"What's your problem man? Why are you so bent about this?" Blank asked.

Zidane waved him off, walking over to one of the beds in the Tantalus hideout and lying down. Blank crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.

"Zidane, you really like Princess Garnet don't you?" Vivi asked waddling over to him. "It's okay, she's really nice. I like her too."

"You have no idea Vivi," Zidane sighed. "Do me a favor and get me some paper. I'm going to write to Freya so she knows what's going on."

It wasn't so much that Garnet was practically inseparable from Kuja now, but that she was also so damn distracted. Kuja and Garnet had not told anyone else of his limited amount of time.

In the past few days of initial meetings with the Regent, Zidane had tried to see her, but she was either with that white haired bastard, or doing research in the library. She spoke to him sparingly about the revelation that he was also from Terra, and even less so about the fact that he and Kuja were technically brothers. It was like trying to get to know her all over again. He supposed that learning about your past could do that, but he wasn't the type to push everyone away like she seemed to be doing. The thief was having a hard time coming to terms with this new information, he wasn't sure he even believed it… He needed to talk to her again.


A few weeks had passed in the meantime before word would arrive from the other Kingdoms.

"Knight Freya, I was not expecting you so soon," Cid said, surprised when the dragon knight was announced and had entered his throne room.

"Zidane wrote to me earlier and explained what had happened most recently. I thought it best I came to you first," Freya explained. "I come bearing the agreement to join together from both Burmecia and Clerya. All three of us separated are too weak, but together we may be able to come through. Before we can do anything I need to know what is going on and report back."

With the arrival of Freya, the Regent reported everything of necessity that Garnet and Eiko had shared from their return from Terra.

"I know it seems…"

"…crazy…" Freya finished for him, and the older man could only nod his agreement.

"The fact that there is a very real threat out there and that it stems from Queen Brahne's madness…" Cid continued.

"No, I agree… we must pull together to find a solution… despite these unusual times…" Freya said, taking her leave to report back to her king.


The following days would be chaotic as preparations were made to house the other leaders.

When they would arrive, the hours would be filled with strategy meetings, and the one with the most information on how to deter Brahne and destroy Garland was Kuja. The rest of the party involved only knew him as Garnet's eccentric husband who had an extensive intel on their enemy.

Garnet and Kuja had continued to share the same room, partially for appearances, partially because she couldn't stand to be away from him. His impending fate weighed heavily on her mind. She had to find a way to save him.

The meetings would often run late in to the night, and this evening was no different. Garnet was lonely on the nights that she did not participate in the planning.

Tossing and turning, the girl finally decided that getting some fresh air would maybe help clear her mind. She left her room and walked quietly, her bare feet making no sound on the cold marble floors. The lift was left un-manned late at night as the castle was in a near constant state of lockdown.

The princess easily found her way to the roof, the very same one she had been abducted on that night when Garland came for her. She tried to recall the details, but they were hazy. It didn't matter now, she was home… Closing her eyes, she started to hum quietly a song that always seemed to soothe her to sleep no matter how restless she was.

"You have a beautiful voice." Garnet jerked and looked to see that Zidane had discovered her. She knew he had been trying to talk to her, but she was avoiding him. The girl didn't know what she could possibly say to make things better for him. Tendrils of guilt needled through her mind, she had not been a very good friend recently.

"Thank you," she said as he walked fluidly over to the railing opposite the one she was sitting on.

"What's the matter princess, don't you trust me anymore?" Zidane eyed her up, a smirk on his face. He reminded her very much of Kuja in this moment.

"No, it's not that at all," Garnet replied. Her dark brown eyes followed his every move as he stood up and walked over to her. He stopped and rested his hands on either side of her on the railing, trapping her between him and the banister. She was not immediately alarmed by his proximity, they were friends after all. "I'm sorry that I've been so distracted lately… I'm sure this hasn't been easy for you."

"We all have a lot going on," the thief said, brushing some hair back from her face, and his objective changed. He was no longer focused on drilling her with questions about Garland. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Garnet responded.

"Do you think if things had turned out another way that it would be different between us?" Zidane asked. What would have happened if he had gotten to her first? Would it be he that she loved?

