Feather Flight: Would You Accept My Love? ( part 9)

An AU Kuja fic, shonen-ai, language

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The piano had a pleasantly mellow tone, he decided. Left to his own devices in the empty room, Kuja had risked first a single key, and then a daring chord. Curious about the instrument's similarity to what he remembered on Gaia, he felt well rewarded. Content, he ran his hands lovingly over the polished ivory surface.

Laro had vanished soon after breakfast. There had barely been time for a brief reminder to 'stay out of trouble' before he had been whisked away by a grim looking escort. Having little better to do, the cat-man used his free morning to explore his new home. There were ample places to get lost in within the confines of the castle if one put one's mind to it. He had peeked into several empty staterooms, and even what he assumed was a communal bath before stumbling across the empty little conservatory.

// How… civilized. //

Amused by his solitary discovery, he forgot his loneliness and settled more comfortably on the padded bench. No one would hear him if he blundered on the unfamiliar instrument. He tried a set of simple scales. It was different from playing the weak-sounding instrument in King's mansion, or from his own secondhand and battered pianoforte at the desert palace. In picking out the notes, he could almost hear the distant hustle and noise of the auction hall and the constant whisper of water and intrigue of Treno.  It had been his first real taste of Gaia's civilization, and the memory was strangely haunting. King hadn't been a friend exactly. Neither of them had ever trusted the other that far. The relationship had been both useful and educational however, the source of any number of 'firsts' for the genome. He wondered idly if the nobleman was still alive.

// Probably hip deep in some new conspiracy by now… //

With a little practice he found his fingers becoming familiar with the new keys. Kuja moved on to slowly picking out the notes to a song. He had learned several during the years he had overseen the downfall of Gaia's great kingdoms. There had been little else to do but wait, while the adopted princess had grown up.  The silver-haired man smiled grimly as he added chords when he could find them.  His palace had echoed beautifully when he played. The marble-clad halls had only enriched the sound of his perpetually out-of-tune instrument.

// It never seemed to stay in pitch more than a week… I probably should have taken better care of it. // 

It was strange how much he missed it, he found. Music, and culture, politics and intrigue; he had enjoyed Gaia before its near destruction. Had it been an option, he might have considered staying there and never completing Garland's plan. Maybe he would have conquered, but in his own name, not for Terra's sake. Such speculation was useless. Gaia's fate had been sealed long before his birth, and so, it seemed, had his. The melody was not a happy one. Dark and introspective, it required him to work his way up and down the keyboard, guiding its flow.

"You've played before…?"

The silver-haired man turned, alarmed at the possibility of a here-to-fore silent audience. Standing by the door, a rather sallow old man offered him a wintry smile. "By all means, don't let me stop your practice. The tune was just starting to sound interesting."

"I play it badly." Embarrassed, he folded his hands into his sleeves and waited. His unwanted guest failed to take the hint. Instead of leaving, the old man moved closer.

"Pretty fellow, aren't you… I can see why they say you have 'enchanted' our wayward general." The cat-man could only stare at the unexpectedly candid comment. "Oh dear, Are you offended Mr. Kuja? Pray forgive an old man. I am accustomed to speaking my mind after all these years."

 The withered nobleman didn't look remorseful; more like a predator that had its sight on a particularly plump rabbit. Kuja felt himself rising to the challenge, lips twisting into a politely artificial smile. Two could play at this game. "I imagine that someone of your status might speak however they please, my lord. But it appears you have me at a disadvantage?"

"Dofo Riquoi, advisor to the king."

"… and the Duke of Alse."

"Alse is a burnt out shell, but yes, I am still its duke." The old man seemed to warm to him a little. "You have been well drilled for someone so new at court, Mr.Kuja."

"No sir, but I am a quick study."

"As you are with the piano?" He gestured with a finger at the silent instrument.

"Something like that, yes." The genome shrugged. "I didn't think I would be a bother to anyone here… I apologize for any trespass?"

Sharp eyes crinkled at the edges in amusement and the cat-man knew he had guessed correctly. Somehow he had wandered into a private suite during his explorations. The duke didn't seem offended however, waiving aside his apology with a flick of the manicured fingers.

"You're not what I expected, child…" Silk stiffly rustling, the old man sank into a nearby chair. He looked remarkably like a rather venerable and fragile raven. The silver-haired man got the impression that the dark-eyes didn't miss much. "From the rumors, I'd have supposed you to be at court playing with the other young fluff… but maybe you are shy of appearing without an escort to hide behind?"

