Chapter One
First Awakening
Kuja groaned as he was woke. There was a pain in his ribs, as well as his throat. The pain in his ribs was sharper and stronger, so he decided to attend to that first. He opened his eyes slowly, discovering Zidane next to him at the center of the Iifa tree.
"What the...? Why do my ribs hurt? And why am I alive?" Kuja asked, now fully awake.
Zidane laughed slightly. "Your ribs hurt because I kicked them."
Kuja's eyes narrowed.
"Hey, hey! Cut me some slack. It felt damn good to hit you after what you did."
Kuja sighed. "I suppose it did. Now, answer my second question: why am I even alive? I thought that Garland had a limit put on my life."
Zidane shrugged. "I haven't got a clue."
"My throat hurts, too... It's a little hard to breathe."
"Maybe that's it, then. Your body is fighting you, but your will is stronger?"
"Perhaps," Kuja replied. "But I haven't exactly demonstrated perfect willpower."
"Eh. What's done is done. Deal with it." Zidane stood up and helped Kuja to his feet. "And now, to the current dilemma of --"
"How do we get out?" Kuja finished.
"Yup. When in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout."
Kuja laughed sardonically. "I don't think that will help us. How about, 'After a thousand years / And beyond a million tears / Follow the path before you'?" Kuja pointed to a path of roots leading down from their small shelf. He struggled to hide his amusement.
"Oh, yeah. That. I knew it was there." Zidane shook his head in an embarrassed manner and followed Kuja out of the Iifa tree.
"What?!" Garnet roared. "Are you...are you defending him, Zidane?!"
Zidane shrugged. "Not at all. I just brought him back. He's alive, so I think I can live with myself now."
Kuja was looking at Zidane oddly.
"What?!" Zidane demanded.
Kuja responded with an infuriatingly smug smirk. Then he shrugged. "Do what you want with me. I'll get out of whatever you throw at me, though."
Zidane pondered this, knowing that he had a point. He said so to Garnet.
"I don't care if he's got a point! We'll find something that the little..." Suddenly Garnet's eyes lit up, and she grinned wickedly. "I've got it! It can't fail!"
Kuja snorted.
"You have great confidence, for someone who's butt I just kicked," Zidane said flatly.
"Your mind doesn't work in enough expanse," Kuja replied typically.
"What the hell does that mean?!" Zidane demanded.
Kuja smirked again.
"Oh, stop it! Kuja, you have free run of the palace, until I figure out how to pull this off. I assume you won't leave. You're curious to see what can actually hold you."
"Too true. Alright, I'll wait. But please, make it something entertaining."
"Argh! Get him out!" Garnet cried.
Kuja closed the door gently behind him. The guards were all too willing not to touch him. He started to make his way to the library.
As he passed a hallway, something rammed into him hard enough to make him smack a wall.
"What on earth...?" He looked down at the black blob near his feet. It groaned.
"Oog..."
That 'black blob' turned out to be a woman in a black robe. She gasped as she saw him, and then hung her head. Her black hair flowed beautifully around her slightly tanned cheeks. She looked at him.
"Who are you?" Kuja demanded in a not-so-demanding tone.
The girl shrugged. She studied him, and then her eyes widened.
Kuja shrugged this time. "I guess you know who I am."
She nodded and stood up. Kuja stood up as well.
Kuja was a little bit disturbed at her silence. Girls that he had seen never stopped talking and
gossiping, giggling and flirting. Somehow, Kuja couldn't picture this girl doing any of those things.
"Where are you headed, and in such a hurry?"
She pointed to the library and then shrugged. Her gray eyes revealed nothing to him.
"That's where I'm headed."
The girl nodded, and then began to walk (very quickly) in the direction of the library. Kuja followed. Once inside, she headed straight for the magic books. Having nothing else to do, he followed.
"This section is restricted, you know."
The girl turned to face him, a determined look on her face. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. She tried again, with the same results. Looking around, she discovered they weren't alone. Stamping her foot, she whirled and walked even faster to the section. She entered a private studying room.
Kuja closed the door behind him, and she whirled to face him. "My name is Esuna."
Kuja blinked in surprise. "So you can talk."
Esuna nodded. "I use my voice as a weapon for combat, so a priest put an enchantment on me: I can't use my voice when other people are around. Only one, and he must be male." She shrugged.
Kuja's eyes widened. "So that leaves you without your magic."
She nodded sadly. "I keep checking here to see if I can find a way to break the spell. But, I can't find anything." She blinked suddenly. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Talking more to a sarcastic, hopeless narcissist than I ever have to another human being, even with my voice."
Kuja couldn't help but smile. "I like you," he said simply. "Straightforward. Speaking you mind."
"Speaking the truth as well as my mind."
"I suppose."
Esuna laughed, the most bell like laugh Kuja had ever heard. He liked the sound of it. "You know, if you hadn't been so sure of yourself and told Lady Hilda everything, the Crystal would be destroyed."
Kuja's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. "How do you know about the Crystal?" he asked sharply.
She smirked. "How do you know that I know?"
"What? Because you just said you knew about it."
"No I didn't. I said that it would be destroyed. That doesn't mean I know about it. It only implies that I know it exists."
Kuja was losing his temper. "Don't play mind games with me!"
"Why?"
"Because I can be very dangerous when I'm mad."
Esuna actually laughed, with made Kuja's temper rise further.
"You won't hurt me."
