Title: Right By Your Side
Chapter 1: When the Gears Finally Turn
Author: Harper Hisoka
Warning: Shonen ai, I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy.
Series: Final Fantasy IX
Pairing: Zidane x Kuja
Summary: Set about 2 years after the ending. Zidane is now living in Alexandria castle, trying to move on with his life after having to say goodbye to Kuja at the Iifa tree. Lately, though, someone has been calling out to him, someone needing his help. ZidanexKuja
Notes: This story won an award at Sakura Con (I forgot the year... '05 maybe) in the fanfiction contest under the category for Best Action. Go figure, I was aiming for romance. xD
"It looks like Alexandria has already been rebuilt since the attack. Today is Queen Garnet's birthday. She doesn't know I'm back yet, so this should be the perfect surprise."
It's been almost two years since that day.
It looks like quite a crowd turned out for her birthday celebration. All of the seats around the court yard have been filled.
I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Everyone in the kingdom had turned out for Queen Garnet's birthday. I stopped in the middle of the court yard. As I looked up, I could see the Queen's balcony overshadowing the audience. Then I saw her. Garnet was sitting majestically upon her throne, her white silk gown billowing slightly in the wind. Beside her stood her two most trusted guards, General Beatrix and Captain Steiner.
As soon as I had caught sight of Garnet she had already left her throne. I didn't have to wonder where she went.
Zidane, I had waited so long for your return. You don't know how long it has been.
As Garnet ran though the crowd, I could already see the tears of joy that were threatening to overtake her body.
I've waited so long to tell you. Everyday I prayed for your return so I could tell you in person.
The next thing I knew, Garnet was already in my arms. She hit me on the chest in anger, but her emotions were too great. Her tears made her give in to her emotions.
I can't believe you're finally here. You don't know how much I missed you, Zidane.
Time passed slowly then, but eventually I had felt Garnet start to calm down. Her crying slowed, and eventually it stopped. Garnet leaned back a bit, letting her hold on me loosen slightly. She looked up at me, and I knew what was coming next.
Zidane… I've waited so long to tell you how I feel. And now you're here, so I can't back down now.
Garnet smiled at me, stepping back a bit to wipe her face dry with her sleeves. I could see the nervousness in her eyes, her face. Outwardly she seemed calm, but her eyes had always betrayed her.
Zidane, I…
Even though I knew what was coming next, I still wasn't prepared for it. I had gone over my answer at least a dozen times, but… seeing her face, how her eyes lit up whenever they saw me…
I've waited so long…
Garnet moved in close to me, resting her head on my shoulder. Time seemed to slow down, as both of us were trying to prepare for what was coming next.
As she lifted her head off my shoulder, our eyes locked.
I don't know how else to say this, but… I love you, Zidane. With all my heart.
I smiled at her, but didn't answer. I couldn't.
Zidane…
I looked away. I didn't have to say anything. My eyes showed her all she wanted to know. Garnet moved away from me, avoiding eye contact.
I… I don't understand. I thought you loved me.
But I do love you, Garnet. You're the closest thing to family that I have. You probably don't want to hear it, but you like a little sister to me. Or maybe, sometimes, like an older sister.
Garnet smiled at me before gracefully leaving for the castle. I watched her leave the courtyard and disappear behind the huge castle doors. Her celebration still went on as planned, but I could see through her false smile, her laughter. As Queen, she had learned how to lock up her emotions. I walked up into the crowd, greeting new and old friends. Her celebration was a big success, the food, dancing and the various entertainments planned for the day. Occasionally I would look up at the balcony to check up on Garnet. As happy as she seemed, I knew that it was fake. She would be crying later, after her announcement that she would be retiring to her room.
Every time I think about that day, I can't help but remember the reason why I never gave her my heart. In my mind, if I had never gone to the Iifa tree that day, I keep thinking, "Would things have gone differently then?" Would I have said "I love you, too, Garnet."? Then I realize, no matter what could have gone differently, my answer would still have been the same.
My heart belongs to someone else. My heart belongs to the person who died upon the branches of the great Iifa tree. My dreams constantly remind me of why I'm unable to give my heart to anyone but that one person. When you find your soul mate it doesn't matter if they are male or female. The only thing that matters is what your heart tells you is right. The one person I love may have been my enemy, but it wasn't always like that. It took time, but eventually I realized just how unfair life can be.
Kuja was the one person whom life never seemed to treat as its equal. Even though we were both born as creations from an evil scientist, we weren't created equal. I was meant to live a full life, but Kuja… Kuja was created to live for a predetermined amount of time.
