Final Chapter:
Cycle of the Phoenix

"Oh wonderful," Kuja sighed, "so let me get this straight: if I'm not Garland's puppet, then I'm Vatica's, and if I'm not hers, then I'm yours. Sounds lovely."

"No, no it's not like that!" Zidane tried to explain, "look, Vatica has a serious obsession for you, and you're the only one who she'd let in. All we want is for you to go to the Desert Palace, have Vatica let you in, and then keep her guard down while the rest of us sneak in."

"So I'm your trump card," Kuja smiled, "I'm the easy way in."

"Well, you don't have to-

"I didn't say that," Kuja held a hand up, "I never said I wouldn't help you. I'm just making sure I got everything."

"So you'll go?"

Kuja lowered his eyes; "yes...I have to. Not only do I now owe you a life debt, but also I must avenge myself...Vatica used me to commit inexcusable crimes, I must pay her back."


Vatica was crouched on the floor, hugging her knees; Malice had more or less taken over. She hummed quietly to herself, a dark grin on her face. "They'll all be back. So quickly the moths rush into the flames...In no time at all those meddlers will seek me out. It's a shame that such a brilliant plan can so quickly fall into shambles."
"Everything ends." Innocence said.
"Yes," Malice smiled, "everything must end...so that something new can begin. When Alexander is gone, I will be the new."
"Why can't you give up?" Innocence asked, "you call us fools, when you are the biggest of us all?"

By now everyone had gathered on the Hilde Garde 3 and was on the bridge. Their plan was complete: flush Vatica out, have Alexander pass Judgement on her, and be done with it. It sounded so elementary, but they all knew it would be a trial. Zidane noticed something, "isn't Alexander dead?"

"No," Eiko said, "all the Eidolons are eternal and invincible. Alexander got beat up, but he's not dead. He can't die."

Kuja listened through the wall. He was locked up again in a room next to the bridge. It was insulting to be kept out of the conversation and planning that would decide his fate, but he already knew his role in their little drama. He would be let down near the Desert Palace, get inside, keep Vatica's guard down to allow the others time to get in, and help keep her out until Alexander could be summoned. But Kuja wasn't just insulted that they wouldn't let him be with them on the bridge, he was hurt. They didn't trust him; it was as simple as that. The nagging voice in his head that said 'no one cares' was at its loudest. So he sat and leaned against the wall, banging the back of his head against it a few times. He still hadn't carried out his original purpose for being in Alexandria. Everything moved so quickly...no one stopped for a moment just to talk or think, it was always rush, rush, rush! Straight into the jaws of oblivion.
The clamor of voices on the bridge, all the talking of where to go, what to do, how to do it, was almost overwhelming. Kuja was surprised when his door was opened and Garnet came in accompanied by two soldiers. He smirked to himself, 'what, has the little bird come to sing for me?'
Garnet motioned for the soldiers to leave. When they had gone, she sat down on a chair opposite Kuja. He sat up straight, "what do you want?"

"I came to listen," she said, "because no one else would."

This caught Kuja a bit off guard, "...to listen?"

"I know you have a lot to say," Garnet folded her hands on her lap, "I know that we haven't been exactly fair. So tell me what you have to say."

He laughed lightly, "I've been alive for less than two days and I'm already being used. Nobody pays me a bit of mind other than to interrogate me. I'm locked up and guarded like a beast and kept out of what is clearly my concern. So now you come to listen to me...lovely."

Garnet rose, she sighed, "I'm sorry..." she started to leave.

"No!" Kuja realized that he had been letting his nature get the better of him, "please don't leave." Garnet stopped and sat back down. "I apologize. Please stay with me." He looked into her questioning brown eyes; "I do have a lot to say. More than you'll care to listen to, I'm sure, but I do have something to tell you." She waited patiently. Kuja took a deep breath, "Your Majesty, the reason I had returned to Alexandria.....was because I needed your...your forgiveness for what I had done. I know that you have no reason to forgive me, but I had planned to leave forever and do my wandering elsewhere, so I came to ask you..." A nervous lump rose in his throat, he wasn't used to apologizing and begging, he couldn't find the right words. " I know that I was responsible for your mother's death...both of them, and..." His eye twitched, his frustration was building, and he knew he sounded like a fool. "...And..." Now the tears were starting, his whole face contorted with anger as he controlled himself to keep from throwing a temper tantrum and blasting a hole in the ship.

