Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters in this story.

Author's notes: Before Hikari No Aijou rightfully tells me not to, let me say this is not an apology, but rather an admission. My last fight scene was not what it could have been. As I've said, I've been busy doing craptons of overtime, but payroll keeps screwing up my pay and I'm still short a lot of money from them. So you know what? Fuck it. I'm done with overtime for the next while until they pay me what they owe me. Screw their "operational need", I'm tired of being ripped off and having my writing suffer for it. Now I can go back to writing like I used to, and with that, I can give you guys another badass action scene.

Let's see what a few nights listening to Pendulum does for me! XD

Chapter 10: Strange Teamwork.

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"Somebody help me!"

The shrill voice made itself clear, even among the distant explosions and crashing crystals. I could hear spells launching as I flew closer. Freya's healing spell really did me some good. I was moving faster than before. Or, perhaps I was feeling better about patching things up with her and that gave me more confidence. It would be nice to have her off my back after all this was over, but first we had to finish the fight and get out alive.

I came upon a platform, much larger than I had seen from any other so far. It must have been ripped out of the walls as one whole piece. It stood about half the size of a football field and littered with craters. Several smaller crystals had slammed into the field, digging deep and blocking my view of the entire platform. I could hear Eiko's voice, but where exactly was she?

"LOOK OUT!"

I turned just as the young girl jumped from a platform floating above me. Eiko crashed into my chest hard enough to knock the both of us to the ground. We rolled in one heap and landed against a vertical crystal. Eiko was dazed but I was just annoyed. I picked her up with one arm and righted myself up. She had fallen from a platform fifty feet above us. Even in the twisted gravity of this place, that was dangerous.

"What the hell Eiko?" I said, letting her down as she startled herself awake. "You could have been killed!"

Eiko wasted no time grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me back behind the crystal for cover. "Quick! Hide!"

She was panicked enough that I didn't question her. I ducked around the tall crystal and sat next to her. We lucked out because the second we were out of sight, Kuja flew in where Eiko had fallen from and hovered down to the edge of the platform behind us.

"Hmm… I thought I saw a little mouse come this way," Kuja chuckled as he made his way slowly towards us. "I wonder where she went?"

This wasn't good. I silently got to my feet and drew my weapons. Kuja no doubt knew Eiko was here, but perhaps I could get the drop on him. I tried to think of a way to rush out and use surprise to my advantage when I heard a whispered muttering at my feet. I looked down and saw a summoning circle forming around Eiko.

"What are you doing?" I whispered harshly.

"Saving us!" she hissed back as soon as she got the spell off.

The ground behind us shattered seconds later. I peered around the corner and saw the platform splinter as Fenrir, Hound of the Earth, broke free. With hair spiked and crackling with energy, the giant wolf charged straight for Kuja. Fenrir's maw widened as he aimed for Kuja's throat. Now was the perfect time for me to attack and assist the canine Eidolon.

However, Eiko had other ideas. "I've survived by summoning and running," she said. "Fenrir will buy us some time. Let's go!"

"Are you kidding?" I called back. "We're never gonna beat Kuja if we run. Stand and fight!"

"But we need to find the others! We don't stand a chance on our own!"

I didn't have time to explain that Freya and I were enough to defeat one of Kuja's clones. My window of opportunity was shrinking, and fast. I just grunted as I rounded the crystal. "Just use your white magic to keep me alive!"

I ran with short swords at the ready, but Kuja had already made short work of the wolf and now held the Eidolon by the throat. He didn't seem at all surprised when I ran in and he raised an arm at me. He charged a spell in his hand, and I recognized it as the same one he used to burn Terra. I slid to a halt and forced my short swords up defensively. I caught the spell just in time as it blast into my blades and shimmered away. Kuja tossed Fenrir aside like a worthless lump of granite and he moved in on me.

"It seems I've found someone else to toy with," Kuja mocked. "Tell me you're not going to run and hide like your friend."

I gave Eiko the briefest glance, trying not to betray her position to Kuja. She cowered in the shadow of the crystal and didn't dare budge. Her Eidolons were her strongest attacks and Kuja had thrashed Fenrir like he was a mere puppy. I couldn't blame Eiko for being afraid. How many times had Kuja tossed her summons aside like that?

"She's gone," I told the floating madman. "Now you're stuck with me. Sucks to be you, huh?"

"Hardly," Kuja sneered. "I'll dispatch you easily, then pursue the rest of the gnats. I seem to recall you barely winning against Deathguise, and that was with the other harvested soul. On your own, you're worthless."

