying to sew together a dress.
Zidane had come running when Garnet shrieked in surprise. Light saber drawn, he had barged into the shop, only to find Garnet with a little girl. Even to this day, he could distinctly remember the way Eiko’s eyes had widened at his weapon, but instead of being scared, she had been fascinated.
The rest was history. Eiko was brought to Garnet’s home where she was nursed back to health and proper size before being sent off to the Temple. Garnet had been worried about her, so Zidane promised he’d keep an eye on Eiko and report back to her on how the little girl was doing. Their genial correspondence had turned into friendship, and then…
“Zidane!” Eiko’s voice brought him back from his reverie as she hopped over to him. “You didn’t tell me how Garnet’s doing!”
“You didn’t ask,” he teased her. “She’s doing well. She misses you.”
“I miss her too!” Eiko said with a pout. “I wish she’d come and visit.”
Zidane sighed quietly. “You know it’s not that simple for her,” he said. “It’s not like with me, where I can just waltz into the Temple whenever. The next time she has business here, though, I’ll make sure she visits you.”
An excited clamor interrupted them. They both glanced over at the source and saw that some of the younglings were gathered by the room’s other entrance. “What’s going on?” Zidane asked.
Eiko shook her head and continued to watch as the door suddenly opened. A young boy with brown hair that hung in front of his eyes ran into the room, followed by Cloud and Master Terra. The two adults were conversing when the children gathered around them, either clamoring for Terra’s attention or gawking at Cloud’s hair.
“Oh, it’s Denzel!” Eiko said as she waved to him. “Hi!”
He waved back shyly. “Hi, Eiko. Hi, Mr. Zidane.”
Zidane recognized him as one of the younglings he’d seen running around with Eiko on occasion. What he hadn’t known was that he and Cloud knew each other. Before he could ask, Eiko bounded over to Terra. “Master Terra! Look at what I got!”
Terra smiled as she bent down to examine Eiko’s ribbon. “How pretty!” she said. “Did Zidane give it to you?” she added.
“Yeah! For my birthday!”
“That was very nice of him,” she said, shooting the Jedi a quick smile before returning her attention to Eiko. “Be sure to wear it often.”
“I will!” Eiko said. Turning around, she waved to Zidane. “Lessons are probably gonna start soon. Thanks for the present!”
“You’re welcome!” he said as she turned and skipped away to join the rest of her fellow younglings. Smiling, Zidane caught Denzel from the corner of his eye waving good-bye to Cloud. With a rare smile, Cloud nodded to him as the youngster took off.
“Cloud,” Terra began as she ushered the lingering younglings towards the group, “I’ll consider your offer. Let me know when you’ve made a final decision. We can go from there, okay?”
Zidane’s brow furrowed in confusion as Cloud nodded to Terra. The green-haired Master gathered the children around her. Cloud backed out through the door he had come in, and Zidane, curious as to Cloud’s offer to Terra, hurried after him.
“Hey!” he called out to Cloud as he entered the hallway.
Cloud’s steps slowed as Zidane hurried to catch up to him. The taller man glanced down at Zidane, his expression composed as it normally was. “Yeah?”
“What was that about?” Zidane asked. “I mean, what you talked about with the Master.”
When Cloud’s eyes shifted away, Zidane quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me, if it’s private or something.”
With a jerk of his head, Cloud motioned towards a more isolated hall. The two men walked together, neither of them saying a word until they reached Cloud’s chosen destination. Making sure they were alone, Cloud glanced around before saying, “I’m not sure yet, but I was thinking of making Denzel my Padawan.”
Didn’t see that coming, Zidane thought as he stared in surprise. Sure, it wasn’t unusual for a Jedi to have a Padawan; someone had to train them, but of all people, Cloud? Then there was the little fact that Cloud was breaking a major law of the Code on a daily basis. Unable to not voice his concerns, Zidane crossed his arms and said, “Hang on. Are you serious? What about Tifa?”
“She’s the one who suggested it.” Leaning against the wall, those intense blue eyes of Cloud’s never left Zidane’s as he continued, “I know it’s a risk. Denzel’s a good kid, though. I'd doubt he'd say anything.”
“But you’re going to be teaching him to go against the Code,” Zidane pointed out with a gesture of his arms. “I know we do, but that was our own choice. We willingly knew we were breaking the Code.”
“It’d be no different for him,” Cloud said calmly, crossing his arms as well. “I wouldn’t force him to do anything, and if his conscience were to grow so opposed to what I was doing, then I’d let him report me.”
“But-”
“It’s my choice.” Cloud’s eyes flashed a challenge, daring Zidane to take back his own words. “Let me make it.”
Groaning in defeat, Zidane rubbed the back of his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” He paused, reflecting silently for a moment before asking, “Why Denzel?”
His companion chuckled. “I found him wandering the Temple one day a few months ago. He had gotten lost or something. I took him and led him back here, to the classroom. Somehow in those fifteen minutes, he’d gotten attached to me. He kept asking Master Terra about me after that, so I felt obliged to at least visit.” His fingers tapped against his arm in a rhythmic pattern as he thought back on it. “I guess things just went from there.”
Zidane was only half-listening. Honestly, his mind was still digesting Cloud’s words and trying to come to grips with them. His anxiety was apparent, for Cloud said, “You don’t trust me.”
“I need to be looking out for all of us,” Zidane said, hoping Cloud would understand his position. When Cloud remained silent, he added, “Look, I’ll think about it. I just need some time to, well, mull it over. I can’t tell you what do though.”
“I get what you’re saying Zidane.”
“Yeah, but I don’t get what you’re thinking and that’s the problem.” And it was obviously something he was going to have to try and figure it out. He did trust Cloud; he had a lot of respect for his logic and skills. So either Cloud was completely ignoring reason, or it was Zidane himself who was missing something.
But what?