"How do you know I won't?."
Esuna sighed. "You may have a temper, but you know enough now not to let the tempest rise and take the better of you."
"I guess so."
She nodded. Some strange emotion that Kuja couldn't identify flashed in her eyes. He guessed it was wistfulness.
"Your hiding something, Esuna."
"Yes, I am. I guess you'll know soon enough. But my voice wasn't the only thing the priest got rid of."
"What else...?" Kuja asked softly.
".....It's nothing." She looked away, her gray eyes sad.
"Esuna..."
"You have a dragon, don't you? A silver one?" she asked suddenly.
He nodded.
"May I see him?"
"I suppose. Any last words, before we go in the open again?"
"Uh-huh. Don't depend on magic for everything."
With that, Esuna left the room, leaving Kuja in bewilderment. He followed.
Esuna had a smirk on her face as she walked up to Kuja's silver dragon. Eiko had seen them passing, and decided to follow. Kuja had noticed her, and had looked her straight in the eye. It greatly unsettled the six year old.
Stroking the dragons muzzle, Esuna was clearly not afraid of it.
"You've got a dragon's touch," the silver dragon spoke softly.
Kuja almost fell over. "Since when can you talk?!" he demanded, striding up to the dragon.
"Since forever. You know, if she were a dragon...." then he addressed Esuna. "My name is Flare. Fitting, I suppose. It is Kuja's favorite spell."
Esuna nodded. She turned to Kuja and looked him over. Then she grinned.
"What?!" he demanded.
Flare gave a dragonish grin. "She thinks the thong doesn't suit you."
Esuna gasped and glared at Flare. Kuja blushed, and Flare fell over in dragon laughter.
"You can read her mind?!"
Meekly, Esuna nodded, while Flare's grin widened. Then he launched back on his haunches.
"I am too suitable for Kuja!"
Esuna shook her head.
"Liar! I behave, and I'm a good dragon --"
And a lunatic, Esuna thought.
Kuja made a humph sound. "Leave me out all you want, I don't mind."
Flare looked at Kuja. "Sorry. She called me a lunatic."
Esuna shrugged. She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. Kuja noticed with delight how her black hair blazed a raging purple in the sunlight. She's beautiful.
Zidane walked up. "Garnet's decided what she's going to do with you."
Esuna stamped her foot.
Zidane's eyes widened. "Hey!" he said. "What's your name?"
Esuna rolled her eyes, and Zidane looked a bit awkward.
"She won't speak to you," Kuja said smugly.
"You won't?"
Esuna shook her head, with the same smirk Kuja was wearing.
Kuja gasped suddenly, struggling for air. His hand went to his throat, and Esuna was beside him instantly. She pulled his hand was from his neck. Kuja looked a little horrified as she brought her face closer to his. She began to mouth arcane words, her face inches away. In front of his chest, her hands worked furiously, drawing symbols Kuja didn't recognize. Then she stopped.
Kuja's pain was gone, and he could breathe again.
"What on earth did you just do?!"
She shrugged.
Zidane watched the entire scene, dumbstruck. "I've never seen magic like that. Even if I could use it, I wouldn't get that close to him. He's dangerous."
Esuna smiled and shook her head.
"He's not as bad as you make him out to be, Zidane," Flare commented.
"Yeah right!" Eiko piped in, deciding not to spy anymore.
Esuna looked at her with a puzzled look. She walked slowly up to the girl that she didn't know, and touched her horn gently. She looked at Kuja
.:She's a summoner, right?:. she thought to Kuja
Kuja jumped and fell over.
"Jeez, what's your problem?" Zidane demanded.
Kuja glared at Esuna. "Do you do that often?! I'm supposed to be graceful, Esuna! Not falling flat on my face because of mind speech...why didn't you tell me you could do that, anyway?!"
"She's doesn't have to tell you anything, you big lummox," Flare replied.
.:Flare!:. Esuna thought sternly.
"Sorry. I can't help but harp on him." He gave a dragon shrug. "It's in my nature."
.:I know.:. Esuna grinned sheepishly and blushed.
"What are you blushing for?" Eiko asked bluntly.
Esuna blinked and looked at the girl. She grinned. .:I know I can tell you. Maybe it's just a girl thing. Just don't tell Thong Boy,:. she gestured to Kuja, .:or his sarcastic escort.:.
Eiko laughed so hard she cried, and then fell over. "Thong Boy! I love it!"
Esuna smacked her forehead and sat down, grumbling silently.
"What the hell is going on?!" Zidane demanded, scratching his head. "I'm so confused."
"Esuna can't talk when she's around other people," Flare said. "Except, of course, when she alone with a man." He looked slyly at Kuja. "Then she can...talk...all she wants."
Esuna's eyes narrowed. .:Enough! Nothing sexual happened between us, you little --:.
"Let's not go there," Zidane said. Esuna's temper had risen enough so that everyone could hear her mind-speech. "You're name's Esuna, right?"
She nodded.
"Never heard that name before. It's pretty."
.:Thanks, but stop flirting. Garnet won't like it.:.
Zidane blushed furiously.
"Are you picking on Zidane?!" Eiko demanded.
"Not at all, Eiko," Flare answered for Esuna. "She only told him to stop flirting."
Kuja smirked.
"Oh, come on!" Eiko cried, grabbing Zidane hand and dragging him out of the courtyard. "We'll talk girl talk later, k?"
.:It's a date, little summoner.:. Esuna replied.