"I-" Garnet couldn't reply as he moved; his lips dangerously close to hers.

"Brother, please… Normally, I would not mind sharing, but this is a bit tasteless… even for you." Garnet visibly relaxed as she heard Kuja's voice. She feared a bit for Zidane, as she knew that underlying tone all too well as the one he had used with the scumbag in Treno. The thief backed away allowing the princess to make her way to Kuja's side. Once she had reached him, she was not surprised that he kept his feral gaze on the thief before him.

"Last I checked, she didn't belong to you," Zidane said coolly, getting into a fighting stance.

"Don't do this," Garnet pleaded.

"Ah, you might find our little canary has some sound advice for you," Kuja jeered, as though fighting Zidane would be nothing more than a satisfying waste of time.

"Please," Garnet implored. Zidane's blue eyes found her dark brown ones. She looked scared for his life. He had not intended to put her in this position; he might as well let it drop for her sake.

"Fine," the thief said proudly. "You have other options you know," he bit out, turning and walking away.

Garnet felt Kuja tense as Zidane passed, obviously resisting the urge to murder him right there.

The princess stood with Kuja, waiting until she believed there would be enough distance between the two before speaking.

"Did you have to tease him like that?" Garnet sighed, resisting him as he tried to charm her with a smile.

"But of course my love, how else is he going to learn?"

"Can't you be serious?" Garnet asked, crossing her arms.

Kuja chuckled at her, lithely hooking her chin with a finger and tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

"I am completely serious, though," Kuja responded. "I have no intentions of sharing you... he was crossing a line and you and I both know it."

"Maybe," Garnet relented, allowing him to draw her close. She felt herself relax as his arms came around her, like he knew exactly what she needed. The girl realized half the time she wasn't able to sleep was because he was not lying next to her. So, she pulled away from him and opted to take his hand, leading him to the room they shared.

"I just want to go to bed," she murmured, easing herself in to his arms when he finally joined her under the covers. Sleep came easily to her then.


It was a few days later that everyone was convened in the conference room. This meeting was to discuss the course of action to try and bring some sense to Queen Brahne. She had recently started threatening Lindblum should they not hand over the unsealing stones. Whether or not she knew what they were actually for was not known. It was more likely she believed they would bring her more power. The idea to send Garnet to talk to Brahne was brought up, and needless to say it was quite the uproar when Cid suggested it.

"Absolutely not," Kuja responded immediately, his tone did not match the furious look in his eyes. Garnet lay a comforting hand on his arm watching as he fixed a deadly gaze at the Regent. "How can you possibly think of sending her into that death trap to talk with that hideous woman?"

"She's still my mother," Garnet reminded him patiently.

"She sold you for weapons," Kuja protested, only slightly remorseful at the pained look on Garnet's face.

"It's not as though she would be wandering in completely unguarded…" The regent began.

"Since when do you have to decide everything for her?" Zidane asked hotly, he had been silent and brooding for almost the entirety of the meeting.

Kuja's dangerous stare wandered to the thief and it was game on. Everyone in the room could practically reach out and touch the tension between the two brothers.

"I fail to see how wanting to protect her from a very obvious tragedy goes against your better judgment," Kuja responded. "She's not a thing to be used…"

"That's not what I meant," Zidane bit back. "I think if she wants to help she should be able to do what she wants."

"Yes, and there has to be a better way for her to get what she wants without being thrown to the wolves," Kuja said.

"Then come with me," Garnet cut them off before they could continue the argument. "We don't have to take the sealing stones… Just let me try to talk to her…"

Both of the brothers backed down, though neither one of them looked happy.

"Excellent idea Garnet," Cid was quick to take advantage of the short reprieve. "We'll send a small group of reinforcements should things go awry…"

Everyone seemed relieved that things were moving in the right direction, and a plan of action was created.


"Princess, is that you!?"

Garnet smiled, it was good to see the old castle guard again when she and Kuja had arrived at Alexandria.

"Yes, Steiner, I've come to see my mother," Garnet replied.