"Don't talk about Kaiten like that," I threatened, extending both Demon Sabers to their maximum. I tripled my range, but Kuja ignored it and just kept picking at me.

"You're not even your own man! How can you be? Can you even call that your own body?"

My own body? My real body was sleeping in a coma on Earth. I had no idea how to get back to it, or if I even could at all, but right now, did that matter? I took a deep breath, in control of my emotions, and I cleared my mind. There was only Kuja before me, an enemy I had to kill. The one last obstacle before I could finally save the world.

I had to stay focused.

"We'll see how real I am," I said. "Bring it, bitch."

Kuja frowned at my dismissal and didn't say another word. Instead, he powered up a spell in each hand and hovered in place. He was waiting for my next move. He wouldn't wait long.

I made my rush, coming in with Crimson before me, and Azure low and to the side. Kuja wasn't at all threatened and launched another bolt at me. Crimson caught it and the two magics met with explosive result. The bolt was split in two by my Demon Saber, but it drained the magic from my sword temporarily. It didn't matter though, because by then, I was close enough for Azure to reach. I swung hard and fast, and the blade met with Kuja's outstretched hand. His spell easily canceled out my Demon Saber as well, dispelling the blade and diminishing my reach.

It would take a few seconds to regain my magic, but I still had my blades and was still charging. I aimed Crimson for Kuja's heart, but it seemed he had already anticipated that. His first hand had already recharged another, smaller bolt, and aimed it for me. I realized too late that I wouldn't be able to finish my attack or dodge the spell. My eyes grew wide as he let loose the blast as Crimson was inches from his chest. I was picked off of my feet and carried by the spell back the way I came until I crashed against a standing crystal.

"Foolish, but amusing," Kuja said as he hovered his way to me. I could already see another spell in his hand, ready to finish me off. "But before you go, there's something I need to take care of."

Instead of aiming at me, Kuja turned his magic across the platform, where Eiko was still hiding. The little girl gasped as the spell grew, much larger than it was before, until it swallowed Kuja's entire hand. Acting fast, I grabbed for a short sword and poured my magic into it. Kuja was still out of range, even with a Demon Saber, but I had to get to him before—

Too late! I realized with a sudden sinking in my stomach. Kuja loosed the bolt at Eiko well before I got to him. I froze in shock, but there was nothing I could do. Eiko screamed and held her arms up defensively, like that would do anything. As soon as I noticed that Eiko had forgotten to put up any defensive spells, sealing her fate, I saw a green figure fall from the sky and crash into the bolt. He punched it, cracking the spell in half with a tremendous explosion. One half dissipated where he stood, but the other half flew off into the distance, crashing into a distant crystal and taking it out, burning it to ash.

"Didn't I say not to go far?" the man scolded. "Stupid brat."

"What is this?" Kuja demanded. "How many more of you are going to fall in like this?"

There was a loud crack of knuckles as the smoke cleared around Amarant. "I'm the only one you need to worry about. What kind of man chases a little girl like that?"

"H-Hey!" Eiko shouted. "I'm not little!"

Amarant just sighed. "I hate kids."

During the introduction, I was able to get back on my feet. "Amarant. Glad I'm not the only fighter here."

"Thought you were out of commission," Amarant called back. "You know there are five of these guys, right?"

"Four left," I said. "Freya and I killed one."

Amarant cracked his neck. "Too bad. I wanted to kill them all myself."

"I'd hate to disappoint you gentlemen," Kuja said. "But killing one of us just makes the others stronger. All that traded power is returned to the others. By wearing yourself out, you've just made your loss all but assured!"

"Oh, I dunno," I grinned. "I feel pretty good right now! How about you Amarant?"

"Better'n this asshole's gonna feel."

"Wonderful! I'll take his left side and you take his right?"

"Works for me. Just don't get hit."

But Kuja wasn't having any of our banter. "You're welcome to try, but you won't succeed!"

A sheen of light overtook Kuja for a moment, like a curtain. No doubt that was a protect spell. That would help him against our physical attacks, but I grinned at our particular preparation that Kuja didn't seem aware of. I had magic swords and everything Amarant touched exploded. A protect spell meant little.

"GO!" Amarant shouted, and we both broke into a run. Demon Sabers might have been dangerous to use with an ally in close quarters, so I capped each of my blades with an Explosion. It would be fun seeing Kuja dealing with blast after blast all around him.

We closed the distance quickly enough, but Kuja wasn't about to stand there and get wailed on. Amarant and I took our first swings, but Kuja deftly sidestepped them, hovering between us and flying away across the platform. It made sense. Why should he stay in range of us when he could use magic from a distance? Suddenly, my magic sword advantage seemed much less significant.