Garnet stood up. She watched Kuja, who was tripping over his own words and doing his best to be polite. She could sense his frustration and knew that he wanted to start screaming. She pitied him. Seeing him as he was, she knew that he was truly defeated. She took his hand and held it between both of hers. He stopped twitching and looked down at her. She returned his gaze, "you are forgiven," she said simply. Then she turned and left him alone.


I welcome the dark
The darkness in me
I shun the light
The light that blinds and exposes
With open arms I receive the abyss
Let it surround me
With its cold
Not with heat
That burns and scalds away my flesh
I hate the light and its heat
Into the dark
I welcome the dark
Where eyes are blind and only the heart sees
Where harsh glares are hidden
Where you can't see what kills you
Yes, I welcome the dark


The airship landed in the desert near the mountain entrance to the Desert Palace. The sand swirled up into the air. Those on board the ship shielded their eyes from the blasts of sand. "Remember what to do," Zidane instructed Kuja, "get inside, keep Vatica's guard down, then teleport us in when the coast is clear."

"Yes, Mother," Kuja said sarcastically.

Zidane laughed, "alright, good luck! We're behind you all the way!"

Kuja stepped back on the deck. A blue glow surrounded him, and in a flash, he was gone.


Kuja appeared inside the Palace. He was home. There was a familiar feeling to it, but to his dismay he found that most of it had been overgrown with Iifa Tree roots. The ornate wall patterns and architecture were split and cracked where vines had burst through. The air was dank and musty, Trick Sparrows swooped overhead and disappeared into the shadows. Kuja frowned and continued with his part. Vatica would be in the throne room. His room. He could feel her presence, ominous yet warm. He proceeded down the dark hallways, feeling the eyes of the beasts that had overrun the place. 'I'm coming back to you, dark angel.'


Vatica raised her head; "he's here...he came back."
Malice said, "what?"
"I can sense him. He is so close," she jumped up from her seat. Her heart thumping, "he's here!" She lighted from the floor and flew high into the air, "I knew he would return!"
She lit the room with a flash of white light that lit the torches. She hovered, waiting for him. She strained to hear in the silence. Anxiety and hope made her wring her hands in anticipation. "There is something different about him...he feels...alive..."
Malice gasped, "there is a life force coming from him...a soul."
Vatica's heart leapt, "he has found his soul! He is alive again!"
"It can't be..." Innocence said.
"Believe it!" Malice said triumphantly, "our avenger has returned to us!"

"I'm home." A disembodied voice called.

Vatica watched intently as the doors to the throne room opened slowly. From the dark portal stepped Kuja: alive and flawless. Vatica sank to the floor in disbelief. He was coming toward her, like...like and angel. She managed to form a crooked smile as he reached a hand out to her. "You came back to me." She looked into his eyes, taking his hand. They were no longer the sunken black pits in his face, but lovely pools of blue.

Kuja resisted the urge to spit when Vatica took his hand. She was exceptionally beautiful, true, but there was a darkness that radiated from her like a light. Her touch made his skin crawl. Still, he let her get as close as she wanted, playing his role perfectly. This would be the best opportunity to get the others inside. "Of course I came back," he said, "how could I resist a chance like this? To rule heaven...it sounds so deliciously...evil."

Vatica pulled away from him, "evil? No, I am not evil."


Blue circles of light appeared beneath the feet of Zidane and company. They felt themselves lift off the ship's deck before the intense light blocked all vision.
Soon they felt the ground beneath their feet. Zidane looked around, "we're inside," he said, "let's head to the throne room. We gotta wrap this up quick before Vatica catches on."


"Alexander left me," Vatica wept into Kuja's arms, "he cast me down to earth and let me go mad! I begged him to forgive me; I tried a thousand times! A thousand ways! He always ignored me! I meant nothing to him!"

Kuja felt a sting as he listened to the fallen angel's words: 'I meant nothing to Garland...' He felt...what was the word? Pity? Did he pity Vatica? For some reason she didn't feel so foul when she pressed herself against him. He gently touched her golden hair.

"But I have you back, and now Alexander will pay!" She laughed through her tears; "I was nothing to that tyrant. I was just one miserable soul to cast aside. He didn't need me. But he will regret this day!"


Eiko peeked though the open doors of the throne room. "All clear!" She whispered to her comrades.

"Good," Zidane said quietly, "when we go in, everyone spread out. We're gonna hit her hard, then summon Alexander. We got one shot, or else she'll turn us into cinders." He slipped thought the entrance and side stepped with his back to the wall, keeping in the shadows. Garnet, then Steiner, then Eiko and Beatrix followed him. Vatica was still enthralled with Kuja and paying no attention.