"We weren't expecting you," the knight said thoughtfully, "but no matter, I'm sure she'll be glad to see you. Why have you not come sooner?"

"You must understand, it's been very busy," Garnet lied.

"Of course, we had just thought that the two of you would… well… come here after some time… sooner..." Steiner trailed off.

Garnet looked every inch the princess she was, a formal dress borrowed and sized to her measurements from her aunt's wardrobe donned her slight frame. Kuja also had been dressed to perfection, though he was loath to have so few options. Garnet couldn't deny that he looked rather good as he was dressed in the dark black fabric, and when he caught her staring at him as they made their way through the castle halls, she had to quickly turn her head away. It was too late though, she had been caught gawking and the sorcerer made a mental note to tease her about it later.

"Garnet, my dear… what a surprise," the queen said when her daughter and her "husband" were introduced. She waited until they were fully alone before continuing to speak. "Still keeping with the pretenses are we, or did he actually man up and wed you?"

"Mother, please," Garnet began, feeling Kuja grow tense beside her. There was a smile plastered to his face, but he would have liked nothing better than to end that elephant where she sat. "Will you not speak with me?"

"I already am, now darling, tell me what it is you want," Brahne said, her tone dripping with disdain.

"I want you to stop this… to stop what you're doing…"

"Did you put her up to this?" The queen asked Kuja, completely ignoring Garnet's plea as she fanned herself.

"Hn, no," Kuja responded, idly tossing his hair over his shoulder, a gesture Garnet knew stemmed from agitation. "She asked me here to accompany her."

The queen burst out in to laughter, her form shaking with delight.

"My word, you actually love her," Brahne gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

Garnet could not contain the hopeless look she shot to her companion. A smirk was fixed to his face, but his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You are avoiding addressing the issue at hand," Kuja responded, continuing before the queen had a chance to talk. "Your daughter comes asking for peace, and you laugh in her face."

Brahne grew serious, snapping her fan shut, an ugly scowl marring her usually benign expression.

"Peace? I think not… Your traitorous uncle sent you, did he? Hmph! Don't lie! You are working against me, against your own kingdom. Garnet, how could you?" The queen ranted.

"You sold me…" Garnet answered. "I never turned against you!"

"LIES!" Brahne roared.

There seemed to be more to her delusion than Kuja's initial interference. She was acting insane. It was enough to make Kuja take a defensive step forward, and with a graceful flourish of his arm, put Garnet behind him.

"You dare move against me?" The queen was positively raving at this point. Garnet couldn't help but fist her trembling fingers in the loose fabric of Kuja's jacket. This was unreal; her mother had completely lost her grip on reality. "GUARDS, TAKE THEM AWAY!"

"I think not," Kuja responded, power flickering around him as he prepared to take down anyone foolish enough to come between himself and the princess.

The sound of footsteps approached, but it was not the castle guards that had come for them. A party led by Zidane had burst through the doors. Eiko, Freya, and Vivi were right behind him.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" The queen howled, her arms flailing in protest.

"Listen, we have a bigger problem…" Zidane said, his eyes locking with Kuja's.

"So, Garland has chosen to meddle in our affairs once more," the sorcerer surmised.

"He's using the Invincible to summon Bahamut to destroy the castle," Eiko shrieked. "The town is in flames!"

"How is he harnessing the Eildolons?!" Garnet asked in alarm.

"When he had me destroy the summoner's village, he retained the souls of the Eidolons the summoners tried to use to protect themselves," Kuja explained.

Everyone fell silent, the queen still fuming behind them. The guards led by Beatrix were waiting just inside the doors for further instruction.

"You mean that old man? Yes… he helped me before in destroying Clerya," Brahne explained.

"What?" Garnet's voice rose in pitch. "You're in league with him?!"

"Was, my darling, as it seems he has turned against me," Brahne looked thoughtful.

"We don't have time for this, we must egress," Kuja urged.

"Mother, come with us," Garnet pleaded, moving past Kuja to grasp at her hands. "It doesn't have to be this way."

The queen eyed her daughter warily, before shaking her head vehemently.