"As if I would be so foolish to take you both on in a frontal assault," Kuja mocked. His hand glowed red as he powered up another spell. "Killing you this way isn't as much fun, but it is efficient."

"Eiko! Get to cover!" Amarant shouted as he threw himself behind a crystal. I did the same with my own crystal, staying flexible and ready to move again should I need to.

It sounded like a truck backfiring when the Flare finally went off. It blasted the ground where we had been standing a few seconds ago as a wave of fire and light poured around us. The crystals we used for cover were the only things keeping us from being roasted alive.

The spell was over after a few seconds. The residual heat left the air feeling muggy, but I would take that over a direct hit any day.

"Amarant!" I called out. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine!" he shouted. "The brat too! She's here with me!"

"I am NOT a BRAT!" Eiko cried out.

"Then how about helping for a change?!"

But Kuja was not in the mood to allow us to rest. "I'm sure you would love a few minutes to recuperate," he said, still flying out of range. "But that is time I refuse to give. "Stay hidden if you like, but that will only lead to your downfall!"

I could hear something like a video game laser cannon charging up. A sharp blue light poured in from behind the crystals and I knew we were in trouble. The resonating sound pulsed through the air and only got closer. My eyes went wide as I saw a bright blue beam of energy streaking straight for Amarant and Eiko's crystal.

"MOVE!"

The spell was a Holy and quickly wrapped once around Amarant and Eiko's crystal, trapping them, before winding up and crashing down onto it.

"Guys!" I couldn't believe it. Rubble and crystal shards flew everywhere at once. I had to dodge the shrapnel behind my own crystal, but I didn't see any sign of the others. Could Kuja really have taken them out so easily? What chance did I have then?

The flying madman was already confident in his apparent victory. He cackled psychotically. It was all I could do to stay out of sight, hidden by the massive crystal obelisk. "It seems your friends weren't as strong as they presented. What about yourself, killer? Are you as strong as Garland thought? Can you take me down?"

As long as Kuja could fly, I was at a serious disadvantage. Kaiten was the one with all the ranged attacks, like his Arc Storm. All I had was my Demon Saber, and that only gave me about eight feet of range at best. I would need to trick him to the ground, or perhaps move on and hope I could find others. Vivi would be great to have at my side. Perhaps even Steiner, with his Shock ability.

The platform was hardly littered with crystals. Even so, Kuja didn't seem to know exactly where I was at the moment. Maybe I could make a break for it and fall off the platform without detection. As I was, a direct charge would be suicide.

"Are you going to keep hiding like a rat?" Kuja continued to taunt. I risked a look and saw him slowly hovering away in the wrong direction. "Very well then. I shall have to flush you out."

I thought I had done a decent job in hiding. Imagine my shock when a well of light and heat appeared not three feet away from me. I was kidding myself when I thought I could hide. Kuja knew where I was the entire time! Reacting on instinct, I dashed out from the crystal with only seconds to spare as the spell erupted, engulfing the spot I had been standing in light and heat. The pressure of the attack knocked me to my stomach as I ran, leaving me exposed and in the open. Kuja just smirked as he hovered well out of range.

"There you are," he said, drunk on his clear advantage. "How nice of you to join me."

I was caught between thinking about a winning strategy and the fear of dying again. Death had been quick and painless the first time. I doubted Kuja would be so kind.

"What's that?" Kuja joked. "Nothing to say in your final moments?"

Screw it. If I was going to die, I was going to die fighting. "Blow me, thong-boy."

There was nothing more to say. I kept short swords charged and my gaze focused. My best bet was to overcharge a single short sword and hope I could overcome the eight-foot limitation. Perhaps I could reach Kuja and take him by surprise before he could attack. It was a long shot, but I didn't have any others to use.

I ran forth as fast as I could, but my plan was doomed from the start. Kuja was a master-level mage and he already had a spell in hand. As I stepped, the air around me grew a faint red as another Flare was quickly prepared all around me. I tried my best to concentrate on hitting Kuja, but even as my Demon Saber extended towards him, the air heated so much that I found it hard to draw breath.

The spell finally unleashed its full fury all around me. I clenched my body, hoping the pain wouldn't send me into shock. However, I didn't feel anything. As I heard another blast go off nearby, I opened my eyes, only to see another flare igniting around Kuja, taking him by surprise. I was left unscathed, but why would Kuja attack himself like that?