"I need to go," Esuna said, able to speak again.
"But...Flare is still here?" Kuja voice held question.
"Yah, but dragons don't count. Whatever your sentence is, Kuja, I'll find a way to reverse it. You'll probably be able to pull it off yourself, but just in case you need a hand form the outside."
She extended her hand to him to shake, but instead he raised it to his lips.
Esuna blushed. He has warm lips, Esuna thought with delight, praying Flare wouldn't say anything. God must have been busy doing something else, however.
"She says that you have --"
"Don't you dare, you prissy little --" Esuna cried, her voice holding venom. She pointed a finger at him, and a single shot of purple light hit Flare.
"Yipe!" Flare was not expecting that. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
"You were going to tell him what I thought."
"Yes, I was! You said he has warm lips." Flare grinned triumphantly, licking at a scratch the light had given him.
Kuja smiled sheepishly and looked at Esuna. "Well, you do!" she said defensively.
Maybe someday I'll find out what your feel like, Kuja thought to himself.
Flare snorted. "Not likely."
Esuna's bell-like laughter rang out. "You wanna bet, Flare?"
"You both read my thoughts?!"
"Uh huh. Well, Esuna did. I can't help but hear those things."
"Flare, shoo!" Kuja commanded.
"What? Why?"
"Need you ask?"
"What's that supposed to -- Oh, man! Never mind! I don't want to know!" With that, Flare took off.
"I promise," Esuna said, looking at Kuja. "To help you with your punishment. I was scared, when I first saw you. I might have a fair amount of power, but you are still so much stronger than me. But now I see that you're not at all the red mage I had pictured."
He flashed her a sweet smile. "I'd like you to come to Desert Palace with me sometime. My library there is huge. I know a couple spells that would stop Flare from telling me what you think."
Esuna laughed. "I'm glad. Silent Siege barely touches him."
He nodded. "His strength is the same as mine."
Esuna suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek. "That is for luck. Hopefully, Garnet won't execute you."
Kuja closed his eyes and smiled. "You have cool lips. They felt nice."
She grinned. "Farewell, Kuja. Perhaps I will see you again. Or maybe I'm doomed to never get revenge on Flare."
She brought out a mirror that she had had concealed. She pointed to it. "Tok Ahkim!"
The mirror dropped from her grasp, and began to grow. A single raindrop fell from the sky, and his the glass. It rippled, and became water.
"This is a portal to a lake nearby. You go through underwater, but it's close to shore. Speak the words I spoke. The portal will close behind you. Only use it if you need to, however."
"I'll remember that. Thank you, Esuna."
"Thank you, Kuja. For showing me that life will always prevail."
Esuna jumped into the mirror, and it shrank, becoming the hand mirror again. Kuja's eyes widened at it's weight. It was made of solid white gold, and the glass wasn't glass, but crystal. If I see her again, I'll ask her how she got this, he thought. And how did I show her that life always prevails? I don't understand her. . .
"Alright. Now. Kuja," Garnet began formally. "I am about to sentence you."
Wow. She looks regal, Kuja thought, not at all paying attention to what the queen was saying. When he heard the word 'sentence', however, he began to listen.
"For committing the crime of...Jeez. Uh...Uncle Cid?"
"Yes, dear?" Cid asked from the corner of the room.
"Do I really have to list all of the things he's done? I mean, there's so many..."
Kuja smirked.
"Well, I suppose not."
"Good. Alright. We'll skip all that. Kuja?"
"Yes?"
"Any last words?"
Kuja shrugged.
"Guess not," Zidane commented dryly.
Kuja's smirk widened.
"Um..." Eiko muttered uncertainly. She shuddered. "Garnet?"
"Yes, Eiko?"
"I think he had a point earlier. He wouldn't be so cocky if he couldn't get out of it."
"You know, kid? Your smarter than you look."
Zidane jumped. The remark had come from Kuja.
"Will you just punish me already? I'm getting bored."
"Alright, alright. Kuja. For...all of the crime that you committed, I banish you to the Desert Palace on the Other Continent."
Kuja actually laughed. "Your beauty contrasts sharply to your brains."
Garnet wore the same smirk that Kuja was wearing. "That's not the best part. To be placed on the desert above and around the palace, thanks to out friends at Mount Gulug, there will be a magic barrier. You will not be able to cast magic."
Kuja blinked. He had not expected this.
"That's right, bro. For once, Garnet thought of something you can't get out of."
Kuja remembered Esuna, and her mirror. He wondered if they would be able to free him. He sorely hoped that the magic on the mirror would still work.
"How long until I'm banished?"
"About thirty seconds."
"Lovely."
Lovely? Why on earth did he say lovely? Garnet set the thought aside to ponder when she had nothing to do on a rainy day.
The wind whipped Esuna's hair around her face. The propeller blades of the Selenity airship whirred strongly above her.
"Miss! We are bound for the Other Continent! If you are coming, you must get on board now."
Esuna nodded slowly to the crewman. She turned and took one last look at Alexandria, and then climbed the ladder onto the airship. She intended to keep her promise to Kuja. She had to be careful, however. Once Garnet found out, she would most definitely be looking for her.
But that wouldn't stop Esuna in the least.
Kuja sighed. It was good to be home, but the fact that he could not leave was no comfort.
"Tok Ahkim!"
The mirror would not work here either. Kuja's eyes were downcast.