"And what does one do precisely, if one is to be part of the 'fluff' at court, my lord?" He ignored the barbed implication of the question.

"Do? Well /brag/ I suppose, Mr. Kuja." Riquoi scratched his wrinkled chin thoughtfully. "Flirt? Get drunk, play at love, gamble with your parents' money and pretend all is well with the world? You know, be merry and young."

"Perhaps I'm not by nature a 'merry' person."

"Perhaps not, but I am curious, child. What sort of person are you?"

"I am myself, sir."

"A bold answer for such a young man."

"If you say so, your grace." Kuja, perplexed by the unusual conversation, turned back to his study of the piano.

"Do you play often?"

"This is my first attempt."

"Your hands betray you, sir."

"Your eyes are very observant." The cat-man refused to be goaded. "I shall correct then, it is my first time with this style of instrument. The version I was taught with was a little different."

The old statesman raised an eyebrow but didn't ask further about it. "An honest answer. So you can play, /a little/… and your other skills?"

"I have been educated sir, if that is your question." He looked back and shrugged, not sure what the man wanted to hear. He chose to interpret it in the academic sense. The old man didn't seem the type to discuss more risqué things. Kuja caught the amused gleam in the duke's eye at his answer, and was tempted to reconsider.  There was something very unusual about his wily opponent.

// Feisty… for a man his age… //

"History? Literature?"

"Some, but more particularly I am given to grasp mathematics and scientific principles, as well having a familiarity with strategy and politics."

"A little over educated for a courtesan, don't you think?"

"I am not a courtesan."

"You travel with the Kai, and share his bed…"

"Courtesans can be bought, sir. I am rather more exclusive." The cat-man smirked, knowing he had scored a point in matching bluntness for bluntness.

"Pity," the old man smiled, a bit more lively than before. "I was beginning to wonder if I could afford your company for an afternoon." The silver-haired man's eyes opened wider in disbelief. Being flirted with was not so uncommon, but the nobleman was a pleasant surprise, and deserving adversary.

// Laro called him an epicurean?  It seems he likes his beauties like he likes his a food… with touch of spice… // He couldn't help but flower a little under the attention.

"I wouldn't think that someone of your advanced years would still have an interest in such pursuits." He discreetly observed his opponent's sour face.

// Or maybe it's just that no one else dares to talk back to him… //

"Just because a man can no longer climb ladders through bedroom windows, does it mean he cannot appreciate a beautiful woman?"

"I am assuredly /not/ a woman, your grace… But I think I grasp your metaphor."

"You're a sharp-tongued rascal. Perhaps I'm better off without your charming company."

The silvery man dipped his head in acknowledgment of his scolding. "I meant no disrespect. If my company appeals to you, it seems only fair that I should comply… within reason."

"Loyalty to your general? Are you afraid of him?"

Kuja couldn't suppress his chuckle. "Of Laro? No, but I /am/ loyal. He deserves that much for my life, and the other kindnesses he has paid to me."

"I could have you exiled from the capital, you know… or denounced… Or even blackmailed in order to change your loyalties… Every man has his price, Mr. Kuja"

// … Laro would've warned me if he was a threat… wouldn't he? Oh… I see… he's toying with me… // The genome schooled his face into artful innocence.

"You would go that far to secure my affections? I'm flattered."

"Most people here would council you not to make light of me, pretty one."

"I've never been one to follow other's council." He played another chord on the delicate piano, enjoying the tone before confidently continuing again with the song. The notes had a darker sound, than he remembered from Gaia, making the melody all the more poignant. He reached the end of the passage before pausing, unwilling to provoke his guest further.

"You have a rare talent."

"I am not afraid of you."

"I am beginning to believe it." The quiet comment made Kuja turn again, wondering what his next test would be. His elderly inquisitor simply pulled himself upright with a tired hiss.

"Tell me, Mr. Kuja… Do you have any appointments to keep today?"

"Not until La-… the Kai is finished with his duties."

"You'll be sitting on your hands until well after dinner if you are waiting on /him/… Perhaps you had better come along with me."  The proffered hand was almost skeletally thin, but when he took it the grip was still strong.  For a worrying moment the touch reminded him of Garland. He shook his head a little to dispel the haunting feeling and caught the conversation before it could go on without him

"It's been damn near 30 years since I've met someone I could bear having a conversation with… be damned if I let an opportunity pass me by… at my age it may be my last.