"She's beautiful," Garnet commented softly.

"Yep, just like a cone shell," Zidane said, "so pretty to look at, but if you're not careful, you'll end up dead."


Vatica giggled like a little girl; "perhaps my dream shall come true after all." She opened her wings to encompass Kuja and herself. "Nothing is impossible. I believe that now."

By now a large knot of guilt had formed in Kuja's gut. He could sympathize with her motives, and understood what she felt. 'No,' he told himself, 'she is not like me. I learned when I was wrong, she will never learn. She cannot learn.'

"What's wrong?" Vatica noticed the grim look on Kuja's face.

"Nothing." He replied. He smiled down at her. She looked so happy, so innocent... it almost made him feel bad to deceive her...almost. So he had pity for her, so he could relate...so what? It didn't change what she had done.

"What are you thinking?" Vatica asked. "...Do you doubt me?"
Rage burst out suddenly, "IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" She tore away from Kuja and fell back on the floor; "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" A wild look came across her eyes and she stared at Kuja's stunned face.


"Alright, opportunity knocks but once," Zidane said quietly, "let's go!" He held his Ultima Weapon firmly and ran towards Vatica. The others followed after him. He drew the translucent blue blade and prepared to strike.

Vatica noticed movement, her head snapped around as if she had been slapped. Her eyes widened, "NO!" She leapt up into the air just as Zidane swiped the place where she had been. She snarled, "so the moths have reached the flame, and now their wings will catch fire and burn!" She flattened them to the ground with a holy spell. "You dare defy me? You think you can defeat me? I am a goddess!"

"No, you're insane and lost!" Zidane said with equal anger.

"Ha! Your words mean nothing to me," Vatica laughed, "I have what I want... however, I have been expecting you, and I will not soil my hands on mortals like you! But do not be fooled: you will die...Come forth Apocalypse!"

A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the Palace. A thick haze poured from the darkness and wrapped itself around everything in the throne room. It was similar to Mist, but thicker. It choked the lungs and made the eyes burn like smoke. Garnet coughed and rubbed her eyes, she felt an ominous presence in the shadows: an Eidolon, a dark god of death. A huge shape emerged from the fog; it looked like a black Behemoth with a blue mane, but it walked on its long hind legs only. Its build was that of a man, with massive clawed hands that held a silver staff. "Defiers of fate," it spoke in a voice that shook the walls, "for your impudence, the gods demand your blood."

"What the hell is that?!" Zidane exclaimed.

"Really bad!" Eiko said.

"Eiko," Zidane looked down at her, "find Dagger! This is not going well! Find her and summon Alexander!"

"What are you going to do?" Eiko asked.

"Don't worry," Beatrix and Steiner ran up along side Zidane, "we'll take care of this beast!"

Vatica laughed cruelly, "you cannot win!"

Kuja watched, should he drop his cover and help, or stay where he was and continue his act? He called up to Vatica, "is this necessary?"

She floated down to him and smiled, "only when the unjust have fallen, can the heavens be ours."

"The...unjust?"

"The world is unjust," Malice said bitterly, "this world, it spawns such beings of hate and cruelty, then can't understand why they kill and ravage. You can understand...you were cast aside, unwanted, your true potential wasted." She took hold of his chin to turn his eyes away from Apocalypse, "I want to destroy the unjust, those who create, but cannot face their creations, and instead neglect them and let them go mad!"
Vatica frowned, "the creators...like Alexander, who was responsible for my rage, but did nothing to help..."

"You say that the world is unjust...and want to take over heaven to cleanse it..." Kuja said quietly, "...so many will be killed. Will there ever be an age without war? The ignorant strive for power, never realizing that what lies beyond is despair."

"What are you saying?" Vatica asked suspiciously.

He kissed her forehead, "nothing at all. This will truly be a day of glory..."


Apocalypse stared at his opponents, very unimpressed; "this is your end."

"Not today," Zidane said, "we are not afraid."

The dark god raised his staff, "valiant...foolish..."

The three rushed forward, weapons held high. Apocalypse stood where he was, not budging an inch. Zidane leapt into the air and brought Ultima Weapon down with all his strength, but it was as if he had hit a brick wall. The blade glanced off without leaving a mark. Steiner and Beatrix were no luckier. Despite their best efforts, none of them had so much as annoyed the creature. They stood back.

Apocalypse settled his unwavering gaze on them; "you cannot defeat me. There is nothing you can do. For you, hope is dead."