Upon closer examination, I noticed a slight red glow around my body. It faded a moment later, but I recognized it at once. It was a reflect spell, just like the one we put on Kaiten in the fight against the Lich. But how did I get it? I couldn't cast white magic.

A cheerful chirp a few feet over gave me my answer. I saw a light-green creature, with the body of a fox, the tail of a squirrel, the pointy ears of a rabbit, and a sparkling red ruby on its forehead. "Carbuncle?" I asked. The Shield Eidolon chirped again before opening a hole behind itself and backflipped into it, sealing the hole up again.

"Trevor? Are you alright?" Eiko asked from across the platform.

"I'm good!" I called back, stepping back defensively. Kuja was already recovering and I didn't need another surprise from him. He just dusted some ashes from his now-crispy clothes and glared angrily at us.

"A clever dodge," he admitted. "But a dirty trick all the same. Let's see you do that again."

"Demi Shock!"

A dark globe formed over Kuja, encasing him within a black hole. The orb grew and shrank quickly, contracting into a singularity before erupting. The energy loosed itself in a bolt of electricity and divine power. Kuja's body reeled for a moment, recovering from the gravity magic that had come from nowhere.

"Trevor, run!" Amarant called. He scooped up Eiko and ran towards a cluster of crystals on a separate platform close by. I chased after them, grateful to be alive. We made it to the new cluster soon enough, with crystals piercing the large platform thickly enough to look like a dense forest. Moving between them was hard, but so would searching for us be.

"That was awesome!" I said as soon as we were safe. "Amarant, I didn't know you could use magic!" I had used Amarant so rarely in the game that seeing it again here came as a shocking reminder.

"I can," he said, sitting by a crystal. "I just don't have a lot of stamina for it."

This was exactly what we needed. Now we had another range advantage and wouldn't have to search for the others. I kneeled for the moment and took the chance to rest up.

"So, any ideas?" I asked the others.

"I'm running low on magic," Amarant said. "We should probably avoid relying on it."

"Seriously?" I asked. "So Eiko is the only one who can even reach Kuja now?"

"Hey, I'm not afraid to fight!" Eiko defended.

"Quiet!" Amarant hushed sharply. "Do you want Kuja to find us?"

"But…" Eiko took a second to adjust her volume. "But I'm not afraid! I was just on my own before, but I can summon my Eidolons again!"

"I'm not taking that chance. Just stay back and heal us when we call for it. Stay in cover and if it looks like Trevor and I are going down, get out of here and find the others."

"Hey! I'm not—"

"Enough!" I shouted to stop Eiko from yelling again. I spoke in a hushed tone as an idea came to mind. "Eiko, how quickly can you summon your Eidolons? And please stop yelling."

Eiko's cheeks puffed up as she glared at me angrily, but she at least did as I asked. "The summoning spells are different for each one, but the shortest is Carbuncle and the longest is Madeen."

"Could you switch between them quick if Kuja fights them off?"

"Maybe with half a minute and you guys keeping me covered."

"We can't wait that long," Amarant pointed out. "If we strike, we strike hard and fast."

"Agreed," I said. "Eiko, you'll have a chance for one, maybe two summons total, but no more. Amarant and I will have to take him from there."

"But he's flying!" Eiko pointed out. "How're you gonna get him down to the ground?"

"Leave that to me," Amarant said. He pulled a pinwheel out of a pocket full of them. Another facet of his character I had forgotten. I really needed to hang out with Amarant more. "It's been a while since I practiced, but my aim used to be quite sharp. If he has wings, I'll clip them."

"Good," I nodded. "I have a plan. It'll require us to have perfect reflexes, but it should take him down in one coordinated assault."

As I discussed the plan with the others, Kuja had recovered from our last bout and flew over our forest of crystals. He kept his distance, flying high and out of range of most attacks. He was cautious, but fortunately, my plan already prepared for that.

I stood at the end of the forest and silently glanced to Eiko, hiding just a few crystals away. She stared up at Kuja worriedly. Amarant was already in place deeper in the crystals. When Kuja looked to be in the right place, I gave Eiko a sharp whistle. She turned to me after a moment, still clearly worried, but she nodded all the same and brought her flute to her lips.

I held my breath as Kuja turned to the new sound. He floated slowly above us, scanning between each crystal in search of us. "I can hear mice scattering about," he taunted. "But I can't see them. Perhaps I should flood them out?"

I saw Kuja prepare another pair of Holy spells. If he directed those correctly, he could probably flush us out or kill us outright. The first part of the plan was risky. Eiko had to play her flute to distract Kuja, which put her and myself at risk. However, that distraction, in addition to our previous attack, kept him focused on us, and that would be his downfall.