"NO! I will not run!" Brahne pushed past her daughter, effectively thrusting her in to Kuja's arms. He caught her easily and steadied her until she was solid on her feet again. "READY THE CANONS!"

Garnet watched helplessly as her mother walk down the hall out of sight into what she had so joyfully dubbed the war room.

"We have to try and get out now, it's a fiasco out there," Zidane said. "The mist monsters are out of control…"

"I can't just leave," Garnet protested.

"You can't help these people if you're dead," Zidane said, but she still refused to budge.

"We'll figure something out, but we can't stay here," Kuja said, sweeping her up into his arms to get her moving.

Zidane had been right; it was madness trying to make their way through the halls. The blockades of the castle were badly damaged. Bahamut was already wreaking havoc on the town.

Despite their best efforts, the group was separated when a powerful blast was fired at the castle, a tower crashing down and tearing through the walkway they were trying to use. Garnet and Eiko were flung backwards while the rest of the party narrowly avoided being crushed. Rubble piled up preventing the two summoners from joining their companions. The stone created a thick barrier that they were unable to even speak through.

"What do we do now?" Eiko asked, panic evident on her face.

"It's alright, we can still get out, but we have to go this way… and just hope we can find them later," Garnet murmured, grasping the younger girl's hand and leading her back the way they came.

"Where are we going?" Eiko asked as the princess lead her through a long corridor.

"We can cut across one of the balconies, but we have to hurry. If it's destroyed we'll be trapped," Garnet explained, breaking out in to a run.

The two girls made quick work of maneuvering the castle. They made it out in to the open air of the terrace that connected the west wing to the east wing of the castle. The doors closed and sealed behind them. The only way to go was forward.

"That was strange," Garnet whispered, and as they turned to continue on their way, Garland had appeared before them and was blocking their path. The princess shoved the younger girl behind her, poised to go down fighting. "What do you want?"

"Why, I've come for you Celeste," Garland responded as though it were obvious. "You can either come with me, spare the girl, or you can watch your beloved kingdom burn to the ground…"

"You're a liar…" Garnet hissed.

"So, you truly have retained your memories. What a pity…"

"I'm not going to help you…"

"Not even for this?" Garland questioned, drawing an amulet from his pocket. It most resembled a compass or watch. It was gold in color and had several small dials. From the center it emitted a soft, glowing, red color that pulsed as if contained inside were an unsteady heartbeat.

Eiko clung to the folds of Garnet's dress, glancing around the older girl to get a look at what the old man was holding.

"What is it?" Garnet asked warily.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize it," Garland replied. "This talisman is the key to Kuja's demise. It has been slowly draining his life force until there will be nothing left of him." The old man paused, gauging her reaction. "Come with me and I will destroy it, and Kuja can be allowed to live."

"How can I possibly trust you?" Garnet was exasperated.

"My dear, you don't have much of a choice. You either help me, or lose everything that you love," Garland said.

"Why are you such an evil jerk!?" Eiko cried from behind the safety of the princess.

"It's not personal. I have a mission to complete. What a coincidence that you should be reborn as one of the only ones capable of helping me. I realized it too late," Garland admitted to his error of having the summoning tribe destroyed.

Garnet did not have time to reply, Garland was aware of the intrusion before the rest of her allies came in to view.

"Ah… interrupted again," Garland said, irritation lacing his tone.

As if descending from heaven to be their guardian angels, Kuja, Zidane, and the rest of the party jumped down to the balcony from one of Cid's air ships hovering just above them.

"Ah, my other angel of death appears," Garland began. "How fitting that you should arrive just as your predecessor is about to die."

"I am no puppet," Zidane spat out. "I know what you had planned for me, and it's disgusting. You and your sick plans are done!" He hadn't quite believed the information about what Garnet had learned when she returned from Terra; and now Garland's words were proof enough.

"Enough games, Kuja, you have evaded me long enough," Garland said, moving quickly before they had a chance to subdue him.

The white haired sorcerer had fixed himself in front of Garnet, prepared to protect her. Garland would not be leaving without at least one summoner in his company. He began turning the dials on the talisman, the light within growing brighter. Kuja hissed in pain, falling down to one knee, his arms shaking. He grit his teeth trying to remain upright.

