The Second Act
Where There are no Owls
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Kuja shuttered at the ragged little sign. He could feel the hairs stand up on his arms as Zidane prodded him further through this giant forest. He knew the plan from the very beginning; Only when they arrive at Black Mage Village, would their journey be complete. From there, Zidane would finally have the ability to contact Lindblum. Kuja had been in agreement of this plan, realizing that it was the only way........but now that they had nearly arrived, he desperately wanted to turn back.
He had ventured to this tiny village before...when he was the one in control. At that time it was the mages who felt the fear. Kuja supposed now it was his turn. He had no desire to see the mages. He knew they hated him, as they well should.....and though the feeling wasn't mutual, the very sight of them filled him with rage. Not out of ill feelings for the mage's by any means....they had served him well....but rather, the sick feeling that welled up inside of him whenever he thought of his creations. The feeling that perhaps he had become Garland..... the father he so despised and rebelled against.
...And then there were the Genomes. From Zidane's stories, Kuja knew quite well that the Genomes now had their place among his black mages. Like the mages, Kuja did not despise the Genomes, ...he looked down on them, with a sense of arrogance. ...Yet, they caused him to pity himself. They were the soulless reminders of his own pathetic reason for existence.
Zidane would seem to take offense to the mocking tone that Kuja would use whenever he would reference their point of destination. "The Village of Mindless Creations", and "Puppet Town", were a few of the slurs he used regularly. Zidane tried to ignore this to the best of his ability, but he feared the possible fireworks that could be set off, when he arrived at the village with his brother.
The two men strode silently side by side toward their destination. The crackling of dead leaves beneath their boots was the only noise that could be heard for some distance. As they approached the entrance to the village, Kuja desperately wanted to turn back, but refused to show cowardice in his brother's presence.
The small village was buzzing with life upon entrance; a commotion which seemed to all stop when the two travelers entered. The Genomes watched with blank expressions, and a hint of childlike wonder, while the Black Mages backed away in fear of Kuja. Few, however, ran away...They must have been somehow comforted, if not confused, by Zidane's presence.
"Wait right here" Zidane whispered to the other. Before Kuja could protest, Zidane walked forward, toward the Mage which identified itself as Mr. 216.
"Don't be frightened..." he cued
"Why did you bring him?!" Demanded the frightened creation.
"You Don't have to worry about him anymore. He's not the same Kuja that he was before"
Mr.216's beady golden eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I promise!" Zidane continued. "Have I let you down before?"
The mage nodded in agreement.
"We just need a place to stay for a short time" explained Zidane. "If you'll let us.....I promise we'll be out of here in no time."
Suddenly another voice came from behind.
"Zidane?"
The blonde hero turned to see his little sister Mikoto.
"Hey!, How's everyone been?" he questioned.
"We are adapting." answered the somewhat stiff girl. "It is good to see you alive......and I see you've brought our Kuja with you..." She continued, turning toward the other.
Kuja had known....mostly through Zidane's stories, of the one they called Mikoto, although he had never been face to face with her before. 'So this was Garland's new Angel of Death?' He thought upon seeing her. 'Hmmph. Looks like your average golem'.
"Oh yeah..." He heard Zidane continue, "Hey, Kuj...Meet Mikoto. She's umm....kinda like our sister!" He said as the two aproached.
Kuja simply nodded his head in acknowledgment of the other. Mikoto cracked a smile. "Come..." She spoke. "You can stay at the inn."
The Mages watched in quiet contemplation as the three Angels of Death made their was toward the inn. They couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about the situation. At that moment, a small voice approached them. "What's going on?" it asked.
Quiet filled the air for a moment, then Mr. 216 responded; "Your friend is alive."
******
Zidane practically squealed with anticipation and he plopped his body onto the mattress. "Oh.......yeah...." he sighed. "It's been a long time!". He almost seemed to be talking to the bed itself.
Kuja simply sat at the edge. His mind was to full to enjoy the comfort that the inn had to offer.
"Make yourselves comfortable.." Mikoto stated, but was quickly cut off by a small mage darting around her, and promptly loosing his footing. The young mage stumbled back up, and cried, "Zidane", while adjusting his hat.
"Vivi! What are you doing here?" Zidane asked happily at the sight of his friend....but the boy became suddenly motionless, as he noticed the other.
"Z-Zidane?......w-what's he doing here??" He spoke, with an unmistakable tone of fear in his voice.
Zidane glanced at his brother. "Oh, Vivi.....it's just that..."
"I'll go. You two talk." Kuja interrupted, as he slid through the door, his sister following him.
"Well..um...uh...." Zidane finished, "I saved him!" he watched closely for Vivi's reaction, but the small mage simply threw his arms around Zidane in a fit of joy.
"I'm so happy your alive!" he said, still hugging his friend.
Zidane winked. "Well....you know me."
Vivi crawled up onto the bed, and sad beside Zidane. "I-it's so good to see you!"
"So why are you back here?" The other finally questioned.
The young mage looked toward the ground; the joyful expression leaving his face. "I- I think I'm gonna s-stop........die.... soon." he sighed.
