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Sakai Michiba
Author of 22 Stories |
Disclaimer: The characters presented in the fanfiction belong to Squaresoft. I may not own Blank, but I do own at cosplaying him. e.e;
Author's Note: This is my first Final Fantasy IX fanfiction that has actually been published. I thought it only suitable that I should honor my favorite game with my favorite pairing from it! Enjoy!
And now, Sakai Michiba presents,
Shelter
Chapter One
Blank was sitting by himself in his room in the clock tower, listening to the gears whirring as the clock in the Tantalus hideout announced to all of Lindblum that it was, indeed, 1:00 a.m. He sighed as the bell gave one long tone, and he drew his mismatched knees up to his chest, unable to sleep even though it was storming like hell outside. Normally, storms helped him sleep, but tonight, not even the steady rhythm could lull him to unconsciousness.
He was thinking too much about Zidane. It had been six long weeks since Zidane had gone back to Garnet, and Blank had found himself to be an instant insomniac. During Zidane’s stay at Tantalus again, Blank had been with him the entire time, holding him during nightmares and helping him recover from his injuries. It had been as though they were kids again, and Zidane was having his nightmares about what was later discovered to be Terra. Blank closed his eyes a bit and reached over to touch the spot where Zidane would curl up next to him, laughing and sounding so very happy as he would go on about Garnet for hours.
God, how Blank hated the Queen of Alexandria. He hated her with EVERYTHING he was. He looked down at his brown and white hands, seeing the play of the stitches that connected his real skin and the grafts in his mind, and then dropped them back down to the mattress. ‘Who the hell am I kidding?’ he snorted mentally, pulling the blanket back over his mismatched shoulders.
He knew he was too hideous to be loved by anyone, much less someone as beautiful as Zidane Tribal. Zidane was, in Blank’s eyes, the most incredible creature ever to walk Gaia. Blank did not have to be able to see to know that. He also did not have to be able to see to feel the eyes of all bearing down upon him, staring at his skin grafts and whispering to themselves about how something horrible must have happened to him. He did not know what he looked like–he just knew that, while he could still remember colours from when he was a child, he had been told what his skin looked like on the partially-numb grafts. He had a vision in his head of what he must look like, and he coughed a little into his hand, feeling sick because of it.
Tears rose to his blind eyes, and he felt them seep out from beneath his headband. With a groan, he threw his headband off and swiped angrily at the tears, drying them and the headband before putting them back on. He wore it even during sleep, lest someone come in the morning and catch a glimpse of his eyes while he slept. He did not know if he slept with them open or closed, and he was not very anxious to find out.
Suddenly, there was a great crashing through the open window, and Blank leapt out of bed as something landed on it, wet and shaking. He grabbed his knife and held it at the ready, assuming a battle stance, though a moment later, when he heard a soft weeping, he lowered his knife. With blind caution, he crept back over to the bed and reached down, feeling a soaking wet head of hair. Drawing his hand down, he felt of a cheek, and it struck him who this was.
“...Zidane, what are you doing?” he asked quietly, a soft sigh of relief releasing all his tension. “...You’re supposed to be at the castle...What...Why are you crying?” He was shocked as he felt hot tears splashing down cold, wet cheeks, and he pulled the soaked boy out of the bed. “...Damn it. You’re changing my sheets...”
Zidane held still as Blank ran a hand over his hair and face, knowing that Blank needed time for recognition, and when he was pulled off of the bed, he ignored the fact that Blank was trying to change his clothes and leaned against him, burying his face in the shorter boy’s shoulder as he cried. He had never felt so dejected, so very lied to, and he knew he had never been in so much trouble in his entire life. As Blank’s hands stilled and then slid around Zidane’s torso, holding him close, he whimpered and shivered, so very cold even though he knew he was burning with fever.”S-sorry,” he whispered, and he moved to stand back as Blank’s hands resumed undressing him.
“Shut up, Zidane,” Blank said quietly, peeling layer by layer of Zidane’s wet, cold clothes off of him. Don’t you dare apologize to me.” That quieted Zidane, and he slowly uncurled his spastic tail from his own thigh, letting it hang to the ground. He held on to Blank’s shoulders, feeling unsteady on his feet, as he watched the blind boy undress him. He was just starting to relax when he heard feet pounding up the stairs, and he looked around, sliding out of Blank’s grasp to hide against the wall.
Blank felt the sudden absence of wet Genome, and he thought quickly, hearing the pounding on the door. “Blank! We heard something in there! What’s going on! Are you okay!” Marcus called. The patched boy froze, a million things running through his head, and he swallowed before answering.
“I have COMPANY, if you don’t mind!” he growled back, and he could hear the blush in Marcus’ voice as he apologized profusely and ran away, the pounding of his feet on the stairs just evidence that he was gone. With a sigh, he stood there, feeling out the room. He could hear Zidane breathing to his left, and he moved to the harsh sound, pressing his hand on Zidane’s chest to feel his heart pounding. “...What’s going on?” he asked softly, and he felt the other choke down a sob.