"In that case, I am entirely at your disposal, your grace."

The aging diplomat's smile was wicked. It was still predatory, but now it was from one wolf to another. They would co-conspire against the stupidities of the rest of the world. Somehow he had won admittance into a very select circle.

// How very convenient… // He rested his hand on the silk covered arm allowed himself to be escorted down the hall.

// … Laro did say to behave… but surely a little harmless flirting won't cause any trouble. It'll do his ego some good, and make /me/ a valuable ally. //

Unable to help himself, the cat-man was already turning the problem over in his mind.  In two weeks, his one excuse for being in the capital was leaving to go to the front. On that day he had promised the general that he would return to the relative safety of the small fishing village.  Kuja wanted, /needed/ to break that promise, but to do so he needed a reason to stay. The question was, how to make himself invaluable in the short time allowed.

// You /will/ take me with you Laro… you need me… who else will look after you in all this chaos…? //

"Do you play cards, Mr. Kuja?"

The genome yanked his attention back to the present and digested the question. "I have heard Callist is an amusing game, but I have never had the pleasure. I used to be quite good at other card games."

"Really? Were any of them entertaining?"

"Some of them were very popular."

"You'll have to show me sometime. New amusements are rare to come by these days."  Guiding the younger man by the arm, he led them into a well appointed sitting room. "Callist is normally played with partners you see… my current one is mentally deficient. At this rate Dean Finlay will bankrupt me… Surely you can see my dilemma."

"I am happy to be of assistance…"

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Lines were laid down on the miniaturized terrain with brightly colored yarn chords. Beneath him lay the spread of the entire continent, sculpted from bits of wood and sand and clay.  The map was one of a kind, a strategic masterpiece. If he looked along the coast, where the blue sand of the ocean met the curve of the peninsula, he could easily pick out the tiny town of Osa-Roule.   The highway house he had stayed at three nights ago was too small to merit a label, but he could easily trace the short distance to the flag that marked their capital city.

Several weeks' journey away lay the front. It seemed a frighteningly small distance given the scale of the map, reminding him exactly how much of the continent was no longer under their control. Behind the piece of dark blue thread marking the area of alien domination, someone had carefully removed the markers for the fallen cities.  Entire nations had been swallowed up and destroyed in the insect's unstoppable assault on the continent.   Paralleling the blue thread was one a second line, done in red; the last clear separation between the land still protected by active army. He counted the small bronze tokens, doing mental calculations on the men and artillery they represented.  Compared to the force currently on the ground against them, it didn't seem such an uneven fight.

// But the bugs never show their full numbers until they're ready to move…. Then they just sweep in out of nowhere… //

It wasn't /nowhere/. He of all people knew perfectly well how the invaders had a variety of tactics. They could range from the slow but damn-near indestructible shock-troops which crawled on land, to the massive worm like burrowers which had been documented destroying entire villages, to the highly mobile flying attack units.  Laro looked over the colored chips, knowing the information in front of him was already over a day old.  He wouldn't know how things /really/ stood until he could get out to see for himself.

The map offered him /some/ hope however.  His mentor had the armies in a good position around the mountain foothills.  The shallow bedrock protected them from any sub-surface attack while the uneven terrain made it hard for the flying insects to land in force. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see the dusty camps full of hard-eyed veterans. They would fight tirelessly with the mountains at their back, holding their own, trying to take a little back in places the aliens didn't or couldn't access easily.

All three of the Towers in the mountain range had red markers pressed into them.  The two monoliths closest to the capital were also marked, those with yellow.  Five towers down, and he couldn't take credit for any of them. Laro smiled in amusement.

// Then again, the closest two were taken down in dad's time… so nobody really counts them any more… the Selwe haven't been able to get close enough to repair them ever since, and they don't seem to have the resources to send new ones. //

The three new conquests, each located at a key position along the entire span of the mountain chain, were all in positions where the aliens were at disadvantage.  The Selwe disliked certain extreme environments, oceans and snow-bound areas seemed their two least favorite.  Philosophers speculated that in a worse case scenario, the remaining human population could flee onto the sea and be spared. The general didn't see that as much of an option.

