Disclaimer: I don't own any previously copyrighted material. But everything not associated with such (original plot, original characters, etc.) does belong to me.
Hello everyone! Thank you so much for being so amazing and sticking by Zidane and Kuja. Reviewers, thank you for being so thorough and vocal with me, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I know it's been quite some time since my last update, particularly since I didn't say beforehand that I was going to take a break. Well, the updates are on vacation, but the writing certainly isn't. Basically, some things happened (or will happen?) during Kuja's final confrontation with the Emperor that relied heavily on what would happen between the last updated chapter and then, so those chapters are getting revised to make more sense. In the meantime, below are four rejected scenes, whether because they would have had seriously weird implications, they logistically made things difficult from a 'who is where, with who else, and when?' point, or I just decided that I must have been incredibly sleep-deprived when I was writing.
The first scene is from way early on, after Kuja lost it in the fragmented worlds and right after Ultimecia appeared alongside Cosmos/Namine. Originally, they were going to join forces with the Emperor and Ultimecia, but that would have forced Ultimecia's hand far too early in the plot. The second scene is an idea I'd prefer to explore with an emphasis on Golbez sometime in the future, and the third scene was written when I had the Warrior of Light, Jecht and Golbez join Zidane in the Origin World when Kuja was unconscious, but their presence would have gotten in the way of the effect of Kuja's realization that Zidane had carried him through the Origin World (originally, it was Cecil who wound up in FFXIII world, which was changed for obvious reasons). The fourth scene takes place sometime around where the current narrative is… maybe. I wrote it a long time ago, when it was really, really late at night…
Please enjoy!
~greyrondo
Maybe we just didn't get the whole story. Kuja, for all that he is, is still a liar. And he's a pretty good actor—maybe the Warrior of Light didn't get the right information that time he overheard them talking.
"Did you do anything to my brother?"
The Emperor frowns. "It's true that he did hate me, and rather visibly so. I asked him, time after time, to work with me against Garland. I don't know how that could have upset him as much as it apparently did."
I'm not so sure just yet. "Are you sure you didn't do anything to him?"
The Emperor shakes his head. "Was his argument with Garland highly personal? That might have been it. He might have taken my offer for help as an insult to his abilities."
"Well, he does have his pride, I'll give you that," I say. "Thanks."
The Emperor smiles weakly. "For what, I'm not certain. But all the same, you're very welcome."
As we part ways for the moment, I think then that I would give anything to have Firion here with me. But he's not, so I have to remember what Firion said about the Emperor, how he said it, and what he would think about the exchange I just had.
It occurs to me with a little sadness that I don't know Firion well enough to do this. Which means I can't say that I know the Emperor nearly well enough to tell if he's lying to me.
So it comes down to it: who do I trust more, the Warrior of Light who wouldn't say a single word as to why he was skulking around Garland's castle, or the Emperor who I just saw with my own eyes working productively with Cosmos?
In that situation, the fact that I trust Cosmos gets in the way of whether or not I can trust the Emperor.
What does the Emperor have to gain from stealing the Crystal away from Kuja? It's obvious: any follower of Chaos wouldn't want such a volatile reincarnation of Chaos to lead him. It's obvious that the Chaos that has overtaken Kuja doesn't even have the same goals as the Chaos that controlled Garland. You could even say that the current manifestation of Chaos has left all of its old followers behind. Abandoned.
What does Cosmos have to gain from stealing the Crystal away from Kuja? That's even more obvious: she gets the Crystal, then we all get to go home.
But what's not so obvious is why the Emperor would so willingly agree to giving Cosmos the Crystal. It would be a trick anyone could spot a mile off, except that they both agreed to let me be the one to deal with the person who used to be Kuja.
'Person' is the wrong word. 'Thing' is better.
"Is he getting too heavy?" Golbez asks as I grimace, shifting Kuja's weight before I set him down.
I shake my head. "No, he's not heavy, his shoulder armor just digs in awkwardly."
"He does wear armor in strange places, doesn't he…" Golbez remarks.
I frown. "Yeah, you're right. Except for the shoulders, none of it's really effective."
"No, it's certainly effective, depending on what you're guarding against." And the Golbez goes away, leaving me thinking.
As I think, Kuja moves around. Not enough to make me shift my grip again, but enough to notice that he's uneasy.
