The answer piece to "A Meaning to Life." Written by Mrfipp. I enjoyed the interactions between Prishe and Kuja enough that I felt the piece could do with an ending. An answer to the question as it may be.
A Meaning in Death
The gray-haired composer floated near the mother-crystal of the Empyreal Paradox as he took in the sights of the inconsequential world below him. This was the much needed break from the crass and unrefined buffoons -who happen to be his fellow warriors of Chaos- which plagued Kuja with their schemes and deceit.
Those ignoramuses were always an affront to the senses of such a magnificent being such as himself and he did not want to put up with it for any longer, hence why he was here at the place so serene and calm that only the melody of life could provide a rival for the beauty it withheld.
A swift attack roused Kuja from his peaceful state as he floated out of the way of the sword strike. "Ah such a pitiful Manikin you are, you utter fool; to challenge me is to challenge the gods themselves." Kuja gracefully flung an orb of blue energy forward and showed the witless Manikin that ignorance does not excuse foolishness.
"Whoo sharp stuff there handsome." A voice mocks Kuja from behind.
Kuja keeps his back turned towards his applauder. "Hmph, such an idiot of a child, have you come to chide me again?"
The 'child' jumps infront of Kuja and pokes him forcefully in the chest which makes him float back slightly. "Nah I just came to see how your quest for immortality was going."
Kuja firmly plants his feet on the ground and sweeps his hair to the side back behind his shoulder. "This cycle provides me with ample opportunity to find such a given, I am in no rush to reach the climax of this perverted symphony just yet."
Prishe waves her hand dismissively and shakes her head. "Using such big words just makes you look weak ya know and they sound way too dirty." Prishe grins as she sees Kuja's tail straighten out. "This is a war and people die all the time. I don't doubt that you'll end up dying a pitiful death because -apparently- dying is a weakness according to some."
Kuja's expression fouls as he feel Prishe attack his sense of self. "Immortality is a gift wasted upon you- you miserable little brat." Kuja flings an almost ephemeral-looking orb toward Prishe who dodges the attack and gives him a taunting smile in return.
"Your mortality haunts you doesn't it Kuja, it kills you to know that your being is flawed in some way and you cannot change that. I do believe that your emotions to me are called...oh what did Doctor Shantotto say...?" Prishe rests her hand on her chin for a few seconds. "Oh that's right! You're experiencing 'ressentiment' for the fact that I'm a perfect being."
Kuja can merely scoff at Prishe's bold proclamation. "You, perfect?" Kuja gives Prishe a fake laugh and clap. "Such a funny child, why I haven't laughed in so long."
"That's right, you haven't. When was the last time you actually enjoyed life Kuja?" Prishe hit another sore spot in the genome's psyche.
"I enjoy life everyday my dear, to gaze upon the beauty of this world knowing that I shall be here forever has left me content with what I have. Exploring each world with a renewed expression, keeping the memories I hold dear through each cycle...why it's like I am living every day like I have never lived a lifetime before."
Prishe gives Kuja a playful hit on his shoulder and Kuja stumbles backwards. Kuja recovers quickly enough as he takes gentle aim at Prishe. "Such a rude beast. Do not believe for a second that your immortality will save you from my power."
Prishe dismisses Kuja's claim cheerfully. "Didn't you know that I don't need eternal life to survive your weak attacks, if you are as strong as you say you are then I do believe that I still have you in trumps. I am the strongest Warrior of Cosmos where as you are the weakest Warrior of Chaos, you were much more powerful when you were one of us." Prishe gets into stance as she rubs her nose with her finger.
"The weakest you say?" Kuja throws every orbiting ball of glowing white energy he has at Prishe who backflips out the way. Prishe starts circling Kuja who swings various spells at his opponent. "You are quite the slippery monkey aren't you Prishe."
Prishe stops as Kuja surrounds her with volatile-looking muddy-orange orbs Prishe takes a direct hit from the dark-orange and red coloured Flare Star. Prishe feels her body fly up into the air before she hits the ground.
Kuja is relentless as the battle enters it's 2nd verse, Kuja throws Prishe with his Fireball magic and -without missing a beat- he shows the 'Immortal' a slither of his power as he bombards her with his Holy magic.
Kuja merely laughs as Prishe's body hits the ground. "That was merely a bar of my power, the small piece which makes up my melody."
Prishe stands up and dusts herself off as she smiles. "Well then you're going to need to give me a verse or somethin' because that was weak, completely deserving of the title of 'Chaos' Weakest Warrior'."
Kuja feels his composure slip away as his fur starts taking on a crimson red hue. "You do not know the first thing about power, you who waste immortality like it is a plaything shall be doomed to failure, those who have strength dominate the weak and it is by this providence that survival of the fittest applies. I have the strength so it is my given duty to dominate the weak and in turn not be dominated." Kuja throws out the energy orbs again and pulls Prishe into range of his 3rd verse before he sends her body into the mother-crystal in an explosion of dominating power.