"Stop it!" Garnet cried, kneeling down next to the struggling genome.

So, this is how he would die, brought to his knees by the same power he had spent his whole life trying to destroy. His vision became cloudy, and his breathing labored. Sweat beaded his forehead as he lethargically gazed in to the brown eyes of the panicking princess.

"It's… it's alright," Kuja slurred, his head falling forward to rest against her own. The feeling of her fingers digging in to his arms was fading. A hollow, cold feeling settled in his chest, the only sound was that of his gasping breaths as he collapsed into Garnet's arms.

"Please, leave him alone," Garnet wept, his head resting on her shoulder as she held him close, as if that would somehow stop the inevitable. Tears rolled down her cheeks and on to his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Don't leave me..."

"Don't cry… my canary…" Kuja tried to console her, his voice naught more than a breathy whisper as his trembling fingers came to trace her jaw line. At least he wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. He could go peacefully in her arms. There was still one matter at hand. "Zidane… take… care of her… for me…"

The thief stared in disbelief at his dying brother. This was insane, and his voice almost failed him when he went to respond.

"You can count on me," Zidane replied, feeling more choked up than he was willing to admit.

"My… love for you… will never die," Kuja said to her though his voice waned. The corner of his lip curled up in one final smirk as he closed his eyes. His brow furrowed as he tried to cling to life, to stay with her, but he could not keep the energy from draining out of him.

"No…" Garnet whimpered. "You can't," she gasped. "I-… I love you…"

"I… I can't say… I really… l…liked him, but this is just cruel," Vivi said.

"Well, we can't let this pass," Zidane said as he, Vivi, and Freya took over the fight while Eiko kneeled by Garnet.

"I've tried to heal him Eiko, I…" Garnet's voice cracked as tears continued to fall.

"It's alright Garnet… we'll… we'll figure something out," the young girl said supportively.

"Do you fools honestly believe that you can change fate? You're not strong enough to defeat me!" Garlands voice rang through the air, and Garnet looked over to see that the fight was not going in their favor. Even with the old man being injured badly, he was still holding his own. No wonder Kuja had wanted to find so much power to overthrow him.

Both Garnet's pendant and Eiko's earing garnered a blinding light. Two other similar gems in Eiko's pocket began glowing as well.

"What is this?" Garnet asked alarmed. "Did you steal those from my mother?" Eiko had the good graces to look bashful. "Are these the unsealing stones?"

"These are all pieces of one of them," Eiko explained. "I think your uncle has the rest of the gems, but now that we have these, we can destroy them and stop that evil jerk once and for all!"

"Yes… but… why are they reacting like this?" Garnet asked.

Power crackled through the air, and the fragments of the gem pulled the summoners closer together. Feeling the call of the Eidolon inside, the two joined hands, their eyes falling closed at the same time.

"I can hear him," Eiko said. "There's an eidolon sealed within this gem… and now that we have the pieces gathered together… He wants to help us… He wants to fight… To protect you…"

"I… I can't hear anything…" Garnet lamented.

"It is because… that fool of a woman… r- removed your summoner's horn," Kuja muttered weakly, barely clinging to life. His head rested in the princess' lap. Cold sweat gave his pale skin an unhealthy sheen. Shock was beginning to set in, and he would not last much longer.

"He says he can help us!" Eiko said excitedly. "We just need to set him free."

Garnet hesitated before nodding her agreement. What choice did that have? Bahamut was destroying everything and her companions could not stand against Garland much longer. Garnet laced her fingers with the younger girl's, Eiko leading the chant that would call forth Alexander. The words flowed from Garnet's mouth as if she had known them her whole life.

"O holy guardian..."

"Hear our prayers..."

"Darkness descends over us once again..."

"O holy guardian... Hear our prayers... Deliver us out of darkness into light!"

Instantly a blue light formed between the two summoners and grew until it was encompassing the entirety of the castle. Ethereal white wings sprouted from the center of their bastion; closing around them and protecting them from Bahamut's continued onslaught of destruction.

