A/N: I like dragons. Guess who I named her after! (evil smirk)

Disclaimer: Still not mine.


It was really an odd thing to watch the horses of the different guardians graze around the silver dragon as if she were just a part of their group. Well, technically she was. Except instead of being about 16 hands high at most, she towered over them, her silver scales shimmering in the chilly winter air. Despite her fierce looks, she was actually a very gentle creature; beautiful and elegant, yet deadly if the need arose.

Kandi sat on the edge of the fence of the corral, watching as Gwen and Sephiroth attempted to get a halter over the face the foal Gwen's horse had given birth to. The Turk had needed to escape the Shrine. Ever since they had lunch together, Rude had been pushing her to give him an answer. The more he pushed, the more she was convinced that he just wanted her as a prize. She sighed and turned her attention back to the general and his wife. Sephiroth was ordering his wife to stay back, telling her she had no place in the corral 'in her condition'. Gwen said it was his damn fault she was in this condition in the first place and to shut his damn mouth. Kandi giggled at the bickering of the parents of the Final Guardian. However, regardless of their banter, their love for each other was evident. Gwen yanked her husband's long hair, and the feared general turned his piercing gaze to her. Kandi burst into laughter at the sight, gasping as she lost her balance and started to tumble over the back of the fence.

Oh God! she thought, flashes of her unborn baby going through her head.

Anticipating the hard ground at the end of her fall, she was surprised to feel herself being gently pushed back up. Her heart racing in her ears, she turned around carefully to see her savior. The silver scales of the tail that had caught her twinkled happily at her. Kandi looked at the face of the dragon as she brought her head around to rest on the fence beside the Turk. The dragon curled her body on the ground behind her, making a soft, low growling noise in the back of her throat.

"Thanks," Kandi told her, resting her hand on the dragon's snout. The dragon just blinked at her as if to say, 'Be more careful, silly human.'

The air was pierced with a shrill whistle and the gentle dragon lifted her head and turned, giving a loud roar. The sound was as beautiful as it was frightening, causing chills to run down her spine. She turned and looked in the same direction of the dragon, smiling when she saw the beast's master coming toward them. Kandi's heart sped up just at the sight of him. True to his word, Kuja had not completely shut himself out of her life, but it wasn't the same. He was still kind and polite, but she missed the intimacy of being with him. She simply missed him.

The silver and blue cloak he wore looked wonderful with his civilian clothes. He had incorporated aspects of his old attire with that of his new and it worked for him. She was glad he lost the thong, though. It would have totally frozen his ass in this cold weather.

A soft purring sound came from the dragon as Kuja stopped and ran his hands over her neck. "How is my beautiful girl today?" he crooned, stepping underneath her neck to stand beside Kandi.

The Turk grinned. "Are you talking to me or the dragon?" she asked playfully.

Kuja laughed. "Both actually," he said. He ran his hand over her face, staring into her eyes intently. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she answered. "Your dragon saved me from a rather nasty fall."

Panic flashed across his features as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What happened?" he asked.

"I lost my balance and was falling backwards and she caught me with her tail," she replied.

Kuja breathed a sigh of relief, lifting her down from the fence. He held her in his arms and stroked her hair and she could feel him trembling slightly. The wizard placed a hand on the dragon's neck and stroked her lovingly. "Good girl," he whispered to her and Kandi could have swore she saw the dragon smirk.

"I was worried that the baby-"

"The baby would have been fine," he interrupted. "A woman's body is designed to protect the baby. The womb acts as a safe bubble around the growing child, protecting it from jars and such. The fall wouldn't have been that far and the impact wouldn't have been that hard. But what if you would have landed on your neck and broke it?"

Kandi blinked. He was more concerned about her than the baby? "Kuja, I ..."

He sighed deeply, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm being overbearing, aren't I?" he asked. "I apologize. But just the thought of something happening to you..." He closed his eyes at the thought and shook his head. "Well, the important thing is that you and the baby are fine and my dear MysticQueen came to the rescue."

Kandi's lips curved into a slow smile. "Mystic...Queen?" she asked. "You named your dragon MysticQueen?"