******
Kuja stood motionless outside the inn, just gazing into the stream, when he heard someone come up behind him. "It's good to have you back here....alive, Kuja."
He turned he head to see Mikoto standing next to him. "Why would you say that?" he responded. "You don't even know me."
"No," replied the other, "I know of you though. We know of you. ......You've given us all hope."
"Hmph..." Kuja brushed away the comment. "They aren't even capable of such an emotion."
Mikoto shook her head. "You would be quite surprised at how they have developed here among your mages."
Kuja huffed, and continued with his silent gazing. Mikoto momentarily mimicked the action, before returning to her questioning. "The little mage.....the one they call Vivi.....will he stop like the others?"
He turned, facing her, his eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"
"It's just that he's so.....different." She responded. "He arrived here about two weeks ago.....convinced he was on the verge of death...... he said he was having...... symptoms." Mikoto looked on for a moment, feeling her brothers eyes boring into her, she continued. "He's been alive for ten years..... I just don't understand the purpose of having one so different....."
"Why ever not!?" Kuja snapped. "That was the approach Garland took! Look at me!"
"So his difference was brought upon by conscious effort?" Mikoto reasoned softly.
Kuja sighed, allowing his eyes to close for a moment. "He was my Angel."
The other shook her head in understanding.
"....My own Angel of Death." Kuja continued. "When I first began fashioning the Mages, I decided to take Garland's approach, and make a special one. .....One that could do my dirty work for me." He looked to find his sister listening intently, and decided to continue. "I gave one a soul, and began raising it from childhood. His name was not Vivi...as they call him now though. He was Vangie.......My angel Vangie. Unfortunately, I started having conflicting feelings toward him. ....I started to feel a sense of love.... like a father ...towards him. That wasn't supposed to happen!"
"Why?", The other countered. "Do you seriously believe Garland had no love for you?"
Kuja was pondered in silence for a moment, before continuing; "If he did...then he never showed it. ......Mikoto...He never loved any of us! He was a tyrant!"
"Then, you simply do not realize the love that he had." Mikoto spoke softly. "You should not think so ill of your creator."
Anger was now overflowing through Kuja's icy eyes. He grabbed the other by the shoulders, and almost began shaking her. "How can you defend him like that? Are you that much of a puppet?" He was near shouting by this time. "You never saw how he beat me!...." He let go of his sister, as his composure returned. He looked at her apologetically, tears welling up in the under parts of his eyes as he finished...his tone much softer. ".....The same way I beat the little mage."
Mikoto looked at her brother with sympathetic eyes. She understood exactly what he was trying to say. "You felt yourself becoming Garland...." she stated for him.
Kuja head was turned from his sister. He didn't want his tears to be seen. "...yes." He finally spoke, barely above a whisper. "I couldn't raise Vangie as I had been raised. I couldn't allow myself to become the one I most despised..." Kuja quickly wiped away his tears away with a single palm, before turning back to Mikoto. "I left him with a guard near Alexandria. I said 'I found this kid...he seems to have been abandoned'......Then I left. I was gone before the man could respond....and I didn't look back." His tone was beginning to become lighter. "Who could have known he'd team up with my brother against me!" he stated with irony gracing his voice.
"He couldn't have remembered you." Mikoto said simply.
"I know." He responded. "How could he? He was only two."
Mikoto found it hard to take in the truth about her brother. The misfortune that he had spent his entire existence attempting to dodge..... and yet, here he was. Back where he started, with the other genomes....waiting to die. ... Just as the young Vivi was. "So did you put a stop on his life?" She asked, once again referring to the mage.
"No!" Kuja quickly responded. "I never meant for any of my creations to stop.....and I certainly never intended for any of them to become....aware. I suppose that was the bi-product of too much magic reacting. It takes on a life of it's own....and now, I assume, eventually combusts." He thought to himself for a moment. "I would think Vangie...Vivi....to be different.....but I obviously have no idea."
Before his sister could respond, he began moving away, walking toward an open area within the village. She simply followed and watched. She was dumbfounded as she observed him stare into the sky and thrust one arm into the air, as if attempting to feel it's contents. His eyes closed as a ball of air began swirling around his hand. A gust of wind blew through the small village, and Mikoto was quite taken aback. She watched as the wind blew threw her brother bountiful silver hair, and kicked his skirt around. He simply stood motionless, as a ball of what could only be described as magic, circled atop his long fingers.
His eyes flashed open suddenly, and the wind stopped. He pulled his arm down, and turned to face his sister, who was still staring at him in confusion and amazement.
"Some mist is still present." He said walking toward her. He brushed by her and headed toward the inn. "But it's fading fast. We don't have much time."
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Author's Note: Stopping there! Sorry. I intended to finish the Black Mage village scene in one chapter...but I want to get these posted as quickly as possible. I don't want to loose anyone's interest! Thank you for all the kind reviews. Knowing people are interested in the story is what keeps me motivated :-)
Okay... The next chapter will be up very soon....but I'm not making anymore promises about it's content. I've done that several times so far..and I always seem to have to cut it short. Thanks everyone!