"Well, Flare? Are we stuck here?"
"Of course not! Are you daft, man?! Esuna said she was coming. She has a dragon spirit inside of her, and a dragon cannot lie."
"But her magic will be useless here, too!"
"I know," Flare said sadly. "That is the part I'm worried about. But she's smart, Kuja. She'll figure out something."
Kuja nodded slowly. "You're right."
"Of course I am. She --"
"Is here."
Both man and dragon whirled. Esuna stood in the doorway to the central hall. Her laughter rang, echoing cheerfully across the walls.
"Men are so silly. I promised to help, didn't I?"
"Esuna..." Kuja mumbled, trying to recover. "Well, yes, you did. But your magic is cut off now, too."
"No it isn't."
"What do you mean?" Kuja asked.
"Yeah, spill!" Flare cried.
"I have the magic of Terra inside of me."
"What?! You're Terran?!" Kuja cried. Once again, she had caught him off balance. "Where's your tail?!"
Esuna grinned and shed the black robe she was wearing. Kuja's eyebrows raised at her outfit. She wore a strapless black shirt that barely covered her belly and dark hose with brown leather ankle boots. Her arms were clothed at the base of her shoulder to her elbow, and her shoulders were not covered. She wore leather wrist guards and had a white jacket tied around her waist.
And to top it all off, a black tail swayed playfully in the background.
"Why is it that I didn't know you were Terran?!" Flare demanded.
"Don't get cocky, Flare. You don't know everything, and you don't know how to sense a Terran."
"You said that you had the magic of Terra," Kuja intervened. "How so?"
"Born of blue
With a scarlet hue
Granted from a planet
The gift of magic
Once called 'Messiah',
one true enemy of Gaia."
"That poem..." Flare murmured.
"I've read it before. In a book of Terran history," Kuja commented.
Esuna nodded. "That's right. I was created to be the enemy of Gaia. I was born from the light of Terra, along with your trance power, Kuja." She shrugged. "I guess you could say I was the third Angel of Death."
Kuja whistled. "Wow."
"Yeah. Garland knew I existed. He figured it out right before you kicked him off the platform." Esuna simply stated facts, with no accusing note in her tone. "That's why he helped Zidane in Memoria. Zidane was always Garland's favorite. But then again, Garland would have tried harder to get rid of me if you had let him live. Eventually, he would have found out I was a girl."
"He had a grudge against women?" Flare asked skeptically.
"Not until they did a man's job."
"Oh brother." Kuja rolled his eyes.
"Actually, yes," Esuna responded, "the reason he was like that was because of Zidane. There was only supposed to be one Angel of Death."
"I know, but I failed, so he made Zidane."
"You didn't fail!" Flare cried angrily.
"That's right. In truth, you exceeded Garland's wildest dreams. You were too strong, so he couldn't control you. When he realized he couldn't, he became obsessed with making a new Angel. I was created with a mission that is impossible for me to complete, even if it was Terra's willpower to have this mission completed that gave me life."
"What mission?" Kuja asked softly.
Esuna laughed. "Eliminate the previous two Angels, then turn Gaia into a sort of Terra, using the Iifa tree."
"Holy Mother of Bahamut," Flare swore. "And you're...uh...not gonna do it, right?"
"Of course not, Flare. With Terra gone, I have nothing enforcing the mission. And, you didn't swear properly, Flare," Esuna said, grinning.
"How would you know how dragons swear?!" Flare demanded indignantly.
"You're supposed to say. . ." and Esuna went up and whispered in Flare's ear.
Flare gasped. "Ew! Potty mouth!" he accused. "I've never heard anyone use language like that, human, dragon, or even goblin!"
Kuja smirked. "That bad, huh? I don't want to know what she said, then."
Flare shook his head wildly. "Don't you dare repeat that! When I'm a hundred I think I'll still be to young to hear all that!"
"Mm hmm. Hate to ruin the fun," said Esuna, "but we need to get out of here. C'mon, lets get back to the entrance."
"Okay, but, Esuna? How do you plan to get us out? And where do we go from here?" Flare questioned.
"Getting out is easy. What you do from there is up to you. I'm going to go and find the priest that sealed my dra...I mean, voice away."
"Dragon?! He sealed your dragon away?" Kuja demanded. "So that's what you wouldn't tell me!"
Esuna looked away. "Keep yourself out of it, Kuja. It doesn't matter."
Kuja stalked up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "How can you say that? Of course it matters!"
Flare grinned slightly and left the room, leaving Kuja and Esuna alone.
"I don't want to get you dragged into this!" Esuna cried. "It isn't fair to you!"
"No, it isn't fair to you," Kuja protested, "to have your voice and your dragon sealed away."
"I didn't have a dragon sealed away! You don't know what your talking about, Kuja! Leave me alone!"
Kuja took a step back at Esuna's outburst. She ran from the room, but he saw a glistening drop fall from her face to the floor.
She didn't know where she was. The red grass around her came up to her chest. Short, curly honey brown locks flowed around her ears. Her honey eyes looked around her bemusedly. The only thing she wore was a gold chain around her neck, with a single amethyst at the end of it.
She remembered nothing, and only knew that she was dreaming. The red sky blazed overhead, and gazing straight in front of her, a blue planet was visible, three times the size of any moon. It seemed to glow with an eternal light.
And then she turned around, seeing another planet. This one was both blue and green, with pure clouds swirling around it.
She was confused. What was this place?
