The Gift of Life
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters, yadda yadda... *Sigh* I wish I did, especially Zidany-poo... =^.^=

Note: I removed the fic from Fanfiction.net for a short amount of time to edit it a bit. LOL! I was up quite late when I originally wrote this and upon re-reading it, I found a TON of mistakes. Whew! But now the mistakes are fixed (I re-played the important parts of the game that had Kuja in them and info about him which, I must say, was far from torture, heh heh). Anyway, on with the new and improved fic!

The Gift of Life

Zidane sat beside Kuja as he lay weak and dying on one of the twisted roots of the Iifa tree. He felt like one in a trance, figuratively speaking. His body felt numb and unnaturally stiff and he found that, now that he had arrived where he wanted to be, he couldn't do or say anything for the life of him. Questions raged through his mind. Why had he come back? Why had he come to the aid of the very one that had caused so much pain, so much destruction? Why had he come to rescue the very one that that had nearly destroyed his life, that had nearly destroyed the lives of everyone dear to him?

But then, as Kuja spoke, the answer became clear. Because Kuja, despite all the destruction he had caused, had given he and his companions all something very special--the gift of life. Kuja had rescued them, saved them from the Hills of Despair when he could have easily let them die there. Why he did it, Zidane would never know... or maybe he would.

"Your comrades were able to escape?" Kuja asked softly, turning pale, dying eyes to Zidane. Zidane kept his eyes averted, not wanting to look at his brother. It hurt too much to look at him, to look at the once vibrant, proud figure who had once been so intimidating and was now lying helpless at his feet.

Zidane managed a nod. "Yeah... I knew you had something to do with it."

Kuja sighed. "... I'm glad they made it," He answered, turning his face away and falling silent.

"Yeah... Well it's our turn to get movin'," Zidane said quickly, perhaps too quickly. Kuja, however, made no move or sound to acknowledge him. He simply stared at something that only he could see, his weak breaths audible in the silence. The silence disturbed Zidane, but for some reason he couldn't find words to break it with. He simply sat there, listening to the sound of Kuja breathing, glad that he was still alive.

After a few moments that seemed like an eternity, Kuja spoke again, looking back to Zidane, his face emotionless but his eyes filled with regret. Zidane tried not to look into his brother's eyes, eyes that were beautiful even with the shadow of death hanging over them. "I don't deserve to live after all that I've done. I'm useless to this world."

"No one's useless," Zidane replied, remembering when he had first discovered what he was, what his people were--mindless puppets, vessels for a greater purpose, stiff and soulless, inventions that were created and destroyed at the whim of their creator... "You helped us escape, remember?"

Kuja didn't reply right away, and when he did, it was not in acknowledgement to Zidane's statement. "After you guys beat me I had nothing left... Nothing more to lose," Kuja went on, his voice growing fainter, weaker. "Then, I finally realized what it means to live... I guess I was too late."

"Hey! Don't you go dying on me now!" Zidane yelled, breaking from his thoughts instantly as Kuja's body relaxed, his head rolling to the side, his eyes closing, never to be opened again. He was fading fast, but he was not dead yet. His chest still rose and fell in rhythmic but weak breaths, but he was clearly unconscious. He didn't stir even as Zidane tried to wake him...

A crash from above drew Zidane's attention and he looked up instinctively, a terrifying sight meeting his gaze. The Iifa Tree's roots were swooping down toward them, twisting and weaving their way down swiftly, tearing through any obsticles that happened to be in their way. They seemed to scream as they reached for them, a tortured howl that demanded souls and blood.

Zidane knew he could have escaped. He could have easily dodged the roots. He could have let them claim the dying Kuja and save himself, returning safely to his Dagger, his beautiful Garnet.

He could have done all these things so easily, but he didn't.

Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself over Kuja's body to shield him with his own, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the pain and darkness that was sure to follow. He was not at all afraid. After all he had been through, how could he be?

He had no regrets, either. How could he? To have them would be incredibly selfish! He had accomplished so much in his life... He had been admired, envied, loved... He had known joy, sorrow, excitement, hope...

Hope... Hope was a joke to Kuja. Life had been a joke to him until he had discovered that the joke was on him. He had hoped to be his own person, to be in control of his own life... To be different from the rest, only to find that his hopes were in vain, that he really was not in control. He had spent so much time chasing a fleeting dream...

Had he ever loved or been loved once in his life? Had he ever known joy? Zidane doubted it. Yes, Garland had played a cruel trick on him, giving him a soul, giving him emotions, giving him a taste of life, but no more. He would never feel these simple joys... He would only know that they existed, and that they would go on without him.

Zidane, even though he was younger, had lived so much more than Kuja... And that was partly because of Kuja. By dropping him onto Gaia, he had not destroyed him as he intended. He had given him a chance at a better life unknowingly.

Staying with his brother to the end was the least he could do for the one that had lost so much... But had given so much more. More than he realized.

The roots roared above, growing louder and more deafening, an ear piercing wail. Zidane didn't even flinch. He stayed where he was loyally, the sound of Dagger's voice echoing through his mind, giving him strength even when something solid struck the back of his head hard, knocking him forward, dizziness and blackness seeping slowly into his mind.

Just before the darkness of unconsciousness claimed him, he felt Kuja stir beneath him, felt him lift his arm, and heard him whisper a single word: "Protect."

Zidane then felt his body relax, feeling his own body go limp, his mind enveloped in blackness. The sounds of the Iifa Tree roots striking against the shield that had formed around him were the last sounds he heard...

*~*~*~*~*~*

So, whatcha think? Better? Oh yeah, there's gonna be more! I have it pretty much done, just gotta type it all out! Yeah, it's a lot different than the original version *gags*! LOL.

Note about the end: For anyone who's ever played the game (and beat it), ever notice that after Zidane shields Kuja, the Iifa Tree roots come down, and the screen blacks out that after the screen blacks out there are a series of loud "boom" sounds? Well, I like to think that those sounds were the sound of Kuja using the last of his powers to save Zidane. =^.^= Of course, that's just me, but...

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