Despite how we were born, we both grew up in vastly different worlds. I grew up with my friends, whom I called family, and lived moment by moment, having fun and more then once being the source of all things pertaining to the word "trouble". It never really occurred to me why I was different, or why I was born with a fully controllable monkey-type tail. I knew I was different, but my life was one in which I never really had to worry why I existed, or why I was even created. I grew up in an environment in which I never really had to face those questions. I was lucky.
Kuja wasn't as lucky as I was. I don't know many of the details pertaining to Kuja's childhood. He never talked about it, but for Kuja to have grown up disdaining all life on the planet… He must have grown up alone. I wish I could have been there for him.
Every time I had to fight against Kuja, I knew that he really wasn't an evil person. Just confused, lost, a person who has been blinded by darkness without really knowing it. No matter what Kuja would say to us or what actions he took in order to destroy us, he was never really an evil person. I had vowed early on that I would try my best to save him. When I had found out that Kuja was only to live until I had come of age... I just had to save him; I had to at least save his soul. It didn't matter what I would have to do. Something inside me kept drawing me towards him. I never really knew why, until the day I left for the Iifa tree.
Kuja was waiting for me at the Iifa tree. After we defeated him in battle for the final time, he was the one who had opened a portal for us to escape through. Later, when I had found out that Kuja was at the Iifa tree, waiting for me… I just had to see him. It wasn't easy finding him. The Iifa tree could equal the size of one of those giant pyramids sometimes found in the deserts, maybe even bigger than that.
I left Garnet behind that day so I could find Kuja. As I walked away from the ship that brought me here, I knew that Garnet was looking back, that she would be waiting for my return. Never once did I looked back.
The Iifa tree somehow seemed to get bigger as I walked towards it. As it was growing both above and under ground, its branches were everywhere. I looked around for where he could be, and then I found it. The tree had been covering what looked like an underground cave.
Kuja should be waiting for me just below these branches. I'll just slide down them, then. No problem.
To my surprise, the cave turned out to be bigger than I had initially thought. As I reached the floor of the cave, I could hardly see the giant braches that had become the cave's ceiling. Even more amazing was that the bottom of the cave was lit by many countless rainbow-colored lights.
Kuja! Kuja, where are you? Kuja!
Zidane?
I found Kuja lying on the floor of the rainbow-lit cave. As I ran towards him, I could see how much pain he seemed to be in. Something must have happened to him after we left though the portal he had opened for us.
Kuja tried to get up, but the pain he was in was too great. It was clear that he had superficial wounds, but… He probably had some type of internal bleeding and broken bones as well.
Zidane…
I bent down towards Kuja and held him in my arms, careful not to move him around too much.
Kuja, what happened to you?
It… it doesn't matter now. I…
Kuja was having trouble talking.
I'm sorry for what I've done. I see now… where I've gone wrong. This world… I always thought that the world never wanted me, but it turned out that it was I who never wanted the world. I know I was angry and confused, but now I see… what I did was wrong. All the terrible things I've done, I'm sorry for every one of them.
Kuja…
I…
I could only watch as Kuja held onto me, hoping that somehow holding me would release him from his pain. I tried my best to calm him.
Its okay, Kuja. Don't worry, I'm here now. It's going to be okay, you'll see.
I smiled at him.
I will never leave you. I will always be right here, right by your side. It's because I love you. I always have. Even when you yelled at me, pushed me away, I still loved you. I always will.
I'm not sure what led me to say, "I love you", but it had come out before I could even realize it. Kuja just looked at me and smiled. I could see the light shining in his eyes. I could remember his eyes speaking for him, "Thank you. For everything."
It's okay, if I die now.
Those were his last words to me. I watched as him as his body fell limp in my arms. I remember screaming at him, shaking his body.
"Get up! Get up, Kuja! Please wake up! You can't just leave me here! Not like this… Not now that I've finally reached you! After all this time… You leave me here, alone. Again."
Kuja's final moments continue to haunt my dreams. I can't escape it. I go to bed fearing the dream to come – and yet, at the same time, I look forward to it. I can't escape it, but, I realize, maybe I don't want to escape.
It's because… I love him. I love him more then life itself.
It's been two years since I last saw Kuja, since Garnet last confessed her love for me. I'm 17 now, and am even more handsome then ever. Currently, I'm staying in Alexandria castle in a wonderful room with a balcony. It's my favorite place in the entire castle to retreat to when I need to be alone. Lit by the bright morning sun, with the balcony overlooking the castle gardens, the room seems to take on a peaceful serenity. Bookcases, a king sized bed complete with a canopy, bedside tables, dressers for clothes – the place has everything needed for a bedroom. I keep insisting that my room should have a cold storage case for food and drinks, but I guess it goes back to the saying "if you want something done, just do it yourself". I thought about doing it myself, but I figure it would be more trouble then it's worth. So now I stick with raiding the kitchens when the guards aren't looking.
