I honestly have no idea where this story came from. It just randomly popped into my head, and I had to write it. Regardless, this has just become one of my favorite fan fictions I've ever written. Please enjoy and leave a review!

In Another Life

"…and so Zidane, the famous hero of the Mist War, came back to Alexandria as he promised he would, and the story came to an end," I finished, putting down the book. As if I even needed to read the words- I knew this particular section of our history books by heart. I looked up from the book at the class before me. "No questions?" I ask.

There- Remia, the Burmecian that always had a question for me. It never ceased to amaze me how one young woman could try so hard to get an "I don't know" out of me. Since day one, she has fervently tried to make me admit I didn't know every fact about the Mist War of long ago as if I was there myself. "Professor, what happened to Kuja?"

I chuckled. Someone asked that question every year. I rolled my wheelchair out from behind my desk, and smirked. "I could tell you endless theories as to what everyone thinks, Remia, but you no doubt know them all, don't you?"

She nodded, instantly starting a list: "Some say he died in the Iifa tree, some say Zidane had pity on him and took him in, others say he found a way to cheat death and lived on his own until he grew old and died, and some even believe he was abducted by aliens. Crazies…," she rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yes. The most common speculations," I nodded. "But they are merely that. Speculations far from the truth, but yet, close to it. Save the one about aliens. That… is just weird."

Remia furrowed her dark eyebrows. Slowly, she asked, "What do you mean, Professor?"

I shrugged and shook my head. "I figured you would have made the connection. No matter. Kuja did indeed die within the Iifa tree. At least, part of him did that day. Zidane did manage to rescue him, and Kuja changed his ways completely. As for if he cheated death, is there really a way to cheat death? To live longer than one expected- that is hardly to be considered cheating death. Everyone must die someday, so the point is moot, when you think about it."

"You're avoiding the answer, Professor."

She blinked in confusion when I burst out laughing. "So I am! Silly me, you know I do so enjoy a rousing conversation over speculation. History is no fun when you know every little detail. So, back to the question. I suppose the only person who truly knows what happened to Kuja was Kuja himself. He was never one to depend on someone else. Not a loner, mind you. That job was filled by Amarant, one of the eight heroes. No, Kuja preferred to deal with obstacles by himself, and he did hate being a burden, even if Zidane never once considered him to be one. As I said before, cheating death is a term that shouldn't be taken very seriously. He did live longer than anyone expected. However, Garland's curse did have side affects. Quite nasty ones, actually."

My class sat up straight in rapt attention. It figured no one had bothered to educate these children on the man who gave Gaia its hero. Many people refused to believe that had Kuja not left Zidane on Gaia it would be him who had wreaked havoc upon the world, not Kuja, the mastermind.

Gerise, a red head with his hair always in his face, dared break the silence. "Well, what happened to him then?"

I ruefully shook my head at my own paralyzed legs. "He soon lost his strength to even walk. He hated to be a burden, as I said before, and every passing day was torture for him. Mikoto, the same young woman given credit for guiding Zidane through Terra and later taking the black mages' stead in ruling over Black Mage Village, graciously found him at Desert Palace and cared for him there."

"Wasn't she his sister?" Treyci, a fascinating little anthropomorphic lion girl, interrupted.

Remia rolled her eyes. "Of course. And Zidane was his brother. That's why he went after him after the war ended."

"That was only part of the reason," I interjected, redirecting their attention back to me. "Zidane would have gone back for Kuja regardless if he was his brother or not. One of his famous quotes was 'you don't need a reason to help people'- this included enemies."

They were both silent, shamed to have interrupted the story, but I only smiled. It was good to see them taking such an interest into history. A nice change of pace from the rest of the student body at Alexandria Academy. "All records shortly after the point Mikoto started to care for him say that Kuja simply disappeared. Maybe a white magic he cast in hopes of getting his legs back finally did work, and he left. Mikoto herself never said anything pertaining to what happened to him, so that remains a mystery. Maybe some history is never meant to be known," I ended wistfully.

A gray furred, clawed hand shot into the air- Remia's. "Professor, why wouldn't she ever tell anyone? Did she ever tell Zidane?"

"If she had told Zidane," I said, nodding back to the open textbook on my desk, "that book would be a lot thicker than it is. No, Mikoto kept it a secret to everyone unto her dying day. Unlike her brother, Mikoto knew when some things, or some people, had stories that didn't want to be told. A lot of people never forgave Kuja for what he did in the war. If you had had your city destroyed by his hand, you would no doubt feel the same. I suppose she kept her promise to save his dignity. Mikoto never ceased to amaze the Gaians and Genomes alike."

Remia still looked like she wanted more of the story. I only wished she would give me time to think up an excuse before bombarding me with questions. I cast a glance up to the clock on the wall next to the door. Only five minutes of class left. The students all looked up to the clock in disdain, visibly drooping.

"You all realize this is history class?" I asked, incredulous any student would rather hear my ramblings than go to lunch.

A few betraying chuckles escaped them. "Better make our last moments good ones. Any last questions?"