Kuja arched an eyebrow. "Yes," he answered. "You're point being?"

She choked back her laughter and shook her head. "No point," she said with a strained voice. "Just seems like an odd name for a dragon."

He eyed her warily. "Are you laughing at my choice of name for her?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

The Turk burst into laughter. "You're a powerful wizard and you name your dragon MysticQueen?" she gasped out in between giggles.

"Yes," he said calmly. "It suits her."

"Explain," she laughed out.

"She's a mystical being and she is the queen among her race," he told her. "Hence the name."

Kandi snickered. "Sounds like a name for a fanfiction writer," she grinned. "Or something. Anyway, don't be mad at me for laughing."

Kuja chuckled and kissed her gently. "I could never be mad at your joy," he replied kindly. He gestured to the dragon. "Would you care to go for a ride?"

Her eyes widened. "Really?" she asked in excitement. "I mean, it's okay for the baby, right?"

"Of course," he said, helping her onto the dragon's back. He climbed on behind her, wrapping her safely in his arms. "It is safe for women to fly up until their third trimester."

"Yeah, on airplanes and flying machines," she said, squealing a little as the dragon shifted, standing to her full height. She gripped Kuja's arms tightly. "Wow, she's fucking tall!"

Kuja laughed and shifted so that she was sitting between his legs, her back pulled flush against his chest. He arranged his cloak so that it enveloped both of them in it's warmth. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. "Ready?"

She nodded and he let out a soft whistle. The dragon let out a loud roar and began working her wings, gaining altitude with each powerful thrust. Kandi peered over the side of the dragon, watching as the ground got further and further away. Gwen smiled up at her and Kandi gave her and Sephiroth an enthusiastic wave and a brilliant smile as the dragon flew away.

"Wow," the Turk breathed as they soared through the sky, Kuja's arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Are you afraid?" he asked trailing a finger down her face.

She shook her head and turned to face him, wide smile in place. "No," she answered truthfully. "I've never felt safer than I do in your arms. Nothing can touch me."

Kuja looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "Good," he said, leaning down to kiss her gently. He cupped her cheek in his hand, his right arm encircling her waist and holding her firmly. "I love you."

Kandi bit her lip, releasing her grip on his arm and bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. "I love you, too," she answered.

Kuja stared at her in shock, his grip on her tightenly slightly. She nodded her head and kissed him gently, softly saying against his lips, "I love you, Kuja."

The silver wizard's eyes closed and a contented smile splayed his lips as he held her close. All he had never known he wanted, all he had never known he needed, was right here in his arms.


Kandi couldn't help skipping just a little bit as she made her way back to her room. She wasn't a skipper. Granted, she was a fairly happy person with a great personality; but she didn't skip. Now, she was. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like such a fuck up. It always seemed like she screwed everything up. She was a natural klutz. She could trip over air and blow her knee out. Once, she had been hitting on a punching bag to get out some aggression from a mission and had fractured her left wrist. But right now, everything was great. She was in love with a great guy and she was pregnant with their child.

It had hit her like it had hit Kuja. Just out of no where, she looked at him and couldn't imagine not looking at him for the rest of her life. He was the one she pictured by her side when she was an old lady, holding her hand as they hobbled along with their canes. She giggled at that, figuring he wouldn't look much different with his silver hair. She was looking forward to finding out though.

Tomorrow, they were going to ask Rhianna what arrangements could be made so that they could move in together and set up a space for their baby. Perhaps, an exception could be made for Kuja's passed crimes since he was an expectant father. Surely, they would take into consideration all the good he had done. Kandi hoped so anyway. They needed a nice place to raise their child.

Grinning like an idiot, she opened the door to her room and stepped in, leaning against her door with a sigh. This was the first time in her life that she was genuinely happy.

"What a pretty smile."

She jumped a foot in the air when she heard the voice, turning and seeing the intruder sitting on her bed. "Rude," she breathed out in relief. "Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing here?"

He eased off her bed and walked over to her, trapping her between his body and the door. "Waiting for you," he said, his voice husky and his breath reeking of alcohol. "I've been waiting for a long time."