First Awakening
Kuja groaned as he was woke. There was a pain in his ribs, as well as his throat. The pain in his ribs was sharper and stronger, so he decided to attend to that first. He opened his eyes slowly, discovering Zidane next to him at the center of the Iifa tree.
"What the...? Why do my ribs hurt? And why am I alive?" Kuja asked, now fully awake.
Zidane laughed slightly. "Your ribs hurt because I kicked them."
Kuja's eyes narrowed.
"Hey, hey! Cut me some slack. It felt damn good to hit you after what you did."
Kuja sighed. "I suppose it did. Now, answer my second question: why am I even alive? I thought that Garland had a limit put on my life."
Zidane shrugged. "I haven't got a clue."
"My throat hurts, too... It's a little hard to breathe."
"Maybe that's it, then. Your body is fighting you, but your will is stronger?"
"Perhaps," Kuja replied. "But I haven't exactly demonstrated perfect willpower."
"Eh. What's done is done. Deal with it." Zidane stood up and helped Kuja to his feet. "And now, to the current dilemma of --"
"How do we get out?" Kuja finished.
"Yup. When in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout."
Kuja laughed sardonically. "I don't think that will help us. How about, 'After a thousand years / And beyond a million tears / Follow the path before you'?" Kuja pointed to a path of roots leading down from their small shelf. He struggled to hide his amusement.
"Oh, yeah. That. I knew it was there." Zidane shook his head in an embarrassed manner and followed Kuja out of the Iifa tree.
"What?!" Garnet roared. "Are you...are you defending him, Zidane?!"
Zidane shrugged. "Not at all. I just brought him back. He's alive, so I think I can live with myself now."
Kuja was looking at Zidane oddly.
"What?!" Zidane demanded.
Kuja responded with an infuriatingly smug smirk. Then he shrugged. "Do what you want with me. I'll get out of whatever you throw at me, though."
Zidane pondered this, knowing that he had a point. He said so to Garnet.
"I don't care if he's got a point! We'll find something that the little..." Suddenly Garnet's eyes lit up, and she grinned wickedly. "I've got it! It can't fail!"
Kuja snorted.
"You have great confidence, for someone who's butt I just kicked," Zidane said flatly.
"Your mind doesn't work in enough expanse," Kuja replied typically.
"What the hell does that mean?!" Zidane demanded.
Kuja smirked again.
"Oh, stop it! Kuja, you have free run of the palace, until I figure out how to pull this off. I assume you won't leave. You're curious to see what can actually hold you."
"Too true. Alright, I'll wait. But please, make it something entertaining."
"Argh! Get him out!" Garnet cried.
Kuja closed the door gently behind him. The guards were all too willing not to touch him. He started to make his way to the library.
As he passed a hallway, something rammed into him hard enough to make him smack a wall.
"What on earth...?" He looked down at the black blob near his feet. It groaned.
"Oog..."
That 'black blob' turned out to be a woman in a black robe. She gasped as she saw him, and then hung her head. Her black hair flowed beautifully around her slightly tanned cheeks. She looked at him.
"Who are you?" Kuja demanded in a not-so-demanding tone.
The girl shrugged. She studied him, and then her eyes widened.
Kuja shrugged this time. "I guess you know who I am."
She nodded and stood up. Kuja stood up as well.
Kuja was a little bit disturbed at her silence. Girls that he had seen never stopped talking and
gossiping, giggling and flirting. Somehow, Kuja couldn't picture this girl doing any of those things.
"Where are you headed, and in such a hurry?"
She pointed to the library and then shrugged. Her gray eyes revealed nothing to him.
"That's where I'm headed."
The girl nodded, and then began to walk (very quickly) in the direction of the library. Kuja followed. Once inside, she headed straight for the magic books. Having nothing else to do, he followed.
"This section is restricted, you know."
The girl turned to face him, a determined look on her face. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. She tried again, with the same results. Looking around, she discovered they weren't alone. Stamping her foot, she whirled and walked even faster to the section. She entered a private studying room.
Kuja closed the door behind him, and she whirled to face him. "My name is Esuna."
Kuja blinked in surprise. "So you can talk."
Esuna nodded. "I use my voice as a weapon for combat, so a priest put an enchantment on me: I can't use my voice when other people are around. Only one, and he must be male." She shrugged.
Kuja's eyes widened. "So that leaves you without your magic."
She nodded sadly. "I keep checking here to see if I can find a way to break the spell. But, I can't find anything." She blinked suddenly. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Talking more to a sarcastic, hopeless narcissist than I ever have to another human being, even with my voice."
Kuja couldn't help but smile. "I like you," he said simply. "Straightforward. Speaking you mind."
"Speaking the truth as well as my mind."
"I suppose."
Esuna laughed, the most bell like laugh Kuja had ever heard. He liked the sound of it. "You know, if you hadn't been so sure of yourself and told Lady Hilda everything, the Crystal would be destroyed."
Kuja's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. "How do you know about the Crystal?" he asked sharply.
She smirked. "How do you know that I know?"
"What? Because you just said you knew about it."
"No I didn't. I said that it would be destroyed. That doesn't mean I know about it. It only implies that I know it exists."
Kuja was losing his temper. "Don't play mind games with me!"
"Why?"
"Because I can be very dangerous when I'm mad."
Esuna actually laughed, with made Kuja's temper rise further.
"You won't hurt me."
"How do you know I won't?."