He frowned at the complex map, marking the orderly pattern of slim black towers all along the continent. They weren't close together by any stretch, and their spacing grew irregular along the coasts. The dark man often wondered how they blanketed the ocean, or if they did at all. There were rumors of similar monoliths on the other continents, but if there were no similar structures over the water, it was reasonable to believe that there were still places where the Net was stretched to the breaking point. 

Pinned to the wall were diagrams, the most accurate pictures assembled of the network of lines crisscrossing the heavens.  Each node of the complex weave was positioned over a Tower.  They were ranked on the map by the number of lines they connected. The more connections the monolith made, the more important it seemed, and the heavier it was guarded.  All of general Ibat's conquests were ranked fairly low, but taken as a set they had effectively weakened the region.  The Selwe would be forced to reroute energy through the other towers around the sizable gap. Comparing the diorama on the table with the maps on the wall, he made a pleased noise to himself.  Two of the three Towers now in striking distance were major hubs. Each sported more than seven threads branching off to other edges of the network.  Mentally he imagined shutting both monoliths down and how it would adjust the shape of the Net. To his surprise he saw that disabling even one of the two would open up a clean patch of sky over the front-line. 

// … We could do it… we could punch through… a genuine hole in the Net. //

General Ibat had to have seen it too. The older man's strategy probably had that very objective in mind.

// Taking out a Tower that well guarded is close to suicide. //

Laro grinned in amusement. That particular monolith had already fallen once. He and his ranking officers had stood at its very top for one long sweet moment before destroying as much of it as possible and turning tail in retreat.

// … What the hell… He probably figures I was crazy enough to do it once, and the position of the field wasn't nearly as good. I bet I can take it back a second time. And if Ibat swings a little west and can take out one more… // 

In his mind's eye, the gap in the Net only grew wider.  It was insanity, but it was /possible/ more so than it had ever been before. Luck, or maybe just pure chance had pushed an opportunity their direction. He would be damned if they didn't make the most of it.

// Clear sky… //  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and bounced on his heels to release some nervous energy. // I could see clear sky again in as soon as four months, if we push… if nothing bad happens… //

The Kai frowned at his childish pleasure. // And /then/ what… hmmm?  The Selwe will be pissed as hell… probably throw everything they have at us… They won't let that tower stay down for long… We need a /plan/… //

He wasn't keen on the idea of sitting around the monolith waiting to be overrun by the enemy.  Laro was fresh out of new ideas. Luckily, he already knew what he would do about it.  He dumped his stack of notes on a long-suffering attendant and left the stuffy hall.  Mid-afternoon sunlight caught him by surprise, making him wince as he crossed the courtyard.  Stomach grumbling, he was reminded that he had skipped lunch and made a mental note to find something to eat before set himself up for fasting until dinner.

There was one stop the general had to make before seeking his own comforts.  He needed a new idea.  Around the capital there was only one place a man could go where such things were ready commodities.

// Back to school… again… // 

Apparently psychic, the dean was just pouring a second drink as he let himself into her office.

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"Why if it isn't the 'cripple'…"

"Ha, ha… Crazy witch, get back on your broom."

"Your tongue hasn't dulled at all, boy… how about the rest of you? Is your aim still as true?"

"We will soon find out, won't we?" The general unbuttoned the formal over-coat and settled uninvited into a chair.  His intrusion had never been offensive before, and it was hard to believe the woman would deny him now. "I need a miracle, Carris. Can you provide?"

The gray haired scientist placed his drink on a coaster before settling behind her desk with a 'humph'.  "It seems like you've already had a 'miracle'…" She made a vague gesture to encompass his general vicinity. "Best not to be greedy, I think."

"I didn't have anything to do with getting better. It just sort of happened."

"I know. I got a letter from Ing. We /were/ classmates after all… He had some crazy ideas about that new… /friend/ of yours… the one with the 'stage name'… What roll did he play, precisely?"

Laro kept his expression blank. "I don't pretend to know what Ing was talking about…"

"… Really Laro… with a name like that… Normal boys do not go around claiming to be minor divinities on a regular basis."  She fumbled in her desk for a cigar, and lit it off a nearby lamp. "Highly suspicious all the way around, if you ask me… I mean, most of the idiots at court are practically illiterate, but surely /you/ remember your religious education…"

"No one believes that nonsense anymore, old woman. It's probably just coincidence."