“I n-need to stay here, Blank...They c-can’t know. Nobody can...” He sounded very frightened, and Blank nodded his consent a moment before he rendered Zidane totally naked. Finding a towel on the rack by the door, he slowly began to dry Zidane off, his natural cheek blushing as he ran the towel over the curves of Zidane’s pretty body. He draped another towel over Zidane’s head, scrubbing the dripping water out of his hair before he wrapped it in the towel to dry on its own for a while. “Th-thank you,” Zidane whispered, shivering, and he took the towel from Blank, drying himself off.
Blank smiled faintly and went over to the bed, yanking the soaked blankets off and replacing them with dry ones. It was truly amazing, the tasks he could perform even though he was totally blind. He knew where everything was in his room, and he could retrieve something there faster than any seeing man could. Zidane watched him with a soft smile, and when the bed was made, he walked over to him, sliding into the bed and sitting there, his eyes closing as Blank’s hands moved to take the towel from his head and replaced it with a brush, brushing out the tangles present there.
“What’s wrong?” Blank asked quietly as he finished brushing that hair and slid into drier clothes. He offered some to Zidane, too, but the Genome didn’t take them. With a sigh, Blank slid back into the bed, reaching over to feel Zidane’s shoulder. He felt him quivering, and he sighed. “Zidane, no...don’t...”
The blonde choked as the other slid his arms around him, and he felt fever burning through him and he pressed hard against Blank. He found that he could not speak, and so he merely shook his head. He could feel the other’s heart beating quickly, and he reached up to touch his chest. “Please...not right now...”
Blank sighed and nodded a bit. “Rest, Zidane,” he whispered, and as he lay down with Zidane in his arms, he felt the other drift off to an instantaneous sleep. He inhaled his scent, smelling how sick he was, and began to worry. Did he not realize , if he continued to be this sick, that he would have to be placed under the care of a doctor? His fever was making Blank sweat, but he did not dare move. He was just happy to have Zidane there with him.
The next morning, he heard a pounding at the door, and he froze. “Who is it?” he called, making sure Zidane was properly covered. He heard the Genome in his arms mewl softly in his sleep, and he looked, panicked, down at him. “Zidane, shhh...” he breathed before he felt the person at the door slam inside.
He groaned as Ruby came into the room, and in a frenzy, he pulled Zidane very close, hiding his face. This woke Zidane immediately, and he was about to protest before he heard Ruby’s voice. “What is THIS, Blank! The boss is gonna kick your butt from here to tarnation if he catches you a-sleepin’ around in the hideout! Who is she?”
Blank was sure that if he was actually “a-sleepin’ around,” that he would be horribly embarrassed, but he merely glared up at Ruby, holding Zidane tighter. “Ruby, shut up. She’s asleep,” he growled. Zidane took the hint and mewled in a high-pitched voice, smiling secretly to himself as Ruby gave an annoyed scoff and hurried out, closing the door. When she was gone, he stirred in Blank’s arms and smiled up at him even though he couldn’t see it.
“Thanks,” he whispered, and he sniffled a little, shaking even though he was very warm. He could not seem to stop trembling thanks to the sickness, and he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to stop. He felt Blank’s breath on his face at that moment, and he froze, his hands frozen on the other’s back.
Blank came so very close to kissing the other in that moment that he could hardly stand it. He could feel Zidane so very close there to him, his heart pounding, but he kept from kissing the other, having to use all the power within himself to pull back. “You’re welcome,” he whispered, pulling back a little further, not trusting himself.
Zidane’s eyes opened, and he found Blank there, looking embarrassed. He opened his mouth to say something about it, then he thought better of it and reached out to touch Blank’s face, thumb tracing the stitches. “Don’t,” Blank hissed, and he jerked his head out of reach. Zidane was startled, but he obeyed and then turned to face away from Blank.
“...She always said that I could come back and visit you guys as much as I wanted...always said that it would be the same, no matter what. We were gonna get married, Blank.”
Those words caught Blank’s attention, and he looked in Zidane’s direction, his breath caught in his throat. This must be the reason that Zidane had come running to him in the middle of the night. “Yeah?” he asked quietly, feeling quite jealous, though none of it sounded in his voice. “What happened?”
Zidane rolled back over so he might look at Blank as they spoke. “Well...you know how Kuja was staying in the Black Mage Village? And that he was going to going to come live in Alexandria whenever he felt better and things had kinda passed over?”
Blank felt a growing sense of dread in his stomach, and he gave a small nod. “Yes, I remember that...” he said quietly, reaching out to find Zidane’s face. He found it, and he touched his cheek softly, ready to catch any tears that might fight their way from the confines of his eyes. “Go on, Zidane...”
Zidane paused for a few moments before he swallowed and squeezed his eyes closed. “When he came to Alexandria to find lodging, someone recognized him from the attack,” he claimed, and Blank felt him give a terrible shudder. “They moved to attack him, B-Blank, and he defended himself...b-but...the guards s-saw him c-casting magic and...they went after him. I happened to be in town a-and I tried to interfere, b-but they...B-Blank they...” He cut himself off with a terrible sob, his whole body convulsing as he tried to reduce the sound.