Esuna sighed. "You may have a temper, but you know enough now not to let the tempest rise and take the better of you."
"I guess so."
She nodded. Some strange emotion that Kuja couldn't identify flashed in her eyes. He guessed it was wistfulness.
"Your hiding something, Esuna."
"Yes, I am. I guess you'll know soon enough. But my voice wasn't the only thing the priest got rid of."
"What else...?" Kuja asked softly.
".....It's nothing." She looked away, her gray eyes sad.
"Esuna..."
"You have a dragon, don't you? A silver one?" she asked suddenly.
He nodded.
"May I see him?"
"I suppose. Any last words, before we go in the open again?"
"Uh-huh. Don't depend on magic for everything."
With that, Esuna left the room, leaving Kuja in bewilderment. He followed.
Esuna had a smirk on her face as she walked up to Kuja's silver dragon. Eiko had seen them passing, and decided to follow. Kuja had noticed her, and had looked her straight in the eye. It greatly unsettled the six year old.
Stroking the dragons muzzle, Esuna was clearly not afraid of it.
"You've got a dragon's touch," the silver dragon spoke softly.
Kuja almost fell over. "Since when can you talk?!" he demanded, striding up to the dragon.
"Since forever. You know, if she were a dragon...." then he addressed Esuna. "My name is Flare. Fitting, I suppose. It is Kuja's favorite spell."
Esuna nodded. She turned to Kuja and looked him over. Then she grinned.
"What?!" he demanded.
Flare gave a dragonish grin. "She thinks the thong doesn't suit you."
Esuna gasped and glared at Flare. Kuja blushed, and Flare fell over in dragon laughter.
"You can read her mind?!"
Meekly, Esuna nodded, while Flare's grin widened. Then he launched back on his haunches.
"I am too suitable for Kuja!"
Esuna shook her head.
"Liar! I behave, and I'm a good dragon --"
And a lunatic, Esuna thought.
Kuja made a humph sound. "Leave me out all you want, I don't mind."
Flare looked at Kuja. "Sorry. She called me a lunatic."
Esuna shrugged. She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. Kuja noticed with delight how her black hair blazed a raging purple in the sunlight. She's beautiful.
Zidane walked up. "Garnet's decided what she's going to do with you."
Esuna stamped her foot.
Zidane's eyes widened. "Hey!" he said. "What's your name?"
Esuna rolled her eyes, and Zidane looked a bit awkward.
"She won't speak to you," Kuja said smugly.
"You won't?"
Esuna shook her head, with the same smirk Kuja was wearing.
Kuja gasped suddenly, struggling for air. His hand went to his throat, and Esuna was beside him instantly. She pulled his hand was from his neck. Kuja looked a little horrified as she brought her face closer to his. She began to mouth arcane words, her face inches away. In front of his chest, her hands worked furiously, drawing symbols Kuja didn't recognize. Then she stopped.
Kuja's pain was gone, and he could breathe again.
"What on earth did you just do?!"
She shrugged.
Zidane watched the entire scene, dumbstruck. "I've never seen magic like that. Even if I could use it, I wouldn't get that close to him. He's dangerous."
Esuna smiled and shook her head.
"He's not as bad as you make him out to be, Zidane," Flare commented.
"Yeah right!" Eiko piped in, deciding not to spy anymore.
Esuna looked at her with a puzzled look. She walked slowly up to the girl that she didn't know, and touched her horn gently. She looked at Kuja
.:She's a summoner, right?:. she thought to Kuja
Kuja jumped and fell over.
"Jeez, what's your problem?" Zidane demanded.
Kuja glared at Esuna. "Do you do that often?! I'm supposed to be graceful, Esuna! Not falling flat on my face because of mind speech...why didn't you tell me you could do that, anyway?!"
"She's doesn't have to tell you anything, you big lummox," Flare replied.
.:Flare!:. Esuna thought sternly.
"Sorry. I can't help but harp on him." He gave a dragon shrug. "It's in my nature."
.:I know.:. Esuna grinned sheepishly and blushed.
"What are you blushing for?" Eiko asked bluntly.
Esuna blinked and looked at the girl. She grinned. .:I know I can tell you. Maybe it's just a girl thing. Just don't tell Thong Boy,:. she gestured to Kuja, .:or his sarcastic escort.:.
Eiko laughed so hard she cried, and then fell over. "Thong Boy! I love it!"
Esuna smacked her forehead and sat down, grumbling silently.
"What the hell is going on?!" Zidane demanded, scratching his head. "I'm so confused."
"Esuna can't talk when she's around other people," Flare said. "Except, of course, when she alone with a man." He looked slyly at Kuja. "Then she can...talk...all she wants."
Esuna's eyes narrowed. .:Enough! Nothing sexual happened between us, you little --:.
"Let's not go there," Zidane said. Esuna's temper had risen enough so that everyone could hear her mind-speech. "You're name's Esuna, right?"
She nodded.
"Never heard that name before. It's pretty."
.:Thanks, but stop flirting. Garnet won't like it.:.
Zidane blushed furiously.
"Are you picking on Zidane?!" Eiko demanded.
"Not at all, Eiko," Flare answered for Esuna. "She only told him to stop flirting."
Kuja smirked.
"Oh, come on!" Eiko cried, grabbing Zidane hand and dragging him out of the courtyard. "We'll talk girl talk later, k?"
.:It's a date, little summoner.:. Esuna replied.
