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Chapter 44: This Is The Rebel Base

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Zidane ran from the palace. Drake was right on his tail till Zidane got to the dock and leapt onto a boat, which had taken a while since Zidane had no idea where he was going for a while and got lost in the forest.

Drake… didn't follow, though from what Zidane had seen during the fight he had no doubt the prince could have made the jump.

"Leaving so soon?" Drake grinned.

"Yeah, I may be crazy but it hasn't seemed like the nicest visit!" Zidane growled.

"Well you are crazy. Must agree, though." Drake waved, "You should hurry home to hide."

"Gee, thanks for that brilliant advice!" Zidane snarled.

"Come now, I'm being reasonable, I'm giving you a head start." Drake said, his smile never faltering.

Zidane set up the fin sails on the boat and took off, the speed wasn't usual anywhere else but around here, it was like this area was designed for boats.

As soon as that wretched continent was out of sight, Zidane let all this sink in.

Those people had him trapped. He'd been surrounded, in a fight.

Drake had let him go, he had even told him the plan, let him escape. Why would someone do that?

---

Brahne was shaking she was so upset. It took two hours, but the fights died down and people shuffled about, either leaving or going about their own business.

She finally saw Drake again, he walked in alone.

"Why?" She snapped as she stormed over to him

Drake looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Why? Why what?"

"Why did you do that?" Brahne yelled.

"Fun." Drake replied, easily.

"What?" Queen Brahne shrieked.

"You should be quiet, your highness. You're causing a scene." Drake warned, his voice was cold.

Brahne stared at him. "… You killed him?" she whispered, afraid of the answer.

Drake smirked, not answering for a bit. He let her wait, wonder. "No, I didn't."

"Then you just purposely let him get away?" The Queen snarled.

"Yes."

"We had this all worked out, we had a plan! He was going to be captured—,"

"And held, and forced to open the door, and then killed. I know. No fun at all, that's why I let him go. All he'd do is spend weeks refusing to open the door until he either escaped or died. You don't have enough ammunition to use against him." Drake circled around her, making her turn so she wouldn't lose sight of him, and he knew she feared having him at her back. "You're little plan was dumb, dull, and unplanned, just like you. So I told him what it was, and then I let him leave."

"Why?" Queen Brahne screamed.

Drake narrowed his eyes, giving her a warning stare as a reminder that he'd told her to quiet down, "I told you." he hissed, voice low… "I like to hunt."

---

Zidane hated how long this was taking. Stupid boats… He hated these boats! He needed to get back to Alexandria Palace, talk to Garnet. It probably wasn't the best idea to go there, especially if Brahne got there, first. But he had to know, he had to know if Garnet was a part of this. Did she have any idea what was going on? She'd been pressing him to open the door a lot more often… hanging around Prince Drake a lot more.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to announce his arrival in front of the world, marry Garnet, and live happily ever after. Where was this? What had happened?

This… sucked. It was awful, terrible. It was annoying when he just had to worry about Garnet leaving him. He thought it had been the worst thing, but it wasn't. This was the worst thing. This… situation was like drowning in The River Stiks.

And he had all night to think about it.

He finally made it where he was headed, where he'd managed to leave his jet incase he needed an escape.

The Outer Continent. It was… out of the way. It almost wasn't worth it, but it would let him check the Black Mage Village and a few other things before going back to Alexandria… and he still had to decide if he wanted to go back there at all.

Could he handle that…? Would Brahne be back when he got there? Probably, but who else? Would she drag the world leaders there and start over?

Too many questions.

He trotted past Fossil Roo and into the Black Mage Village. Everyone was asleep, but he silently walked through, making sure nothing had… vanished. It was a constant fear on his mind, that he'd get there and see no one—no genomes—and have to deal with being alone again. To wake up and look in the mirror and wonder if you'd dreamed it all because you finally hit the point where you couldn't stand being the only one anymore.

Seeing the genomes sleeping peacefully or just looking around gave him comfort, but he stayed silent. They didn't need him to talk, the ones who were awake were assured of their safety simply by seeing him.

Mikoto had told him that.

Once he was sure everyone there was safe, he headed back to his jet.