My faithful Remia had one. "Why doesn't anyone know where Mikoto died?"

"Maybe she didn't want them to," I guessed with another shrug. I laughed, then immediately sobered. "No, she was laid to rest in Black Mage Village, just as she wanted. Probably in the graveyard the black mages were laid to rest, I would expect."

"Didn't she always root in favor of Terra than Gaia? Why would she want to be buried there?"

A smile I couldn't quite control quirked on my face. "When you've lived your life being told that one thing is right, you tend to believe it is the right thing, regardless of what anyone else says. Of course," I figured, "sometimes it is plain to see that one thing is wrong and rebellion is spawned. However, Mikoto always thought that Terra was her true home- that Gaia was a foreign land that held no importance to her. But contrary to what you may think, Mikoto still understood that since Terra was destroyed, Gaia was to be the place she made her stay. She may not have liked it because it was on Gaia, but Mikoto favored Black Mage Village over anywhere else because it resembled Terra the most because of the mages and genomes living there. As before, her sole job was to watch over the mages and genomes which also made her feel more at home in the village. So, it would only make sense that she wanted to be buried at her home."

I sighed and reached to open the door as the bell rang. "Your research papers on the Mist War are due tomorrow, best you not forget, or you may be eaten by Principal Behemoth- excuse me, Bemoth."

My sniggering class promptly left, the smell of pizza wafting into the room to draw them to lunch period.

The room was quiet once everyone had gone, and the silence wasn't as welcoming as it may once have been for me. I had to admit that I enjoying delving into the secrets of the war with these children each year. Their ideas to the subjects left unfinished in history books was amusing to say the least. Being abducted by aliens? Pure nonsense.

The truth… well, that deserved a book of its own.

I pulled out a crisp, sepia photo from my briefcase, turning it on its back to read the flourish of names and the date it was taken. It remained a mystery as to why I had kept it with me for so long, but it nonetheless held its purpose: I would never forget with this near me.

"1805, fifth year anniversary of the end of the Mist War. Black Cat Synthesis, Black Mage Village. Order pictured: Mr. 334, Vivi Orunitia, Mr. 288, Freya, Mikoto, Kuja, Zidane."

Below in Mikoto's fancy script read, "Mr. 125 took the picture, credit must be given to him. Her Majesty Queen Garnet unfortunately was unable to attend the reunion due to monarchial matters, she sends Zidane and her best wishes in her stead. Other heroes unable to attend due to personal reasons."

How Mikoto ever managed to write all that on the back of such a small photo I will never know. But then again, there was much I never knew about her, such as why she herself had wanted the picture taken. I never once took Mikoto to be a sentimental person. Perhaps she was more expressional than any of us had guessed.

I turned the photo over to look at the smiling faces. Of course, the only one smiling was Zidane, but he had a strange smile that made up for everyone else. It may have even made up for his dear Garnet, who everyone knew wasn't caught up in "monarchial matters" but simply couldn't stand to see Kuja, and the other heroes who bore the same feelings as the queen. Amarant had been there briefly, but at the first sign of an old camera, the bandit promptly left. Everyone figured it had been Freya to drag him to the village for the reunion.

The photo was more like a movie to me. I could almost see Zidane fidgeting around, trying to rouse smiles on Mikoto, Kuja, and Freya's faces, Vivi rambling on about how "the others will want a copy for sure" (they never did, but Zidane distributed them anyway), and Freya sighing at the silliness of "this picture business". I wasn't quite sure why the Dragon Knight had been present, but I know for fact it had something to do with Zidane and Vivi's bidding and maybe a bit of hope that there would be a sparring match with Amarant afterwards.

Mikoto hovered by Kuja's side, who was forced to sit instead of stand like the others. The frustration it gave him… I still remember it clearly. He stubbornly refused to make note of it to anyone, but he was sullen every time he looked at the picture until the day he "disappeared".

Just a few months later and a spell meant to grant him legs again went awry, sending him into the future.

"Haha, no, I wasn't abducted by aliens…," I chuckle, despite myself. The picture never had the same affect on me the same way. Instead of seeing my vulnerability, I see the last remains of a time before I understood what it meant to live. I thought I had it figured out in the Iifa Tree, lying there watching my life dwindle away with each breath I drew, but I had only realized that there was more to the concept than simply savoring the moment.

Now I know that living forces you to find strength behind each weakness, to contribute any chance you have to help someone else along their way- even if the most I can do is teach children the history I lived through myself-, to understand that all life comes to an end yet all life has importance.

So many things I thought I knew….

I slipped the picture back in its pocket on my briefcase. I closed the history book on my desk. The book was lacking in so many details. There was a tiny section about genomes that mentioned Garland once, and that was it. A few centuries into the future makes you realize no one really cared about what might have forever changed their lives.

Maybe they truly care, as they seem when in my class, or they don't. I guess it truly doesn't matter if there is no more threat. No more Garland, no more plans to assimilate Terra and Gaia.

All that remains of that old world, the world we can only find now hidden within the pages of a yellowed-with-age textbook, is me.

But then again, that was all in another life.