"NO!" Garland cried as Alexander let loose an offensive of holy power.

Bahamut was vanquished.

The talisman Garland had been using to siphon Kuja's life away shattered from the force of the great eidolon's strength.

Garnet felt a cold terror seize at her soul when she looked down to the white haired man resting in her lap, it didn't look like he was breathing. Her hands were shaking hard as she pressed a hand to his chest, feeling for a heart beat where there was none.

"Kuja?" Garnet's voice cracked. He did not respond, and she thought she was going to lose her mind. "Please no," she whispered. "Help me... please help me," the princess begged the Eidolon, her head tilting forward so that her lips brushed across Kuja's cold pale ones. She felt a warmth flowing through her, and when she dared to pull away and open her eyes again the same holy light that had defeated Bahamut had enshrouded them once more. This time, it's power was not of destruction, but of healing. Kuja was reanimated, taking in a gasping breath as the light subsided.

"Garnet?" Kuja croaked out her name, lifting an unsteady hand to wipe the tears from her eyes as they started anew, although now they were tears of joy. She covered the hand he had cradling her cheek with her own.

"Yes, it's okay," the princess whispered.

Alexander was poised to attack again, but the old man would not give it a chance. With one last spell, he had crushed Zidane and his companions in to the ground before teleporting back to the invincible. His voice echoed around them as though he were still battling them on the balcony.

"You fools have interfered for the last time… I will not allow you to stop me from my mission. Keep the stones… I will find another way…"

Alexander's wings came around the castle again, trying to defend against the next attack that came from above. The pure white wings began to wither beneath the wilting red rays coming from the invincible. The eidolon was not able to withstand the onslaught. The gems he had been sealed in began to crack and spark, a wave of power thrusting Eiko, Garnet, and Kuja away from one another. The sword structure of the castle that embodied the eidolon fractured and shattered, breaking away from the central tower and crashing down through the terrace. Zidane and the others barely avoided being taken down with the debris.

Garnet had tried to get to her feet, but the collapsing stone beneath her made it nearly impossible. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she was literally grasping at straws to prevent herself from falling to her death.

Garland's attack had not only defeated Alexander, but was destroying the entire city.

The princess cried out as the structure continued to give way below her.

Everything was happening too quickly, she was falling, and there was no one there to catch her…

Then, in the next instant, Kuja had appeared next to her. His shoulders were heaving as he struggled against the fatigue of near death; he was hanging on to consciousness by spiders' threads. It would take some time for him to recover from Garland's invention to limit his life, but at least he was no longer laying in her lap seconds away from passing on. Only the need to protect the girl next to him kept him focused.

Garnet flung herself in to his arms as the balcony fully gave in and they were falling in midair. Her head was tucked under his chin as the strange sensation that she had come to associate with teleportation came over them. She had only done it once before and that was when Kuja had gotten them off of Terra. All she could feel was the tremor in his shoulders as he held her in a crushing embrace.

The next thing she knew they were on a solid surface once more on the bow of the Hildagarde. Zidane and the rest of the party had safely made it and surrounded the princess and Kuja who had used the last of his little restored energy to save her. The white haired man was passed out and slumped against her once they were safely aboard, Garnet sitting back on her heels as she tried to support his weight.

The girl couldn't help but heave a shaky sigh, holding Kuja tightly well after they had escaped the destruction of Alexandria. She clung to him, cold tears rolling down her cheeks as her beloved kingdom was nearly burned to the ground before her eyes.

No one dared to separate them.

No one dared to say anything.

No one knew what to say.


They retreated to Linblum to regroup when the news came a few hours later that the queen had been killed in the attack. Garnet would have to return to her ruined city to for her coronation once some repairs had been made.

Kuja had slept for days coming in and out of consciousness for short amounts of time. The princess barely left his side. She had adamantly refused to return to Alexandria without him. She refused to see anyone else. Perhaps it was selfish to delay her duties, but he had nearly died. She wouldn't even still be here were it not for him.

"How long have I been out?"

Garnet jerked, her attention turning to the white haired man lying next to her while she sat on the bed.