The hard-faced scholar snorted in disbelief. "We'll see soon enough, I suppose." She leaned back in her chair. "Tell me one thing…"

"What?"

"I couldn't give a crap about his alias, he could be a hardened con-man for all I care… but how far can he be trusted?"  The dean tapped her ash into a convenient dish. "Or should I be asking someone with an impartial opinion?"

The dark man caught the non-subtle warning and chose his words carefully. "He knows more than he tells people. But that's not a crime, last I checked." He shrugged. "I trust him with my life. He's had ample opportunity to betray me and he hasn't yet."

"He may just be waiting for a good setup…"

"Masa is secretive, but he's not dangerous…" He knew it was useless to try to argue the point from his views alone. "I wouldn't mind however, if you checked him out for yourself. He mentioned to me that he was very interested in your school… he may open up to you more than he has to Ing or me…"

"The good doctor's letter spoke of amnesia."

"Maybe at the beginning… but not anymore."

"… and you still trust him? Are you certain it's not just hormones?"

"Please give me /some/ credit for good sense."

"You have to admit, boy… You're not exactly the most cool-headed person we know… and from the look of him… I worry that you are dazzled by the packaging…"

"I am aware of my particular weak-points, thank you Madam Finlay." The soldier grinned and shook his head. "I also trust you to give the man a fair chance… he's already going to be putting up with all kinds of trouble at court because of his attachment to me."

"You could have been a little more discrete."

"I /tried/… You people didn't exactly give me much breathing space.  Besides… he can be… stubborn about being left behind."

"I like him already." The dean rolled up her sleeves. "Not that it matters anyway… the bugs are practically knocking down our door… you saw the Map Room?"

"Yes, that's why I came over."

"Because you need another 'miracle'… What precisely did you have in mind…?"

// Good question… //

Laro closed his eyes, once again envisioning the battlefield and the positions of the Towers.  He pondered the already disabled trio of monoliths in the mountains, and the two laying in wait for him on the plains to the west. The image of  the clear night sky overhead tickled the back of his brain, an idea that wouldn't leave him be. It was a system, a vast interlinked series of control points through which energy and information was transmitted.

// Interconnected… All the Towers are connected… //

"I want a way to use one Tower as a weapon against the others." He stopped himself, shocked by how coherent his pipe-dream sounded when pushed out into the open. His host let out her breath in a gust and leaned forward to refill both their glasses.

"A bit of a tall order, don't you think?"

"You've got a whole university full of people who are too damn smart for their own good… You have the load-stones for at least four out of the five Towers in our control within easy reach… you just have to… you know…" The general waived his hands in a frustrated manner.

"Just figure it out so you can smash it, hmmm?"

"Pretty much, yes. Can you do it?"  He saw the older woman's eyes flash, obviously rising to the blatant challenge. "It would beat the hell out of wasting your student's talents on building a 'better armored cannon.'"

"Yes, yes it would…"  Dean Finlay tilted back again, puffing her cigar. "… We've used the load-stones before… one is the power-source for the mobile cannon, you know… the second is part of the setup for eavesdropping on their communications traffic…but actually leaving the crystal in the Tower and trying to /transmit/ with it? No one's ever had the balls to suggest something that insane. What if it backfires?"  She was talking more to herself than to him.

"God Laro, it's good to have you back… I don't know if it's that you're an idiot savant, or if you really are a genius, but things just weren't the same with you gone."

"Careful, Carris. That was almost a compliment."

The woman shook her head in disbelief. "I must be getting senile, doing a thing like that…" She stood, ushering him firmly to the door. "Get out. I have work to do. If I'm going to deliver you anything worth mentioning before you leave, I'd better get the students to haul some serious ass."

"Just so long as it's ready before we get plowed under, I'm in no particular rush."

"We'll take care of it. Just stall them long enough for us to throw it together." The door was firmly closed in his face.

// Well… that was productive… //

Laro's stomach emitted an empty rumble. He had missed his last chance at lunch.

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Note: Right. So I just finished replaying ff9 in a vague hope that I'd get things straight in my head. As a result I'll be going back through the past chapters and editing for consistency. It's a work in progress, so shoot me.  I'll leave Kuja as a cat boy because hell, it'll make a funny plot device later.

Zidane: Monkey!

Laro: cat!

Zidane: Monkey! And I should know!

Laro: *pout*