Prishe stands up and cheerfully gets back into stance. "Sorry about that, I really should have blocked but I thought I saw some guys swinging his balls around." Prishe starts laughing as she slaps her knee and Kuja growls.
"Such a foul girl, there is no charm in such a brute of a girl and her loose mouth." Kuja floats away from Prishe as he raises his arms to the sky as the signal for the curtain to be lifted. "This is the climax of my symphony, I promise that your death will be as beautiful as my elegy."
Kuja lets purple and blue transient orbs fall from the sky as Prishe tries dodging out the way but it's a split second too late, the attack dominates Prishe and Kuja merely laughs. "My dear you should have practiced your timing, if everything isn't in time then it all merely turns out to be perversion of the original intent of the artist."
The spell finishes and Kuja turns his back to the face-down Prishe as he gives her last words to her. "You crumbled before my power, do not fear though I will inform your friends that you fought valiantly."
Prishe jumps up energetically and pats Kuja on the back heavily. "Whoo, nearly took damage from that one."
Kuja glides away to keep out of Prishe's range as he stares down the eerily cheerful Prishe. "You're a monster you abhorrent child, just die already."
Prishe's cheerful expression fades as she returns Kuja's disgusted look right back at him. "You...I'll show you, the tide of mortality cannot be stopped no matter how you try."
Kuja sees his expression has reached Prishe's heart and a part of him feels a note of guilt but it is far from becoming a leitmotif. "You are persistent and as such you shall bear witness to the finale of this great act." Kuja throws a giant ring of magnificent and pure-coloured Holy magic into the sky and equally magnificent but distorted-coloured Flare spells drop upon Prishe who doesn't move in time.
"Ah such a lovely tremolo of destruction, it is a shame for you but...this curtain has risen!" Kuja starts bombarding her with deadly Flare Stars before he moves on the devastating Holy spells. Kuja turns his back to Prishe and lets the Ultima spells bombard. "And this is the finale."
Kuja lets his final requiem finish before he starts to head away from the fallen Prishe. "Such a waste of life. You should have shared your immortality and this duet would have been able to see this Divine Opera to the end."
Prishe weakly stands up before she gets back into her usual fighting stance. The marks on her face a sure reminder that she was entrapped into Kuja's act of destruction. "I was never really one for 'Opera' but it's nice to know that I'm the last person you're thinking of before you die."
Kuja turns around and sees the resilient Prishe charging at him. "What do you-"
"Open your eyes!" Prishe fists glow with the radiance of a full moon as she uses her Auroral Uppercut to show Kuja her talent as an Artist of War.
Kuja finds himself suspended in mid-air as he sees 5 crystals surround him. "What is this?"
"This is the end that you've looked for." Prishe jumps over the first orb and kicks a piece of magicite at her opponent.
"Living is an honor but to die is what makes that honor so important to have." Prishe kicks a second piece at her antithesis.
"Mortality is what makes our lives so precious." Prishe kicks the third piece at her rival.
"Those on limited time learn not to squander the gift they are given." Prishe kicks the 4th piece at the suspended genome.
"You lack the will Kuja and I pity you for that, as consolation I will show you-" Prishe kicks the final piece into the Angel of Death.
"My will to live! I will show you just how strong it is." Prishe throws down a piece of darkened magicite and impales Kuja with the final strike.
Kuja's scream echoes through Empyreal Paradox as the attack finishes and Kuja finds himself defeated.
"It...seems that your will was sufficient to ruin my performance." Kuja crouches onto his hands as knees as he tries to stand up in defiance of his fate. Even with the world beneath his hands and feet he finds himself in an impossible position.
"You've lost Kuja, you should know by now that power isn't everything...it's what you use that power for. I know you have someone you want to protect Kuja- Zidane told me all about you and I can honestly say...I can relate."
Prishe gently scolds the ignorant conductor."Accursed fate or not. You have no excuse Kuja but...when you reincarnate I'll make sure to put in a good word with Cosmos for you alright?"
Kuja feels his life fade infront of the foul-mouthed but honest girl. "You are...a meddlesome person, just like my brother." Kuja's arms and legs give out as Prishe takes a seat beside the fallen angel.
Prishe gives him a pat on the head and says. "Be a good boy for Cosmos alright?"
Kuja weakly laughs as he feels the hand rest on his head. "You steal the show just like Zidane." Kuja whispered as his body faded out of existence in preparation for the next war.
Prishe watched as Kuja faded away, leaving her alone and giving her time to wonder how Kuja could not understand the meaning of life even as he lived it every day.