As soon as Eiko finished her spell, she ducked behind another crystal, but not quickly enough to escape Kuja's gaze. He flew overhead, trapping her against a crystal with a spell in each hand and a menacing look.

"Seems I found one of the mice," he mocked. "And I know just how to get rid of her too!" He held a hand out as he prepared his Holy spell.

Fearful as she was, Eiko stood bravely and gave her command. Her whole body seemed to clench as she screamed, "CRASH INTO HIM AND EXPLODE!"

Kuja didn't know what to expect or who Eiko was talking to, until he felt the incredible heat rising against his back. He turned just in time to see the Phoenix's eyes meet his. The majestic bird brought its wings around Kuja and let loose a dangerous self-destruction. Fire wrapped around Kuja as the force of the spell flung him like a shot to the ground.

Now it was my turn.

Kuja was quickly falling from the sky, taking a while to recover from the blast. I broke from the crystal forest with Demon Sabers at the ready. I skidded to a halt seconds before Kuja was set to land. He obviously thought something was up and already had a spell charging in each hand. He brought them forward just as I swung my swords up. Magic met magic and one cancelled the other. I failed to cut through Kuja, but now he was without his weapons.

The resulting blast stopped Kuja's fall, and he quickly recovered. He pushed away from me and flew back into the sky. I fell onto my back, but Kuja and I locked eyes. I could tell he didn't know what we had planned, but he wouldn't find out by looking at me. Especially with the new attack coming from behind him again.

Amarant ran up a ramped crystal from the middle of the forest and caught Kuja unaware. The flying madman only had half a second to react before Amarant dug his Rune Claws into his back. With what little magic he had remaining, Amarant brought an arm back and energy coursed through his fist. His hand glowed a bright white light that seemed to push all the darkness around it away. Kuja saw the magic, but had no way to dodge or defend himself.

"NO MERCY!" Amarant yelled, as he thrust his hand into Kuja's back. The resulting blast overtook the thespian, worsening his wounds and shooting him forwards. Back towards me.

I stood ready on the ground, Demon Sabers charged and waiting to receive. I held them ready, one pointed at Kuja and one ready at my side. My entire body braced as Kuja slammed into the blade, the Demon Saber easily penetrating his stomach and shooting out through his back. I swung the second blade as hard as I could, cutting Kuja deep on the side and adding to the already mortal wound. His body rolled along the platform, already incredibly damaged. But this was Final Fantasy. We had to make sure he was down and couldn't use white magic to heal himself.

"Eiko!" I shouted into the crystal forest. "Do it now!"

I saw a dark purple glow from inside the crystals and got to cover inside the forest. Kuja came to a stop well outside the range of the final attack. He was barely moving, but was still alive. A white glow came from his hand, faint, but still present. If he healed himself, it was all over. We would not get a second chance.

"Eiko?"

"Done!"

Just as Kuja was about to cast his healing spell, he ground beneath him exploded. Rock and crystal erupted all around him, causing him to drop the spell. The shards all collapsed together, pulling Kuja in with it. Madeen appeared outside the forest, adorned in enormous bat wings and a lion's head and humanoid body. She brought Kuja and the crystals into a singularity, crushing them all under intense gravity. And then, it all blew up.

Madeen disappeared, allowing the crystal, now more powder than chunks, and Kuja's twisted and bloodied body fall. To add to our success, his head landed first, breaking his neck at an awkward angle.

We gathered ourselves together, ready just in case he survived the assault, but upon closer inspection of the body, to our great relief, Kuja was dead. His trance faded and his mangled body slowly dripped blood onto an orange crystal platform.

"That took long enough," Amarant said. "Three left?"

"What about the others?" Eiko asked. "Are they alright? Maybe they've been able to take the other copies down! We could be done!"

"Maybe," I said. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We should assume there are three left."

"Where do we go then?" Amarant asked. "This place is massive. Finding another Kuja, or any of the others, could take us hours! Especially if they're moving around too."

I looked around. There was only a bitter silence that met us. No nearby battles, no sounds of the others, not even the slightest flash of combat. However, an idea came to mind for a moment. "Then we go the one place we can bet Kuja is waiting for us."

Eiko cocked her head curiously. "Where's that?"

I pointed down, towards the gravitational center of the room. "Where this all started. We're going to the Crystal."

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Special treat for all my readers coming next month! I'll do my best to have an on-time chapter, and I hope to see you guys there!

-Krimson Rogue