Another Time, Another Place
Authors Notes- Contains slash, angst, swearing, violence and character death.
Pairings- Sephiroth x Kuja, Cloud x Aeris, Vincent x Tifa, Rufus x Tseng, Reno x Yuffie.
Disclaimers- I own none of the characters mentioned hither.
Within a few minutes they had transferred Kuja to on of the rooms on the Highwind. The rest of the crew had no idea, as they waited in the main room. Cid was distinctly unhappy when he found out.
"What if that %^&!£$# wakes up and decides to blast his way out of my goddamn ship?!" He asked unhappily, stroking the control panel of his ship protectively.
"He's been sedated quite heavily," Tseng replied. "Rufus found some useful drugs in the laboratory that should prevent him doing anything too violent,"
"What about casting a Silence spell?" Tifa asked.
"Done it," Vincent replied. "He should be unconscious for a good few hours yet. Elena and Rude are taking guard,"
"Good," Rufus looked unhappy. "That's one of the most dangerous specimens Shinra have ever handled,"
Barret growled softly. "Maybe if those $%^#&!£s hadn't messed with livin' people in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess,"
"It's too late to say that now," Tifa said with a strange smile. "We'll just have to hope for the best and carry on with what we've got,"
"That reminds me," Yuffie turned to Reno. "How long have we got before Sephy gets himself out of that crater and after the Black Materia?"
"Perhaps a month or two," Reno pondered. "He's certainly recovering but not particularly fast. Not surprising after he was Omnislashed into the ground,"
"So we have time to get Mr Kuja on our side," Cid spoke up.
"Maybe.." Reno looked rather dark and turned away.
- - - - - - - -
It was almost eight hours before Kuja showed signs of life. When he finally opened his eyes, it was to discover himself under a Silence spell with Rufus, Cloud and Vincent in the room.
"We'll remove the spell in a minute," Cloud said apologetically. "Once we've told you our story,"
Kuja regarded him with dark troubled eyes and nodded faintly. Cloud began. It took over an hour to tell the full story. He talked about when it had started with Avalanche resisting against Shinra. He talked about the early operations and the meeting with Sephiroth. He told the story of the Ancients and Aeris's end in the Temple. Up until the final defeat of Sephiroth and the recent news they had received that he stirred again and their need for assistance in this battle. Then he removed the spell and they waited to be blasted into oblivion with a dose of Ultima.
It never came. Kuja scanned them all and then spoke after a long pause.
"I can't help you,"
He had been expecting this answer. Cloud sighed. "Why can't you help us?" He asked the fallen sorcerer. "If you don't, everyone and everything in this world will die. Aeris's sacrifice will be in vain,"
"Why would that bother me?" Kuja's voice was slow and painful. "I destroyed a whole planet and almost brought down another.."
"Could you tell us why?" Vincent asked. His red eyes were unreadable. Kuja looked away.
"I won't talk about it," The same answer that Shinra had received after all of their enquiries when he had simply cut himself off from the world. It was Vincent who read the slight change in expression and recognised something. Guilt. He motioned to the other two who left the room.
"It's your decision," Vincent leaned forward. "We won't push you to say or do anything. But what do you have to lose? Perhaps you made some mistakes in your world. I know I've made some terrible ones before. But I look upon this as my way of atoning for all I have done,"
"What did you do?" Kuja asked after a pause, interested.
Vincent sighed. "I worked for Shinra for years as a Turk. Do you hate me now?" He smiled slightly. There was silence and he went on.
"I killed a lot of people throughout the years without even caring about it. To me, it was just my career. It never troubled me for an instant. Then I let the woman I had loved take part in a terrible experiment. She was infused with Mako, impregnated by Hojo as part of his plan for modifying people. I didn't stop him.." Vincent bowed his head. "When I finally saw sense and went to save her, it was too late. She was lost and gave birth to Sephiroth. I paid a small price thanks to Hojo," He smiled bitterly. "Multiple experiments left me barely human. I am more demon than a person,"
"That's not so terrible.." Kuja seemed interested. At least he wasn't shutting himself off completely.
"Isn't it? You could say I am directly responsible for Sephiroth infecting the world. I knew it was wrong and I didn't stop it," Vincent faded into silence. "That's how I lost Lucrecia.."
Kuja's eyes lowered. "I'm not exactly human either,"
"I read something about genomes?" Vincent said in a neutral tone.
"Yes. I'm not human at all. I was my maker's Angel of Death, until it was time to be replaced.." Kuja stopped abruptly, aware he had said too much.
"You were created?" Vincent asked.
"That's why I cannot help you. I am as much of a creation as Sephiroth. Indeed, in my world I was feared more than Sephiroth is in yours. With good reason,"
"Could you tell me your story?" Vincent was aware he was treading on dangerous territory here. Whatever Kuja had done, he bitterly regretted and probably didn't want to bring up again. But he needed to hear it.
"Yes.." The voice was so faint and quiet that he barely heard it. Vincent leaned forward to listen.
- - - - - - -
Kuja's story took an equally long time to tell. As Vincent listened, the mage painted a vision of his world. Of two co-existing planets and a life as an Angel of Death, killing as obediently as a Turk. A life with genomes who were created and used like machines. And how he had unconsciously grown to echo his despised maker, creating his monsters and black mages to use and destroy. He saw the destructions of whole cities under Kuja's command, the giant Bahamut wreaking havoc throughout the land. The death of the Summoners and the end of Queen Brahne as her own monster was turned against her. Then on to the final battle when he realised he was as dispensable as his own despised black mages. He killed his maker and released Ultima on lands in a fury, planning to destroy the worlds if he could not rule them. And then finally realising what it was to live, after his hated younger brother came to rescue him. It had been too late to do much besides teleport them to safety. And as he resigned himself to an early death, he had been pulled from there and brought to the tender mercies of Shinra.
When it finally ended, Vincent was silent. Kuja had indeed done some terrible things. But he had been a mere puppet through much of it. There was an element of tragedy to his rise and downfall that seemed to echo Sephiroth's life. But unlike Sephiroth, Kuja had finally realised how wrong he had been. They remained in the room talking through much of the night. After several hours they finally fell silent when it was broken by a thin, tired voice as the young mage came to a decision.
"..I'll do it,"