Um, yeah. Black Waltz no. 2, Kuja, the Alexandrian Guards, Alexandria itself, and all that are in any way associtated with them belong to Squaresoft. No one owns the sunrise, though, and no one own genius.

Well, I was inspired after my English final to go home and write chapter 3. It turned out okay, actually, though it feels kinda thin. Anyhow, read on!

---

The little dark angel fluttered between the shadows and the light, eyes glittering beneath their shroud of darkness. From somewhere beneath there rang the sweet notes of song, and a secret smile grew as he glowed with delight at being able to stir the magic of music. The strange, foreign words spilled off his tongue, having no meaning to him but their pitch and place in the melody, serving no purpose other than creating the sound for the music to be built off of.

The guards had asked permission from Kuja to allow him to wander the halls of Alexandria Castle, because he grew destructive when locked in his room alone. The constant battles in the dungeon helped to relieve some of his tense energy, but he could not sit quietly with nothing to do, or kill. Kuja had hesitantly agreed, though he warned the guards that it was vitally important that Two not stray from that wing of the castle and mess with the development of the others. The little mage had no understanding of the orders, but nodded like a good child when spoken to and then ran off to dance beneath the giant windows. The first rays of the sun shone directly into the halls on that side of the castle, and he would always try to be the first to hold the newborn beams of light of the waking day.

He frolicked in the sunlight and sang his soft, half-meaningless song. The first time he had heard it was the second day he had been able to hear, and there was something familiar about its silvery quality, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Now all he loved was gold, the glinting rays of morning light, and the intense, dark red of raging fire. But still, the sweet and soothing coolness of the silver calm that song evoked tasted lovely and stirred old, faded memories of a perfect haven for tired soldiers.

The night before had been filled with pain and anguish, but the small mage seemed to have totally forgotten the ordeal and become completely absorbed in chasing the sparks of sunlight across the carpet. He stumbled a few times, but kept running, as close to blissfully happy as he could possibly be. What he was seeking was the giant window set into the wall of one of the lounges, which framed the entire sunrise and could hold his interest for hours while he half-sat on his legs and leaned forward on his hands, eyes as brilliant as the spectacular show of lights. When he slid into a trance like that, with the sun beating ruthlessly on the barrier of shadows beneath his hat, it was possible to sneak up to him and see the outline of a face that might become a handsome young man's in due time.

He at last reached the lounge, breathless, and gazed out at the golden shimmer on the horizon. He placed a small hand over his heart and felt it beating rapidly, only partly because of his rush. Two's smile grew smaller and quieter as he slid into rapture at the sight of the sweet sunrise beyond the mountains and sea. He was so absorbed in admiring it that he did not notice the soft click of boots on the floor behind him.

The sun's streaming gold could paint everything in the room except the pure silver of that figure's flowing hair and the deep violet of his eyes. Kuja stood in defiance of its light, watching the little mage in his stillness with a slight touch of cold amusement in his expression. After a moment Two gave a sigh and relaxed his wings, beginning to let the words of the song spill out again in gentle rhythms.

Kuja let him sing for a moment, then interrupted. "I am pleased you have found your voice," he called quietly, letting his own slide out gracefully between his teeth. Two started and whirled around, staring at the invader with a mixture of frightened surprise and resentment. His expression changed a little when he recognized Kuja, but not for the better. The silvery warrior chuckled softly and began toying with a feathery lock of hair before continuing. "It is good that you are speaking, but I would prefer if you didn't do it to a tune."

From the innocent, uncomprehending look Two gave him, Kuja decided the mage did not understand. The silver one just gave a slight sinister smile and looked his creation over. The mage had grown since his first battle, with a few more measures of height and a little of the childish cuteness gone from his frame. There was about ten more years of growing to squeeze into a month or so, however, in both the mind and body of the incomplete weapon. And though Kuja had already instilled the beginning of blood lust in the creature's consciousness, it was yet to be refined.

Kuja's gaze was drawn to the mage's large, beautiful blue-black wings. Two folded them slightly back when Kuja looked at them, and the silver-haired man laughed quietly as he praised the child's control over them. "Come with me, Black Waltz no. 2," he whispered sweetly, his hand already moving to take the mage's. "There is an element you absolutely must meet."

*~*

Air!

Two laughed in delight as he scrambled along the roof, feeling the glorious wind embracing him. Kuja smiled a little as the mage slid down to the edge, where he peered over and gasped as he saw how high up they were. Kuja had taken him up to one of the flatter parts of the roof of the castle for the experiment, and though Two was surprised to see how distant the ground was, he did not appear afraid. Of course, the child had never fallen from a great height before, and Kuja hoped he would not today.

The silver one was seated comfortably in the center of the square, legs and arms crossed, casually observing the antics of the energetic Black Waltz. He let him play for a little while more, then called him over and pointed at another block of roofing a little ways away. Kuja knew the distance between the two squares was not very great, but impossible for a small child to leap unaided. He spoke to the mage in soft tones, making sure he understood, pronouncing the words verbally and sending the command to him mentally as well. "Do you see that piece of roofing coming loose? Bring me that."

Two nodded and ran almost off the edge of the block before stopping. He then looked down, blinking at the yards of emptiness barring the way. He, too, knew it was quite a distance to jump, but the foolish boy was ready to try it. He readied himself to spring before he heard a sharp command from the direction of the silver-framed creature he had left behind.

No, not like that. Use your wings.

...Wings?

A ripple of foreign energy traveled through his wings, and Two gasped, grabbing one of them and staring at it, surprised.

Your wings.

...My wings?

Yes. Open your wings.

Wings...

Two forced them open and gave a little cry as the wind pushing against him thrust him across the divide and sent him sprawling on his face against the abrasive roofing of the second block. He sat up and rubbed at a scrape on his cheek, then looked around him for the source of the energy that had pushed him. Seeing no conscious piece of matter that could have done it, he cautiously looked at the mass of blue-black feathers behind his shoulder, and reached back to hold the edge of one again.

...Wings?

He scampered to retrieve the piece Kuja had described to him. It was like a heavy shingle, or a chip of a very large piece of armor. He tugged it free, listening to the soft, deep mutterings that echoed through his mind a minute after, then shrugged the peculiar feeling off. Two did not know what Eidolons were. He stood up, holding the piece to his chest, and walked back to the divide to cross back over. The wind was against him this time though, and he was blown backwards. The little mage yelped and began to thrash, panicked.

Use your wings!

It was a blend of instinct, resourcefulness and heavy commands from Kuja that got him to right himself and push forward with his wings against the air, forcing them to drag him higher into the air and then lower him to beside Kuja. He dropped the piece and gasped for breath, but his eyes held a thrilled sparkle and he did not drop to the ground just yet. The warrior smiled, kicking the piece of roofing aside without looking at it, and spoke to the Waltz in his silver tones. "Very good. Do you like flying? Hover, child, but do not stray far." Kuja pressed the order hard into the mage's memory. Two could not nod, only gaze at Kuja with brilliant yellow eyes and smile beneath the shadows.

Wings! Flying...

Yes. You fly well, dear Waltz.

"I fly..."

"Yes."

The wind had its own song that Two was now determined to learn and master.

---

Please review? Pleeease? Do a good deed! AA