"No!" Beatrix shook her head, "we will never submit to that!" She charged Apocalypse again. With a flick of his wrist, he sent her sprawling across the floor.


Eiko wandered through the thick fog, searching for Garnet while avoiding Vatica and Apocalypse. "Garnet!" She hissed, "where are you?" She couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her, "where are you?"

"Eiko!" Garnet answered, "over here!" The young summoner ran to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Eiko said urgently, "we're in a lot of trouble! Zidane said to summon Alexander!"

"But Vatica knows that we are trying to stop her!"

"That's why we gotta do it now," Eiko held her hands out, "just like we did last time."

Garnet took her hands, "alright." The two of them closed their eyes and called to the Holy Eidolon, hoping he would respond.


"Look at them," Vatica said, "they are so eager to die!"

Kuja watched as his brother was knocked aside like an insect by Vatica's Eidolon. His eye twitched, "must they all die?"

"What are you talking about?" Vatica said incredulously, "of course they must!"

"Zidane is my brother...I can't watch him be killed."

She held his face in her hands, "then don't watch..."

Kuja felt a wave of rage, but he suppressed it. She was sick. "You're...evil..." he said under his breath.

"What?" Vatica asked. But her attention was drawn to a circle of light in the haze. She squinted to get a better look. Her mouth curled in a viscous snarl, "the summoners..."


A powerful backhand knocked Zidane away. Apocalypse stood over his fallen challengers. They were beaten and battered, ready to give up. The dark god knew he had won, but watching them struggle, still hoping, amused him greatly. From the opposite side of the room, Vatica called, "finish them now! We have little time!"

"Steiner...Beatrix, get out of here!" Zidane ordered. "I'll hold him off..."

"I will not abandon a comrade!" Steiner said stubbornly.

"Dammit Rusty! For once will you just listen to me!"

Apocalypse began to glow. Rays of purple and red light shot off him and collected together near the ceiling. In a burst of light, the Ultima spell exploded, sending bolts of energy crashing down. Zidane gave Steiner and Beatrix a shove and knocked them away. "What are you doing you fool?!" Steiner demanded.

Zidane braced himself for the Ultima. The spell hit him. It felt like a bomb had went off in his chest. He couldn't even scream, only stand helplessly as his vision faded to opaque red, then to black.



Garnet heard the explosion, her throat tightened, but she concentrated on summoning Alexander. 'Please be there...' She prayed silently.

Kuja let his breath out hard. He watched Zidane crumple to the ground. Malice crowed, "truly pathetic! Look how easily they fall!"

Kuja resisted the urge to tear her heart out. He walked silently past Apocalypse, and knelt by Zidane. He called to him, "Zidane? Zidane!?" He shook him, "Zidane!" He gave the boy a hard smack across the face, but got no response. "Damn you Zidane!" He hit him again. Still there was no response. He ran his hand through Zidane's hair, then sighed and looked away. 'Is this sadness? Is this what it means to be sad? Does it always hurt so badly?'

Vatica stood behind him, "do not grieve for this mortal," she said, "he is but a small sacrifice for the glory we will bring to this world."

Much to his own surprise, Kuja started laughing, it echoed in the dark. He whirled on her, "'a small sacrifice?'" He shrilled on a voice that edged on hysteria. "You...you are a demon!"

"Are you betraying me?" Vatica asked.

"No," Kuja said, "I'm going to kill you." He picked up Zidane and carried him to the throne, where he placed him in the seat, out of harm's way. He turned and looked Vatica in the eye, "now I will make you a 'sacrifice.'" He lanced a flare spell at her.

"YOU TRAITOR!" Rage roared, "I WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING!"
The voice of Innocence, which had been silent for so long, now spoke up; "we had nothing to give. We have been living a lie for centuries. Our efforts were in vain: now it will end."


"Did heaven look on and would not take their part?"

-Macbeth, Act IV, Scene III


Garnet ran out of the fog to where Zidane lay. She gasped when she saw him, but quickly cast a Life spell on him. His eyes blinked, and he sat up. "What was that?" he rubbed his head, "...Dagger! What happened? Where's Eiko? Did you summon Alexander?"

"Yes," Garnet said, "we called to him, we used all the power we had to try to summon him, but I don't know if he heard..."

Having overheard, Vatica sneered, "you idiots! Alexander will not listen to you! He cares only for himself! If he would not listen to the cry of me, one of his angels, why would he heed you?"
Suddenly a Flare Star hit her from behind; she fell from the air and landed hard on the stone floor. Kuja hovered above her. "You!" Vatica growled, "why?! I was going to hand Heaven to you on a plate! How could I have let myself love? I should have known: I am alone!" She blasted him with a holy, "Apocalypse! Kill him!"