Blank wished more than anything at that moment that he was not blind so he might look upon Zidane’s tears and comfort him with a warm gaze, but he could not. “Oh Zidane,” he whispered, and a moment later, he had an armful of Genome, nuzzling him softly. “What did they do?” he asked quietly, trying to quell Zidane’s quivering.
“They...she was th-there, too...a-and...K-Kuja had b-been so sick...He c-couldn’t fight them, and she...Bahamut...revenge...” It was apparent that Zidane could not speak another word as he became a sobbing heap in Blank’s arms. Blank was shocked by Zidane’s words; how could Garnet have summoned Bahamut against Zidane’s brother? She could not possibly understand. Zidane had spent his entire life looking for his family, and when he had found it...Oh, Blank was fuming.
Blank lifted Zidane’s head and touched their cheeks. “I’ll get revenge for you,” he whispered, hands soft on Zidane’s back. The Genome was surprised by these words, but he said nothing, a mass of goo in Blank’s arms. “Don’t you worry, Zidane. She’ll get what’s coming to her...”
Zidane nodded and looked up then into Blank’s face, wishing that he could so something, anything, to make his oldest friend able to see again. He remembered when the accident happened–Blank and a boy named Gene had decided to go an adventure to find him, since he had run off looking for home again. Zidane came up on the pair of them in the field, but instead of getting welcomed with warm arms, he was grabbed by Gene and jerked into an encasing of roots near Pinnacle Rocks.
Zidane had tried to reach out for Blank–he saw the Mist monster chasing after him but was unable to get there in time. The three boys screamed in unison as Blank was caught and, in a flash of tusks, teeth, and claws, shredded to pieces. Zidane had escaped from Gene’s hold, and with the draw of his knife, he was on top of the monster. He could hear nothing but Blank screaming, a sound that filled his head so that he could not even hear the monster roaring or Gene as he jumped into the fray, impaled upon one of the great tusks and killed instantly.
His knife had pierced the skull of the monster a hundred times, he knew, before the beast fell. Surveying the scene before him, Zidane knew that Gene was gone, but Blank was still alive, though barely. With a growl, he lifted Blank into his arms and began to run for Lindblum. Blank’s eyes were pouring copious amounts of blood, and he looked down into his best friend’s face, tears running down his own, and he whispered, “Blank...I-I g-got ya, bro...”
Days later, after Blank had been patched and a diagnosis given, the now multi-coloured boy had opened his eyes, irises misshapen and the whites bloodshot. Zidane had gasped, reaching forward to snatch his young friend’s hand. “Z-Zidane?” Blank asked quietly. “T-take off the eye patches. My eyes don’t hurt...”
“...There aren’t any eye patches, Blank..”
For days after that, Blank was too depressed to eat or even get out of bed. Zidane never left his side, feeling terribly guilty because, in his mind, it was entirely his fault that all of this had happened. He had never been close to Gene, so that death did not affect him, but the loss of Blank’s eyesight was terrible to Zidane. “Zidane,” Blank had whispered one morning as he woke up. “I can’t remember anything...except that I saw you looking down at me...You’re the only thing I can see...” From that moment on, Blank wore a headband around his eyes, not wanting to see anything but Zidane ever again.
All Zidane ever did was get Blank in trouble, and now, as they lay there in their late teen years, Blank was bailing him out again without asking anything in return. “You’re s-so good to me, Blank,” he whispered, his hands moving to touch Blank’s bare chest. He felt so naked (considering he was) and shy even though Blank could not see his bare body. “What did I ever do to d-deserve you?”
Blank froze before he placed his hand over Zidane’s and smiled at him. “Zidane, you have a fever,” he whispered. “You’re upset...Just relax, okay?” He felt Zidane melt under the gentle touches administered as he forced him to lie on his back and be covered with the thick heavy blanket. “Are you hungry? I’ll go get some breakfast for you...Get some rest...”
Zidane shook his head and reached up to grab Blank’s wrist, pulling him quickly back to the bed. “N-no! They’ll be suspicious! Please, Blank...stay with me. I d-don’t want to be alone...been alone for a week...” The more he spoke, the more pathetic he sounded. “...The guard’s after me...’cause princes can’t run away...I had to hide for forever out there, moving just a little bit at a time...I feel so sick...”
Blank paused and then sighed, nodding before he got up and slid the lock to the door in place. With a sigh, he returned to the bed and climbed in beside Zidane, gently running his hand through his hair. “Tonight, we’ll get you a bath, ‘kay? Not that you really need one, with the soaking you got last night, but maybe you’ll feel better...”
Zidane nodded a little and slid to lie against his oldest friend, tucking his head in against his chest. He felt Blank give pause before those warm, strong hands slid over his shoulders and held him close. Blank’s heart was pounding again from being so close to Zidane–did the Genome know what he did to him? Doubtful, and he was not about to try something with him while he was in such a state of distress. “Let’s go back to sleep, Blank...I’m t-tired...”
Blank gave in, holding Zidane close and trying to ignore the fever that burned within the other boy. “Yes, rest, Zidane...” He felt Zidane’s tail curl around his thigh, a sign that he was indeed asleep, and Blank allowed himself to fall back unconscious as well.
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