"I need to go," Esuna said, able to speak again.
"But...Flare is still here?" Kuja voice held question.
"Yah, but dragons don't count. Whatever your sentence is, Kuja, I'll find a way to reverse it. You'll probably be able to pull it off yourself, but just in case you need a hand form the outside."
She extended her hand to him to shake, but instead he raised it to his lips.
Esuna blushed. He has warm lips, Esuna thought with delight, praying Flare wouldn't say anything. God must have been busy doing something else, however.
"She says that you have --"
"Don't you dare, you prissy little --" Esuna cried, her voice holding venom. She pointed a finger at him, and a single shot of purple light hit Flare.
"Yipe!" Flare was not expecting that. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
"You were going to tell him what I thought."
"Yes, I was! You said he has warm lips." Flare grinned triumphantly, licking at a scratch the light had given him.
Kuja smiled sheepishly and looked at Esuna. "Well, you do!" she said defensively.
Maybe someday I'll find out what your feel like, Kuja thought to himself.
Flare snorted. "Not likely."
Esuna's bell-like laughter rang out. "You wanna bet, Flare?"
"You both read my thoughts?!"
"Uh huh. Well, Esuna did. I can't help but hear those things."
"Flare, shoo!" Kuja commanded.
"What? Why?"
"Need you ask?"
"What's that supposed to -- Oh, man! Never mind! I don't want to know!" With that, Flare took off.
"I promise," Esuna said, looking at Kuja. "To help you with your punishment. I was scared, when I first saw you. I might have a fair amount of power, but you are still so much stronger than me. But now I see that you're not at all the red mage I had pictured."
He flashed her a sweet smile. "I'd like you to come to Desert Palace with me sometime. My library there is huge. I know a couple spells that would stop Flare from telling me what you think."
Esuna laughed. "I'm glad. Silent Siege barely touches him."
He nodded. "His strength is the same as mine."
Esuna suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek. "That is for luck. Hopefully, Garnet won't execute you."
Kuja closed his eyes and smiled. "You have cool lips. They felt nice."
She grinned. "Farewell, Kuja. Perhaps I will see you again. Or maybe I'm doomed to never get revenge on Flare."
She brought out a mirror that she had had concealed. She pointed to it. "Tok Ahkim!"
The mirror dropped from her grasp, and began to grow. A single raindrop fell from the sky, and his the glass. It rippled, and became water.
"This is a portal to a lake nearby. You go through underwater, but it's close to shore. Speak the words I spoke. The portal will close behind you. Only use it if you need to, however."
"I'll remember that. Thank you, Esuna."
"Thank you, Kuja. For showing me that life will always prevail."
Esuna jumped into the mirror, and it shrank, becoming the hand mirror again. Kuja's eyes widened at it's weight. It was made of solid white gold, and the glass wasn't glass, but crystal. If I see her again, I'll ask her how she got this, he thought. And how did I show her that life always prevails? I don't understand her. . .
"Alright. Now. Kuja," Garnet began formally. "I am about to sentence you."
Wow. She looks regal, Kuja thought, not at all paying attention to what the queen was saying. When he heard the word 'sentence', however, he began to listen.
"For committing the crime of...Jeez. Uh...Uncle Cid?"
"Yes, dear?" Cid asked from the corner of the room.
"Do I really have to list all of the things he's done? I mean, there's so many..."
Kuja smirked.
"Well, I suppose not."
"Good. Alright. We'll skip all that. Kuja?"
"Yes?"
"Any last words?"
Kuja shrugged.
"Guess not," Zidane commented dryly.
Kuja's smirk widened.
"Um..." Eiko muttered uncertainly. She shuddered. "Garnet?"
"Yes, Eiko?"
"I think he had a point earlier. He wouldn't be so cocky if he couldn't get out of it."
"You know, kid? Your smarter than you look."
Zidane jumped. The remark had come from Kuja.
"Will you just punish me already? I'm getting bored."
"Alright, alright. Kuja. For...all of the crime that you committed, I banish you to the Desert Palace on the Other Continent."
Kuja actually laughed. "Your beauty contrasts sharply to your brains."
Garnet wore the same smirk that Kuja was wearing. "That's not the best part. To be placed on the desert above and around the palace, thanks to out friends at Mount Gulug, there will be a magic barrier. You will not be able to cast magic."
Kuja blinked. He had not expected this.
"That's right, bro. For once, Garnet thought of something you can't get out of."
Kuja remembered Esuna, and her mirror. He wondered if they would be able to free him. He sorely hoped that the magic on the mirror would still work.
"How long until I'm banished?"
"About thirty seconds."
"Lovely."
Lovely? Why on earth did he say lovely? Garnet set the thought aside to ponder when she had nothing to do on a rainy day.
The wind whipped Esuna's hair around her face. The propeller blades of the Selenity airship whirred strongly above her.
"Miss! We are bound for the Other Continent! If you are coming, you must get on board now."
Esuna nodded slowly to the crewman. She turned and took one last look at Alexandria, and then climbed the ladder onto the airship. She intended to keep her promise to Kuja. She had to be careful, however. Once Garnet found out, she would most definitely be looking for her.
But that wouldn't stop Esuna in the least.
Kuja sighed. It was good to be home, but the fact that he could not leave was no comfort.
"Tok Ahkim!"
The mirror would not work here either. Kuja's eyes were downcast.