Zidane walked through with only the sounds of the night and his own shoes crunching the ground below him. His jet wasn't too far away, and the sight of it was welcoming.

He jumped aboard the Chariot and took off into the sky. He wasn't going home, though. Not yet…

He was going to the Desert Palace.

Passed the Wind Shrine, down by the coast, into the crumpled ruins that had once been an airship dock, but had been destroyed by the Black Mages as one final attack. Zidane could understand it, easily. It was them fighting for something they believed in, for once. Getting back at the tyrant who had created them only to destroy and then die.

There was an opening, a small one, just big enough for The Chariot to glide into and come to a stop on the water below without scratching into anything, and just enough room for the jet to turn around and fly out when he was ready to go.

Zidane walked out of the jet and toward the entrance of the palace. It, too, had been destroyed… but Zidane spotted one telaporter pad that was still active and stepped onto it.

"Hello, Zidane. I heard you got my message!" A voice chimed the moment Zidane stepped off the telaporter pad on the other side.

Zidane looked over. Yeah, this is what I need right now. "What message?"

"The note that humorously smacked you in the face."

"The Prince of Terra thing?" Zidane asked. "Yeah, I got it. You could have mentioned it sooner, this last minute crap is going to kill me... Do you have Mikoto?"

"I don't have her, but she is here."

Zidane glared for a minute then walked over. "… You know, your ghost is haunting Alexandria."

Kuja looked a bit baffled by that. "Really? Now that is something I might like to see."

"It wasn't very impressive." Zidane stated, walking past the man.

"Dear brother, I'm always impressive!" Kuja chimed. "You know, I didn't invite you in. That's part of the little thief thing? Just walking into places? Are you going to take things? Tell me now."

"If you don't shut up, the rumor about your death is going to stop being a rumor." Zidane warned, not in the mood for any of this.

"You keep saying that." Kuja reminded, following him.

"This time I mean it."

"Ah! I see!" Kuja mused.

Zidane grumbled and kept walking till he saw Mikoto.

She smiled and walked over to him.

"You had me worried," Zidane lectured.

Mikoto seemed amused by that. "I'm being lectured now? I think I liked it better on Terra where no one questioned anything I did."

"Could have told me you were going here." Zidane pointed out, ignoring the comment.

"It was rather sudden… we only had about six days to decide and didn't know we only had those few short days," Mikoto explained.

"I dropped by and sensed something quite usual, especially for that place." Kuja added, walking over.

"Which was?" Zidane asked, looking at Kuja.

"Power." Kuja grinned, obviously finding that amusing.

Zidane didn't find it as funny. "… So?"

"Unusually strong power for that area—."

"For any area." Mikoto explained, figuring it best to interrupt.

Kuja half shrugged, half nodded. "Well, yes. Surprisingly strong power sources."

"Sources? As in, more than one?" Zidane raised an eyebrow at that.

"Two." Kuja confirmed with a nod, "And one was in the village, right by the lake."

Zidane shuddered at that. The lake was where the Genomes preferred to be.

"They weren't there very long, but I decided that Mikoto should know about it." Kuja explained, "Nothing was decided. Not until she herself sensed that power again."

"I told the Genomes to take cover, to hide. Most of them could fit in my house, and the others stayed as hidden as possible." Mikoto said, "And then I ran."

"The attack was meant for you…" Zidane nodded, understanding the decision.

"That would have been the wise plan—after all, she was leading all the genomes." Kuja grinned, as if he were congratulating the attacker. "No idea who it was, but I can assure you it wasn't me, hehe."

"Always good to hear you're not destroying lives…" Zidane sighed.

"It bothers me that we don't know who attacked." Mikoto stated, crossing her arms. "That power… it wasn't human."

"No…" Zidane agreed.

"You have enemies!" Kuja cheered, "Maybe it was one of them."

"Yes, that Prince." Mikoto helped, "He seems to have it out for you."

"Drake. He was with Garnet, as was his advisor," Zidane dismissed it.

Besides, if it had been them, then he had more to worry about than Drake just stealing his girl.

"That's even more frightening…" Mikoto said in a hushed voice.

"… It is?"

"Yes." Kuja laughed, looking at Zidane as if it should be completely obvious. "That means there is some new, unknown enemy out there that apparently wants the three of us dead but we don't know why."