Currently Garnet is the only person from our original group who I actually see more than twice a year. The only other person who actually stops by regularly is Eiko, Garnet's cute little kid sister. I may say "little kid sister", but for the most part, she acts almost as old as she looks. Outwardly, I would say Eiko looks to be about 17 or 18, but mentally she's still 14. Although Eiko currently lives with Garnet's uncle, King Cid, she visits Alexandria castle whenever she can.
Knock Knock.
"Excuse me…"
"Oh! Garnet, come in."
Slowly Garnet opened the door to Zidane's bedroom. Zidane watched as Garnet looked around his room, until she saw who she was looking for. Garnet smiled as she walked over her friend.
"It's almost noon, Zidane. You weren't sleeping, were you?" She asked jokingly. "You know how Beatrix hates it when you oversleep. It's one of her pet peeves, you know."
Zidane smiled at her. "I wasn't sleeping, it's just that… I have a lot on my mind these days, that's all."
Zidane sat up, watching as Garnet's smile faltered, her face showing concern for her friend.
"The pain is getting worse, isn't it?"
Garnet watched as Zidane slid off the bed and walked towards the window. His tail seemed to be agitated, which told Garnet that something was definitely bothering Zidane. Garnet continued, hoping that Zidane might open up to her.
"It's okay to tell me if something is troubling you. I'm here as your friend, not your Queen. As your friend, I can't demand anything from you."
Garnet saw his tail calm down for a moment, before starting up with its rampage again.
"The garden is beautiful, isn't it, Garnet?"
Garnet walked over to the balcony, where Zidane was standing.
"The garden is always beautiful. But are you really that concerned with the garden today?"
Garnet watched as Zidane stood motionless by the balcony entrance. Tail moving swiftly back and forth as if in deep thought.
"I've been used to the pain for a while now. Every time I woke up from my dreams I would feel a sharp pain in my heart, but it would only last the night. For some reason I'm beginning to feel the pain during the day now. But it's not just that – Eiko…"
"Eiko?"
"Lately when she comes near me it seems that the pain increases. When she touches me… I feel as if someone is calling me, asking for help. I get these visions… They… they haven't been clear enough to know where the visions are taking place, but it's somewhere dark. Somewhere… familiar…"
"Somewhere… dark, familiar… can you remember anything else?"
"It's blurry, and comes in flashes. I can remember the torches that light the hallways, the cell blocks and… there's a person in one of the cellblocks. I can't see him clearly, the cell is too dark. But he's calling to me-"
"He? So the person you're seeing is a male?"
"Yeah… I guess he is a guy. He's… familiar. I know him."
Slowly Garnet walked out towards the balcony, the morning sunlight lightly glaring off of her silk white gown.
"To tell you the truth, Zidane, I've been having those same visions as well, except as dreams. It started a couple of days ago; at about the same time Eiko came to stay with us… I think you should talk with Eiko today. She can probably help you if you told her what happens when you're with her."
Garnet leaned upon the balcony edge, as she heard Zidane's footsteps heading towards the door.
"Zidane, I came here as your friend because I was worried about you. But as your Queen, I have a request."
She heard his footsteps stop.
"I have a suspicion that General Beatrix may be hiding something from me. I think that whatever it is, it has to do with you. I talked to her fiancé, Captain Steiner, but he doesn't know anything about it. Steiner isn't a person who can keep anything from me. He is loyal beyond a doubt. So either my suspicions are misplaced, or she hasn't even told her fiancé about it."
Garnet turned around to face Zidane, who was still facing the door.
"I want you to find out if my suspicions are valid or not."
Zidane turned to face Garnet and bowed.
"Of course, my Queen."
"Thank you, Zidane. I hope you find the person you're looking for."
Zidane stood up while giving Garnet one of his mischievous grins.
"It will be my pleasure, your majesty."
Then in one swift motion Zidane turned and headed towards the door, leaving Garnet standing on the balcony.
Zidane stretched as he walked down the sunlit hallways of the castle. Judging from the angle the sun shone though the windows, Zidane guessed it was already early noon. Even though Zidane had been a guest in this castle for the past two years, it always amazed him just how beautiful the many corridors of the castle could be under the gentle touch of the sun's rays.
As Zidane continued his path down the long corridor, he could hear the sound of light footsteps running towards him from behind.
"Zidane! Zidane, I finally found you!"
A soft voice could be heard lightly echoing off of the light stone walls. Zidane trued around, watching as Eiko slowed from a run to a walk.
"I've been searching everywhere for you, you know."
Zidane smiled at her.
"You know, that's funny, because I've been doing the exact same thing."