"You think you are alone?" Kuja said, "I lived my life in greed, fear, and hatred. I spent my death wandering in misery and self-pity! Now I live again, and I can understand what it means to be alone. You are not alone! You had the opportunity to seek help, but you let yourself sink into the deepest layer of hell! I could have helped you. I will...if you let me."

Tears poured from Vatica's eyes; "I've had enough of you!" She screamed, "now die!"

Eiko, Steiner, and Beatrix joined Zidane and Garnet. Eiko cried, "what do we do now?"

Apocalypse raised his staff and pointed it at Kuja, "dark spirits of the underworld, take your next prisoner..."

"No!" Zidane started to run forward, but the others held him back.

"Don't be a fool!" Beatrix said, "you cannot help!"


Black lightning shot from Apocalypse's staff, Kuja responded with another Flare Star. The two spells collided in a brilliant flash of light. A shockwave ripped through the palace, tearing away stones from the structure. The ceiling was blown off and it rained stone. When the light faded, Kuja was still holding his own against the dark Eidolon. But it was obvious that Apocalypse wasn't even trying.

"C'mon! We gotta go help!" Zidane cried.

"There is nothing we can do." Steiner said coldly, "we would only be killed ourselves."

Kuja poured all his strength into his spell; his long silver hair blew back and whipped behind him. 'I can't win...' he thought, 'all I can do is hold him so the others can escape. One last flash of glory...'

"Kuja!" Zidane tore away from his friends.

"Zidane?" Kuja turned his head.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Zidane ran towards Apocalypse.

"Silly boy," Vatica frowned, "you certainly are a tenacious one..." She raised one hand and gathered another holy spell.

From the corner of his eye, Kuja saw Zidane leap at Apocalypse, and Vatica preparing to vaporize him. 'What do I do?' His mind began to race, 'if I don't intervene, Zidane will perish, and his comrades will have to suffer the consequences...On the other hand, if I stop Vatica, he can survive, and I will die.... And no one will miss me.' At that thought, he turned his attack on Vatica. It hit her full on, she screamed and her holy spell was misdirected. It missed Zidane and crashed harmlessly into the wall. But at the same time, the black magic that Kuja was trying to hold off hit him. The black bolt struck him in the stomach, causing him to double over. Remarkably, there was no pain. He felt dizzy and unaware.

Everything seemed to stop. Zidane looked up at Kuja: he was floating silently, still alive, but it was as if he didn't know what had happened. Kuja coughed and Zidane felt a splatter on his face. He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand: his glove was stained with blood. "Kuja..." He stared up at him.

Kuja felt a gag in his throat, he coughed and blood flew. He blinked in dazed confusion. He looked down; his body was covered in blood. He noticed the shock on Zidane's face, and the triumph on Vatica's. 'What happened? Am I...hurt?' His consciousness faded momentarily and he plummeted.

Kuja dropped. Zidane ran to his side, "Kuja!"

Kuja blinked, "Zidane...what are you doing here...you should go..."

"No, I'm not going to desert you again. I left you at the Iifa Tree, I'm not going to do it again."

"...That wasn't your fault. I died so you could live...and you did. Now don't make this death in vain..."

"I'm not gonna leave you," he draped one of Kuja's arms around his shoulders and started to help him up.

"No," Kuja made no effort to stand; "...don't you see? I was meant to die...my war is over..."

"War?"

"You're a funny person Zidane...All life is a war. You will fight it...and you will fight for it." Kuja paused to let the blood drain out of his mouth, "...you lose your friends and loved ones...you find pain and suffering...but there can be beauty. And in the end...you get peace...Let me have my peace."

"I can't leave you here."

"Yes you can...just walk away." Kuja closed his eyes, "I'm tired of fighting...I'm tired of being used..." He fell silent, but the blood that gurgled in his throat told that he was still alive. ".......I'm cold Zidane..." Then he let out a long sigh, and did not take another breath.

Zidane laid Kuja back down. He sat down next to him. Zidane hugged his knees and buried his face in his arms. "I failed again..."

"One down...four to go..." Vatica said darkly. "Finish them Apocalypse, I grow tired of this."

Apocalypse raised his staff, but was basked in a white light. He turned skyward to see a blue pillar of light coming down on him. The dark god roared in fear, but soon he was completely surrounded in the glow. It spread until it encompassed the entirety of the throne room, blinding those watching.