"Rude," she said calmly. "You've been drinking. I think you should go sleep it off, okay? You want me to call Reno and have him come get you?"

He trailed his fingers down her face, shaking his head. "No, I'll just sleep it off here," he told her, leaning in to kiss her. She turned her face and his lips missed hers, landing on her cheek. He pulled back, scowling at her. "Why'd ya do that? I just wanted to kiss you. Like I always do."

"You've never been this drunk before," she told him. She took his sunglasses off and placed them on his head, staring into his blood shot eyes. "Sweetie, I really think you need to get back to your room. You don't look so good."

Rage flashed in his eyes for a split second before he turned his gaze to the floor. "'Course I don't," he said. "You left me..."

"Rude..."

"...for that freak wizard!"

Kandi took a deep breath. She could handle him. They'd worked together for a long time and she knew him inside and out. But she had never, ever seen him this drunk. "Come on," she said, reaching for one of his hands. "You really need to sleep this off."

"No!" he said, yanking his arm away from her. "No. Not until you tell me what you decided."

"Rude, you need to sober up first," she said.

"I'm fine," he hissed. "I just need to know, one way or the other. Who did you pick? Me or him?"

Kandi pushed her bangs out of her face and looked him straight in the eyes. "Kuja," she told him softly. "I chose Kuja, Rude. I'm sorry."

The bald assassin buried his face in her shoulder and she could see him trembling. "Why?" he growled angrily. "Why him and not me?"

"Because," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. "I love him, Rude."

His head snapped up at that and he snarled at her. "No," he said lowly. "You don't. You just think you do."

"I'm having his baby, Rude," she said gently. "Nothing can change that."

He grabbed her throat in his left hand, not hard enough to hurt her but firm enough to keep her immobile. "One very well placed punch right here," he said, rubbing her stomach with his right hand. "Could change that very well."

Kandi's eyes widened. "Rude," she whispered, clutching at his hand around her throat. "Rude, stop it. You're really starting to freak me out."

His eyes were glazed over, sweat pouring off him. "But don't you see?" he asked hoarsely. "It's the only way. If I get rid of Kuja's precious 'spawn', he won't have a hold on you anymore. He won't want you anymore if there is no 'spawn'."

"Rude!" she gasped out, his grip on her throat tightening. "Stop it! You're hurting me!"

He kissed her lips fiercely, nipping at her bottom one harshly before drawing back. "Sorry, Babe," he growled. "It's gotta get worse 'fore it gets better."

Kandi watched with wide fearful eyes as he drew his right fist back and sent it forward with all his strength into her stomach, her breath knocked completely out of her and a horrible pain overtaking her senses. He released her throat and she collapsed on the ground, clutching her stomach as she began to vomit. Rude stared down at her, propped up against the wall.

"I love you," he whispered hoarsely before he lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Kandi was crying hysterically, clutching her stomach and praying her baby was okay. "Hang on," she panted, reaching into her pocket to find her cell phone. "Hang on, Baby. Come on. Stay with Mama."

She pulled out the device and hit Send, calling back the last person she had talked to on the phone.

"Hello?" came Squall's sleepy voice.

"Help me!" she shrieked into the phone, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Kandi?!" he shouted, instantly awake. "Oh my God, what is it?"

"Rude...attacked...the baby...Squall,...it hurts...so bad..."

He was already throwing on clothes and running out the door of his apartment. "Okay, okay," he said, trying to calm her down. "Where's Kuja?"

"His room..."

"Okay, I'll be right there," he said, revving the engine of his car. "Just hang on, Babe."


There was blood.

So much blood. Pouring out of her, trailing down her legs, pooling on the floor. She screamed in agony, pleading with him to help her, but he was powerless. He could do nothing but watch as their child was expelled from her body in a rush of crimson and echoing shrieks of pain.

Kuja sat bolt right up in bed, flinging the comforter off himself and rushing out his door. He sprinted all the way to her room, panic and fear humming through his body. His dream...it wasn't a nightmare; it was a vision. He bit back a cry of distress, desperately trying to reach out with his mind and his heart when he realized...

...he couldn't sense his child.


A/N: Evil authors and their evil cliffhangers.