Zidane watched as Eiko smiled back at him, before her hands covered her face as she started laughing. The first thing people saw when they looked at Eiko would be her short blue hair and small unicorn horn that protruded from her forehead. Her soft blue hair bounced with her before resting once again just below her shoulders. Eiko's soft yellow gown, adorned with the light imprints of small flowers gracefully outlined her small frame.
"Garnet said you might be looking for me, but she also said the strangest thing: "Don't stand too close to Zidane unless he asks you to." I'm not sure what she meant by that but… Okay."
Eiko looked at Zidane, a look of curiosity showing upon her face. Eiko seemed almost cat-like with her emotions.
Darkness… Longing… Pain… Chains of Steel bound to soft, thin wrists…
"Zidane?"
Suddenly Zidane clasped his head, screaming out from the sudden pain. "I see darkness… steel chains… pain… Who are you? What do you want with me?"
Isolation… Strength… Weakness… The soft touch of flesh against cold, hard stone floors…
"Zidane…" Eiko stepped forward before catching herself. "That's right, Sister Garnet told me not to get to close, but… why?"
Eiko watched apprehensively as Zidane fell to his knees, the pain seeming to become more unbearable as the time went by. The look in Eiko's eyes seemed as pain-filled as what Zidane was experiencing. It hurt her that she had to just stand by and watch as her friend was slowly being taken over by an unknown source.
"Wait… this pain… could it be… from… an unknown source?"
A familiar voice, "Please help me… the darkness…"
Zidane cried out once again. "Who are you? Please, tell me who you are. I… want to help you…"
Blood dripped down a soft, pale cheek… the incessant cold laughter of a light, male voice… "It's pathetic. You are nothing without your white knight."
The familiar voice again, "Please, I beg you… The Mists of Avalon. Meet me in the in between place."
Slowly Zidane dropped his hands to the floor, whispering, "Mists of… Avalon?"
To Eiko's shock Zidane had suddenly collapsed upon the floor, unconscious. "Zidane!"
Not caring about Garnets previous warning, Eiko ran to Zidane's side; resting his head gently in her own lap. Her eyes seemed filled with pain as she lightly brushed his cheek with her hand. Quietly she questioned Zidane, even though she knew he wouldn't be able to respond. "What was it you said before? The Mists of Avalon? What could you mean by…"
"Do you understand now?"
Eiko almost let Zidane fall to the floor as she jumped in surprise. Eiko turned around to find herself face to face with her big sister, Queen Garnet.
Garnet bent over, smiling at Eiko. "So, do you understand now? What you have to do?"
Still cradling Zidane, Eiko took some time to catch her breath before answering. "No, I don't. Why didn't you want me near Zidane? And… and what exactly is the Mists of Avalon? I don't understand… I just, don't…"
Garnet thought for a moment before sitting down beside her younger sister. "You know the answers, Eiko. I know you do. Just calm down and think about it."
Eiko laughed, not believing how true Garnet's words were. "You're right. I do know what to do. I was just so overwhelmed with everything that had happened; it was all just so… sudden. Garnet… I may look older than I actually am, but… it seems I still lack the experience. I remember now. The Mist of Avalon is a name for a place that exists between the living and the dead, a place which exists outside of our world. It's said that only those with great magical power can travel to it, but also..."
With Zidane still in her lap, Eiko gently moved him to the floor. Carefully she bent over him, her face right above his.
"Isn't it also true, that those with magical powers can also send others to The Mists of Avalon?"
Garnet remained silent, but her smile told Eiko that she was proud of her. Garnet rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Just relax, Eiko. Remember, you are only the conduit."
Eiko's small unicorn horn started to pulse with light before attaining a bright, shimmering glow. Delicately Eiko touched Zidane's forehead with her glowing unicorn horn.
"Mists of Avalon, accept my power under contract of a conduit. Under my powers will Zidane Tribal be sent you your world; until the time that he completes his business their or until my powers as a conduit be insufficient to maintain his presence, as stated in the Contract of a Conduit."
Garnet looked over her younger sister. Eiko's whole body glowed with the same shimmering light that her horn had given off just moments ago. Soon the light had encased both Eiko and Zidane, efficiently placing both in a deep, somewhat sleepless trance.
Garnet stood up, backing away from the two, smiling.
"So it finally begins."
A/N: First off, I give a special thanks to the one person who always inspires me to write my stories (you know who you are). Second, is my beta, Kloudy Reignfall, who just happened to beta all 22 pages of my story in... oh, about one night. Of course, she also asked me not to do that again. Hehe, I really can't blame her. Remember to Review and keep reading my stories! Plus, I promise to update my other stories in this coming year (inspiring choice of words, isn't it?).
Owari.
p.s. my next story may be a Tezuka x Fuji pairing, from Prince of Tennis. Muahahaha... before and after they get together! I will try to follow the anime/manga story line, the best I can, but forgive me if I add anything to the already wonderful story!