"No! It can't be!" Vatica shrieked. A shadow, five times the size of Alexandria Castle, appeared in the clouds above the Palace, "Alexander!" Vatica flew into the air as the Holy Eidolon descended. She fired any spell at her disposal, but it was useless. She screamed again as glowing manacles materialized around her wrists and ankles, "No! Alexander!"

All eyes watched in awe as Alexander settled above them. He spread his magnificent wings and addressed them all, "Children of Gaia, I have heard your call. What was done shall be repaired. Holy Judgement shall be passed."

Vatica wailed, "No! NO!" She struggled against the manacles; "I will have my revenge! I will have what I deserve!" She was surrounded by light.

The Holy Eidolon shone his light on Vatica, "My judgement for you, fallen angel of darkness, is imprisonment, until you can learn." Alexander's voice thundered.

Vatica struggled and hissed, "you! I swore my vengeance on you! And I will have it!"

Alexander turned on her, "Be silent necromancer!"

Vatica's eyes widened in rage, "'NECORMANCER'?! How dare you charge me with such a crime?! HOW DARE YOU?!"

The Holy Eidolon basked her in his blue light and she screeched as she began to ascend back into the sky. He then showered his light on Kuja, "Angel of Death whose soul was lost, despite the crimes you have committed, I offer you a second chance."
A translucent version of Kuja rose from his body. It was his soul, separated from him again. It glowed a golden hue. Alexander spoke to him "receive thy blessing." As everyone watched, long white wings spread from Kuja's back, his clothes became white also, trimmed in gold. A gentle aura came off him. He faced Alexander. "As one of my angels, you will watch over this troubled soul," the Holy Eidolon indicated Vatica, "until she is healed. Then, you will be allowed to return to the flow of life in Gaia: The cycle of rebirth. Watch over her, and the Phoenix will take you back. You have my apologies for all that you have suffered."


Kuja examined himself; "you would have me be an angel?"

"Yes, you will serve me, until I feel that you have earned your right of rebirth."

"...Then I must...leave now?"

"Yes."

"Answer me this: why must I be the one who will have to heal that snake Vatica?"

"It is your punishment for those sins you committed in the past. Just because I grant you the privilege of serving me, does not meant that you will get away from Judgement. Consider it a mixed blessing."

Kuja looked at Zidane, and the others, who had joined him. They stared open-mouthed. He stepped up to Zidane; "I will be leaving."

Zidane snapped out of his daze, "w-what? Just like that? You're leaving?"

"If that is the fate Alexander has chosen for me, then I must comply."

"For you, young ones, may you live your lives in peace." Alexander began to fade.


Good-byes:

Kuja placed a hand on Zidane's shoulder, "I'll be watching over you too. Not as an angel of death this time though."

"...I spent my whole life looking for my family," Zidane said slowly, "I was looking for people that didn't exist. And now when I find them, they go..."

Kuja frowned, "don't be a hypocrite. You said yourself that 'family' is not necessarily the people who you share blood or background with, they're the people who you care about."

"I know," Zidane said, "I just never saw this coming."

"Neither did I."

"Well, then...I guess I'll see you on the other side someday..."

"Not anytime soon, alright?" Kuja smiled.

"No." Zidane looked at the ground. There was quiet then he laughed, "ah, what the hell? C'mere." He gave his brother a hug, which he returned. They laughed at each other's show of emotion.

"You know there's nothing I like more than watching two guys hug," Eiko put her hands on her hips, "but I'd like to go."

Kuja stepped back, "well, good-bye for now." He started to walk into the light. After a few steps he stopped, "and Zidane? Will you do me a favor? Bury me."

Zidane looked at Kuja's body, which he still held, "yeah...yeah, I'll do that."

Kuja smiled and vanished into the light.


~Fin~


Little P.S. thingy from the author:
This story reflects my views of modern society. All over there are people who need help and understanding, but those of us who could help, turn the other way. In a way we a like Dr. Frankenstein: we create these intelligent and dangerous beings, but rather than helping, we turn our heads in disgust. I tried to write it so that people can decide for themselves who's the villain. I really really tried to make it so that either you despise Vatica completely, or you can relate to her. Whatever.
Sorry if it went a little fast, but I was trying to keep this a short story, for the sake of my own sanity. I cheesed the ending up cause I was getting sick of writing it.....Sorry.


You wanna compliment, comment, or beat my head in with a stick? Feel free to give me a buzz.