"Hey, Kuja, it's okay," I mutter, and run my knuckles against the fabric of his sleeve, just for reassurance. But my knuckles brush up against that armor too quick, and suddenly Golbez makes sense.
Kuja wears armor on his shoulders, belted over his heart, and wrapped around his hands, making it pretty much impossible to sling an arm around his shoulders, hold his hand, or embrace him without getting a cold sting of metal. So even though he shows off the rest of his body, when it comes to anything meaningful, it's 'look, don't touch.'
So what's Golbez guarding against?
"So this is the new Cosmos," Ultimecia purred. "Hmm, doesn't seem like he's capable of much. But I suppose that's what he was like when I first saw him, so I suppose nothing has really changed. And by the way, I just wanted to let you know that I watched as the Emperor raped your brother. I know what he sounds like when he begs for mercy. Would you guess that he screamed for your help, Zidane? Think about that before you tell people that he's your all-powerful god of order and light."
…what?
She leaves; the damage is done. I don't move.
I feel the Warrior of Light's hand on my shoulder. "Come on, let's go. She's lying to us, Zidane," he assures me quietly.
Of course. Of course she's lying to us. That would be just the underhanded thing to do, to suggest something unforgivable like that with Kuja unable to disprove her lies. I sigh in relief, and I let go of the millions of image that my mind held in that silent second: all the times I joked about Kuja's looks, never wondering once if they could ever get him into trouble.
Golbez clears his throat. "Warrior, she's not lying," he says, his voice a blank slate. Jecht frowns and looks at him with a skeptical eye.
"What do you mean, she's not lying?" he demands. "Wait just a second here, do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Jecht, you remember what he acted like when we took him with us, shaking like a leaf and crying out like we were torturing him, not trying to heal him."
"That doesn't mean anything," Jecht insists, shaking his head. "That didn't happen. Kuja's a drama queen and he was just being…"
I give up on listening to them; I'm too busy putting the pieces together. I walk over to where Golbez has laid Kuja down against the tree trunk and I pick him up; it's my turn to carry him. But then I just sit right back down.
And I'm speechless because all the pieces fit together. Kuja sleeping on the ground in the Crystal World; that wasn't him being lazy at all. He was sleeping to escape. And maybe that's what he's doing now, except we can't wake him up until we find…something.
He moves a little like he's been doing lately; does that mean we're getting close? With a sleepy murmur, he shifts and his arm wraps around my neck. It's like he's assuring me, telling me that it's okay.
No. Sorry, Kuja. It's not okay. Not okay at all.
I hear Jecht clear his throat, and my world breaks open again as I look up. "Gil for your thoughts?" Jecht insists.
He asked. "I'm thinking that Kuja had better not wake up and kill the Emperor for this, because I'd rather it be me."
"Damn," Jecht nods. "Uh, well, just wanted to let you know that we've got company," and he shrugs and looks behind him. I see three people: Cloud and Terra. And…
And another Kuja?
Did I ever have a 'normal' conversation with anyone? Ever? If I asked someone about the weather, or how their family was doing, then it was because I wanted something out of them. Whenever I spoke to one of Chaos' followers, it was because I needed to evaluate them. When they spoke to me, I spent the entire time wishing they would stop. Even the time I spend with Jecht and Golbez, carrying the Crystal, was spent mostly listening to them talk or sleeping.
That can't be true. Surely… but no, my memory serves me far better than I let on. I've never had a normal conversation with anyone. I've never asked someone how they were because I actually cared. I've never shared in anyone's casual confidences, at least not with anything in the way of altruistic intentions.
I just picture it now
'Hi, Golbez.'
'Good afternoon. Something I can do for you?'
'Oh, ah, no, not really. I just wanted to talk.'
'What about, particularly?'
'Nothing in particular.'
'Oh. Ah… all right, then.'
'…'
'…'
All right, perhaps Golbez was not the best choice to imagine that scenario with. But I know that I can hold a perfectly good, ordinary conversation, without any ulterior motives, with anyone.
…wouldn't talking to them to prove a point count as an ulterior motive?
Yes.
No, I can't allow myself to overthink this. I'm going to find someone and become interested in their lives, no matter what.
…and now I'm a stalker. Goodness, there's no proper way out of this, is there?