"You've been asleep for several days. I was afraid you were never going to fully wake up," Garnet said. She shifted, rolling her hips so that she was now facing him. She had spent many hours just sitting with him, starting out the window, thinking about what was and what was yet to come.

"I feel terrible," Kuja was surprisingly honest with her in this moment.

"You almost died," Garnet reminded him, her voice strained as she recalled the memory.

"You saved me," the sorcerer responded, his voice cracking and giving away his exhaustion.

"The eidolon saved you… I didn't know how. I couldn't even think straight," Garnet lamented.

"You summoned him," Kuja said.

"I wouldn't have known were it not for Eiko… I can't… I can't hear the eidolons…"

"I know…"

Without warning, her lower lip trembled and she knew she was maybe two seconds from bursting in to tears. She felt him move so that he could sit up next to her, dark circles lining his eyes. The girl knew if she tried to speak her composure would be gone. She swallowed hard, her watery eyes meeting his. She had been so close to losing him. Her mother was gone, and she had to somehow find a way to pick up the pieces. She flinched when his fingers gently tucked her hair behind her ear. Seeing her like this, so vulnerable, so lost, it actually pained him.

The princess' brow furrowed as a sob choked its way out of her mouth, and he paused. It was not long before she leaned in to him, her head resting on his shoulder. She had not cried at all since that first night; had barely even spoken. She was waiting for him. He was the only one who had any chance of holding her together.

When she crumbled in his arms, he gathered her closer, allowing her to vent everything she had bottled up. It was several minutes before she was calmed, and they lie next to one another.

"My mother was killed," Garnet began.

Kuja had propped himself up against the head board, the girl tucked close to his side.

"You've not returned to take your throne?" Kuja asked.

"Not without you," Garnet answered, and he couldn't help but chuckle. How had it come to this?

"It will not take much for the people to find out that we were not actually wedded," Kuja said.

"I don't care about that right now," Garnet sighed.

"You should take care of your people, leave Garland to me." Kuja spoke softly as though that would somehow make her comply.

"No." She was obstinate as ever.

"They need you, and you would be safe," Kuja continued.

"You won't be," Garnet argued. "How will you defeat him on your own?"

"If it means protecting you, then I will find a way," Kuja replied, cupping her cheek and wiping away the last of her tears with the pad of his thumb.

"If it means losing you, then we need to find another way," Garnet whispered, closing her eyes and leaning in to his touch.

Kuja relented realizing that she refused to be reasoned with. He would have to wait until after her coronation to take action against Garland, particularly if he wanted her to be out of harm's way. While the old man continued to exist, he would be nothing but a danger to her.

"I feel like I just got you back, don't be in such a rush to leave me again," Garnet implored.

"As you wish," Kuja conceded, grasping her chin and tilting her head up. She seemed uncertain, but not troubled as their eyes met. The girl was resilient if nothing else and she did not back away when he let his head fall forward to brush his lips against hers.

He attempted to pull back from her and was surprised when she drew him close again.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Kuja asked her.

"No." Her reply was simple.

Still…

That did not stop her from proceeding, curling closer to him and her arms looping around his neck.

"Garnet," he sighed, what little restraint he had waning away at her continued caresses.

"I need you," she hummed.

It was next to impossible to deny her when she was practically begging for him, and yet… he could not override this need he had to protect her. She was the other half of his soul, and even now, she wasn't ready. He wouldn't have her, not like this, when her life was in shambles. He couldn't say he'd ever loved anything before her, and he was quite certain there would be nothing after her. Perhaps Garland was right about one thing, Fate was hard to dissuade. It had brought them together back in Terra, and had reunited them now. He was becoming a different person because of her, already was…

"You need to rest," Kuja reminded her gently, easing her back.

"You were the one who was injured," Garnet countered, seeming to recall her self-control.

"Yes, and as tempting as it is to stay in bed with you..." Kuja teased her, and she managed a small smile. It did not light her eyes as it usually did when she smiled for him, and he was determined to find a way for her to be happy again.

The princess eventually left him for a while so he could get cleaned up.


The girl would delay returning to Alexandria for almost a month.