ZIDANE AUDITION

Zidane swam in and out of consciousness. Mostly, he was lost in the depths of his mind, seeing flashes of his old comrades, finding his hands reaching out to them, but they turned to smoke at the touch. He watched as Eiko stomped her foot, hands on her hips in a dramatic fashion. She'd make a great actor, he thought. He would see little Vivi stumble in next to her, tumbling to his face in his usual clumsy way. And Garnet would laugh--such a pleasant sound as it rang through his head. She'd reach down and lift Vivi up with a gloved hand, all smiles and radiant beauty. Zidane would call to them--nearly screaming, thrashing against the barriers that separated them--but they never heard. They went on without him. 

He gasped and sat up, his blue eyes blinking open. The room spun away from him, tilting dangerously and spinning. He retched over the side of the bed he was in, spewing forth whatever he had eaten (he had eaten? But when?). With a loud groan, he sat back against his pillows, keenly aware of the pain erupting from his bones. It was such a deep, profound ache that he had to grit his teeth against it. He dared to glance at his body. Indeed, it was covered with bruises, scrapes, and deep pockets of exposed flesh, but it was obvious someone had slathered on potions, if the earthy stench was any indication.

Suddenly, the door to the room banged open and a large man waddled through, holding a tray of steaming soup.

"Ah! Marcus, you're awake!" The man boomed, settling the tray over Zidane's lap.

Zidane quirked an eyebrow (damn, that hurts!). He wasn't Marcus... and he wasn't sure where the name had come from. But he considered the soup gratefully. It smelled sweet and spicy with large mushrooms bubbling to the top. Zidane ladled some in his spoon and gingerly gulped it up, relishing the tangy taste. He couldn't remember his last meal--the last thing he remembered was--

Kuja!

He nearly puked again, feeling nauseous at the simple thought of his fair-haired "brother". Kuja's last breath. The battle out of the Lifa Tree. The countless miles crossing the barren land, bruised and cut, fighting demons and fiends alike. Zidane's wounds throbbed at the memory and he had to push away the soup, unable to stomach anything more than the memories cutting through his head like daggers. 

"Better eat up, lad," the plump man demanded. "How else will you find Cornelia?" 

Now, the names made sense. Marcus? Cornelia? Those were characters in Lord Avalon's famous play I Want to Be Your Canary. Had Zidane been talking in his sleep? He had always been fond of Lord Avalon's work, even performing the play at Dagger's sixteenth birthday. Garnet! How long had he been here? He was filled with such an intensity to move that he found himself pushing aside the tray completely and scrabbling with the thin quilt wrapped around his legs. He toppled from the bed, which made his wounds burst with pain, as if he were exploding into flames. Still, he had to move--he had to see his Dagger--his Cornelia--

"Whoa! Whoa! Where do ya think yer goin'?!" The man wheezed, flailing a little helplessly as Zidane pulled on his shredded clothes that were, thankfully, clean. 

Despite his swollen face, the cut on his lip, and his knotted hair, Zidane managed an easy smile. Even from the man's spot from across the room, he could feel the simple optimism that filled the tailed boy's heart. He was injured, hurt, and broken, but Zidane had to move. He was determined to see his love, whom would be waiting for his return. Despite the pain, Zidane hobbled to the door, flashing a cheeky grin to the man that stared in awe at the crumbling boy.

"Thanks a lot, pops," Zidane said cheerfully, about to walk out the door into the searing sunlight beyond. 

"Yer gonna get yerself killed boy! Yer hurt--you can't go out there like this!" 

Zidane rubbed his chin thoughtfully and shrugged, flippant as he began to ease the door shut.

"I gotta go," he said easily. "She's singing our song."

Aww, poor Zidane. I think you did a great job, and I think you'll make a wonderful Zidane, so I hereby give you 1/2 staff approvals, you need one more to be fully accepted. Good luck!

I'M LAZY AND EATING SO HERE.

2/2.