"Well, Flare? Are we stuck here?"
"Of course not! Are you daft, man?! Esuna said she was coming. She has a dragon spirit inside of her, and a dragon cannot lie."
"But her magic will be useless here, too!"
"I know," Flare said sadly. "That is the part I'm worried about. But she's smart, Kuja. She'll figure out something."
Kuja nodded slowly. "You're right."
"Of course I am. She --"
"Is here."
Both man and dragon whirled. Esuna stood in the doorway to the central hall. Her laughter rang, echoing cheerfully across the walls.
"Men are so silly. I promised to help, didn't I?"
"Esuna..." Kuja mumbled, trying to recover. "Well, yes, you did. But your magic is cut off now, too."
"No it isn't."
"What do you mean?" Kuja asked.
"Yeah, spill!" Flare cried.
"I have the magic of Terra inside of me."
"What?! You're Terran?!" Kuja cried. Once again, she had caught him off balance. "Where's your tail?!"
Esuna grinned and shed the black robe she was wearing. Kuja's eyebrows raised at her outfit. She wore a strapless black shirt that barely covered her belly and dark hose with brown leather ankle boots. Her arms were clothed at the base of her shoulder to her elbow, and her shoulders were not covered. She wore leather wrist guards and had a white jacket tied around her waist.
And to top it all off, a black tail swayed playfully in the background.
"Why is it that I didn't know you were Terran?!" Flare demanded.
"Don't get cocky, Flare. You don't know everything, and you don't know how to sense a Terran."
"You said that you had the magic of Terra," Kuja intervened. "How so?"
"Born of blue
With a scarlet hue
Granted from a planet
The gift of magic
Once called 'Messiah',
one true enemy of Gaia."
"That poem..." Flare murmured.
"I've read it before. In a book of Terran history," Kuja commented.
Esuna nodded. "That's right. I was created to be the enemy of Gaia. I was born from the light of Terra, along with your trance power, Kuja." She shrugged. "I guess you could say I was the third Angel of Death."
Kuja whistled. "Wow."
"Yeah. Garland knew I existed. He figured it out right before you kicked him off the platform." Esuna simply stated facts, with no accusing note in her tone. "That's why he helped Zidane in Memoria. Zidane was always Garland's favorite. But then again, Garland would have tried harder to get rid of me if you had let him live. Eventually, he would have found out I was a girl."
"He had a grudge against women?" Flare asked skeptically.
"Not until they did a man's job."
"Oh brother." Kuja rolled his eyes.
"Actually, yes," Esuna responded, "the reason he was like that was because of Zidane. There was only supposed to be one Angel of Death."
"I know, but I failed, so he made Zidane."
"You didn't fail!" Flare cried angrily.
"That's right. In truth, you exceeded Garland's wildest dreams. You were too strong, so he couldn't control you. When he realized he couldn't, he became obsessed with making a new Angel. I was created with a mission that is impossible for me to complete, even if it was Terra's willpower to have this mission completed that gave me life."
"What mission?" Kuja asked softly.
Esuna laughed. "Eliminate the previous two Angels, then turn Gaia into a sort of Terra, using the Iifa tree."
"Holy Mother of Bahamut," Flare swore. "And you're...uh...not gonna do it, right?"
"Of course not, Flare. With Terra gone, I have nothing enforcing the mission. And, you didn't swear properly, Flare," Esuna said, grinning.
"How would you know how dragons swear?!" Flare demanded indignantly.
"You're supposed to say. . ." and Esuna went up and whispered in Flare's ear.
Flare gasped. "Ew! Potty mouth!" he accused. "I've never heard anyone use language like that, human, dragon, or even goblin!"
Kuja smirked. "That bad, huh? I don't want to know what she said, then."
Flare shook his head wildly. "Don't you dare repeat that! When I'm a hundred I think I'll still be to young to hear all that!"
"Mm hmm. Hate to ruin the fun," said Esuna, "but we need to get out of here. C'mon, lets get back to the entrance."
"Okay, but, Esuna? How do you plan to get us out? And where do we go from here?" Flare questioned.
"Getting out is easy. What you do from there is up to you. I'm going to go and find the priest that sealed my dra...I mean, voice away."
"Dragon?! He sealed your dragon away?" Kuja demanded. "So that's what you wouldn't tell me!"
Esuna looked away. "Keep yourself out of it, Kuja. It doesn't matter."
Kuja stalked up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "How can you say that? Of course it matters!"
Flare grinned slightly and left the room, leaving Kuja and Esuna alone.
"I don't want to get you dragged into this!" Esuna cried. "It isn't fair to you!"
"No, it isn't fair to you," Kuja protested, "to have your voice and your dragon sealed away."
"I didn't have a dragon sealed away! You don't know what your talking about, Kuja! Leave me alone!"
Kuja took a step back at Esuna's outburst. She ran from the room, but he saw a glistening drop fall from her face to the floor.
She didn't know where she was. The red grass around her came up to her chest. Short, curly honey brown locks flowed around her ears. Her honey eyes looked around her bemusedly. The only thing she wore was a gold chain around her neck, with a single amethyst at the end of it.
She remembered nothing, and only knew that she was dreaming. The red sky blazed overhead, and gazing straight in front of her, a blue planet was visible, three times the size of any moon. It seemed to glow with an eternal light.
And then she turned around, seeing another planet. This one was both blue and green, with pure clouds swirling around it.
She was confused. What was this place?