With a pace she hadn't used for so long, she took off towards the door, only to be stopped by Steiner and Beatrix. The doors were then opened and they both bowed to her. She took off again. Down the stairs, through the hall, out the doors and into the crowd.
She pushed and shoved her way through the crowd of nobles and for a few brief seconds, everything stopped as she was whipped around and her pendant broke and was sent flying to the ground. She stared for a few moments, hestitating between picking it up or going on. She straightened up and started running once again, tearing off her crown andthrowing it as she leaped up onto the stage and was immediately embraced the figure who stood there. "You.. You're alive! How? Why?" She cried, eyes clenching. It was so hard to believe... Still, the reassuring hand running through her hair and the embrace around her was enough to convince her she was not dreaming.
"How did you survive...?" "I couldn't stay... I had to live. I had to come back home to you." "So... I sang your song." "Our song." "Our song..."
Stepping back, Queen Garnet looked over Zidane, seeing how much he had changed. Zidane smiled. "You grew your hair out..." He whispered, bringing a hand up to touch the long dark locks. "Yes... My days of adventure and excitement were over, it was time to return to my duties. So I grew it out. As a reminder of who I once, and now am." She explained. He smiled sadly at her for a moment, eyes shifting to a more reddish tone. "I see... Before everything else, I have to say I'm not quite the Zidane you know..."
She stared at him confusedly. "What do you mean...?" "It was the only way I could save him... To keep his memory alive. I had to let him become a part of me." Her eyes widened. "You..." "Yes. As he was dying, and as the Lifa Tree started to swallow us... It was the only way. Garland... He told me how to save him. The only way to preserve his memories and to free his soul... I had to let him become part of me. Kuja is me, and I am Kuja."
Before he could say anymore, the two of them were bombarded by their closest friends. "You're back! You're alive! It's amazing!" Eiko wailed before she pulled out her flute and whacked Zidane on the back of the head. "That was for taking so long to come back!" She stated. Freya smirked. "Nice to see you again, Zidane... You look well." Zidane smiled. "You too, Freya."
Amarant stepped up and looked slightly amused at the Genome. "It took you long enough to come back. I bet you kept us in suspense on purpose. Well, I hate to break it to you, but I think you're a bit late for that." Zidane grinned at him. "Good to see you too, Amarant." He laughed.
"Me very happy to see! Must celebrate! Me cook food for all!" Quena jumped up and down happily. "I... I've thought about you so much, what you did made me see that I didn't need to question my exsistance, I just needed to live my life and face whatever came my way." Vivi said quietly, dipping his head and fidgeting with his hat. "And I can see you have." Zidane said amusedly, looking at all the Mini-Vivi's all around. "Yeah. I have a family now."
"Hey, Monkey-boy!" Zidane turned around to see Steiner and Beatrix standing there smiling. "Hey, Rusty!" Zidane laughed with a small wave. The Pluto knight jumped up and down in mock anger. "I'm not rusty!" Beatrix rolled her eyes and smiled softly. "It's good to see you, Zidane... I'm glad to see you are well. It's been very quiet ever since you've been gone." The Genome's smile widened. "Yeah well, what can I say? I was always the life of the party!"
"Zidane..."
Everyone turned to see a female standing there, looking slightly shy, a long tail swishing back and forth in pendilum movements. "Makoto!" Zidane said with surprise. The female Genome walked over and offered a half smile to the thief. "Yes. I felt you here. But...why do I still feel Kuja's presence?"
Everyone except Garnet turned to look at Zidane. He sighed and shook his head lightly. "Kuja is me. The only way to preserve and keep his memory and soul alive was to let him become a part of me. I had to do it. I couldn't let Gaia lose something important. What it is to truely understand living and dying and what it means to fight for what you believe. He would have done the same for me..." He dipped his head.
Makoto reguarded him before she half smiled again. "I see... You have decided to bare and testify to what Kuja thought, felt and did. To share his memories with those so that they could understand and perhaps prevent time repeating itself." The Genome thief nodded his head, blond hair swaying as he did so. "Yeah...something like that." His eyes turned slightly red again and he frowned. "He told me that he was sorry... For everything he did. And he was glad that he had helped you guys escape from the Lifa Tree. He said that he understood what it was to live fully. But it had come too late... He was experiancing death even as he had just understood."
Freya bowed her head. "A very noble thing of him, and a very noble thing of you, Zidane." He smiled at her, "Thank you, Freya." "One good deed deserves another. And even if I don't quite agree with how you feel, It was a very honorable act of you." Beatrix said softly. Steiner nodded his head in agreement to her. "As long as you're back, and Kuja isn't trying to destory the world, I don't care what you did!" Eiko said before she leaped up and hugged the Genome tightly. "I missed you too much!"
Zidane laughed as he gently squeezed the last heir to her tribe and set her down. "I missed you, too. All of you. I'm sorry it took so long to get back. I kinda got lost along the way." "Well, as long as you're here with us now, nothing else matters." Garnet said quietly. "I know," Zidane hugged the Queen again before he grinned. "So...what's for dinner, Quena? I'm starving!"
The Qu looked extremely happy at those words and began bouncing up and down, starting to ramble off what he/she/it was preparing for everyone. Everyone, except Makoto and Amarant laughed at the Qu's excitedness. Zidane put his arm around Garnet and smiled at her. She looked at him for a moment before she smiled back. Maybe she didn't quite understand Zidane's reasons for saving Kuja in his own way...but at least now she felt her life was starting over once again. And it didn't matter that there was part of Kuja in Zidane, because it made life all the more interesting. Just as long as Zidane (or Kuja's half of Zidane) didn't try to conquer the world, or destroy it, she would be happy.
With that, the whole group started making their way back towards the castle, being joined by the Tantalus group as they did so to go dine, and catch up on the things that had happened while Zidane was gone. And deep down inside, Zidane, and the part of him that was Kuja, was finally glad things were all right again. Dagger's song now had a new meaning for Life. Life was a melody, and you had the choice to listen or not.
-Owari-
This comes from the ending, as you all know. But most of it is my own thoughts/ideas on what happened. Because obviously there was a huge plot-hole/gap in things... And this was just my idea. And I know I didn't get everything line for line correctly, but I tried, so oh well. Feel free to review and tell me if you liked it or not. Or feel free to chew my head off if you so wish, I dun care. XD;;