"… Yikes." Zidane rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out what they were going to do.

He was thankful to hear the attack hadn't been caused by Kuja… the though had crossed his mind.

When the Iifa Tree was throwing it's tantrum, Zidane had gone back for Kuja—everyone knew that. But what people didn't know, was that Zidane had managed to just barely save the man.

It had been hard. Kuja had been unconscious, powerless and near death, but somehow they both survived the vines.

When Zidane woke up, Kuja was still out cold. Zidane had to drag him out of the tree, and even when Kuja did wake up, he wasn't much help. He was wounded, out of power, and there was still the question that remained on what Garland meant when he said Kuja was going to die.

Kuja thought it was an immediate thing, and thus did not see a reason to keep fighting. He thought everything was over.

"Everything felt different— everything feels different. From the moment he said that, it felt like I had a countdown hanging over my head. Every second that passed got worse and worse, till I was sure I was going to die. During the battle with you and your comrades... I just couldn't handle it. I wasn't strong enough— it made it seem like everything Garland had said was true. I decided my time was almost up as if I knew for sure, and I just wanted it all to end... but I didn't want to go alone."

Zidane nodded, "You used that Ultima spell in Blood. You were trying to kill us."

"Yes... but when I survived it and realized what had happened... I just couldn't let it end like that, brother. I telaported you and your friends out of there much the same way I stole souls in order to achieve the ability to trance... then I said good-bye and I wanted to rest."

But… he wanted to live. Zidane understood that clearly. Kuja wanted to live. It was one of those oh so common things you always hear about. Someone has a near death experience and realizes all their thoughts now seem wrong…

'Then, I finally realized what it means to live…' that's what Kuja had said.

Zidane didn't have it in him to hear that, and just let him die.

But… he couldn't try and pretend nothing had happened. Kuja wasn't going to be forgiven so easily by everyone else.

In fact, Zidane was pretty sure that if it hadn't been for all the awful stuff he'd been through, he probably wouldn't have been able to forgive so easily.

Mikoto knew Kuja was alive and she actually had the answer to the question regarding how long Kuja would live.

There was no exact time limit. Kuja wasn't immortal, that was all. Kuja wasn't happy about it, which Zidane didn't really understand… but had apparently gotten over it. Mikoto was glad Kuja was alive, despite the destruction he had caused on Terra. She told the other genomes, too.

For some reason, she said they would feel better knowing he was alive. That all three Angels were still there...

He had lied to Garnet, to Steiner, Vivi, Eiko, Freya, Amarant… everyone. Would they understand? No… probably not.

Anyone who did know, and that number was few, had been sworn to secrecy... and he truly trusted those who did know. They didn't judge him over it, either, even though they had the right to.

Zidane felt bad about lying to Garnet. Not that it mattered right now.

"Why are you here?" Mikoto asked, bluntly.

"I found out all my paranoia isn't without reason. They really are all out to get us." Zidane explained, shaking his head.

Kuja grinned, "Beca—!"

"Not a word from you!" Zidane warned, "Brahne has convinced all the world leaders that we're all scum."

"You are."

"… Shut up, Kuja."

"That is a problem…" Mikoto noted. "Do you have a plan?"

"Not exactly… I need to find out a few things, first." Zidane admitted, looking down.

"And then?" Mikoto asked.

"… I'm not sure. I have... something, but I need to get answers before I act on it, first."

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Zidane was tired when he finally reached Alexandria's harbor. He stored the ship and walked up the ladder, hissing as he saw the Red Rose already docked. "Great…"

It had been expected… Brahne wouldn't have wasted much time, that would have been foolish on her part.

He shouldn't have come back… he'd been told that wouldn't be wise, he'd been warned… but he went back.

The moment he stepped through the door, there were guards everywhere, surrounding him quickly, taking his Tower weapon. Most were Alexandrian soldiers, but many others were not… the Knights were mostly absent, but he spotted a few of them.

"Zidane Tribal." One of the woman soldiers stepped directly in front of him, her sword drawn.

Zidane glanced around, nervous. "Yeah…?"

"You are under arrest on charges of treason."

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