After the Play

Vivi and his brothers got off of the airship.

"Vivi! Vivi! Please let me hold the tickets!" the youngest brother begged, Vivi II smiled gently and handed the tickets to his younger brother, "Oh thank you very much!" the little mage took the tickets and skipped ahead, Vivi II and his brothers trailed behind, they heard a collision up again, Vivi and his brothers hurried ahead.

"Look at all the little Vivi's!" Puck cried.

"Y-your the Prince of Bermecia!" Vivi II cried.

"That's me!" Puck replied, "So, um, which one of you is the real Vivi?" He waited for the answer, a deathly silence hung in the air. All of the Black Mages cast their eyes down. Finally, the little brother had collected all of the tickets from the ground.

"Papa is...." He trailed off, "Fathe-" Vivi II had run over and slapped his hand over his little brother's mouth.

"I'm Vivi! Hi Puck! How have you been?" Vivi II said, technically, it was true. He was Vivi.

"Fine, me and my old man somehow got out of the explosion alive," Puck replied. Vivi had studied his father journal on the way to Alexandria so he knew exactly what Puck was talking about.

"Wow, we though you were goners, I'm so happy to see you, you know you were my first friend,"

"Yep, and you were my first slave, hahaha, just kidding, well, lets go see the play and hope those tickets aren't fake this time!" Puck laughed and was on his way.

"Brother, why did you lie?" the youngest brother asked.

"We'll tell them after the play, I doubt any of them would enjoy the play knowing that their friend was gone," Vivi motioned for his brothers to go as he sighed to himself, 'I guess my destiny is to become one of those forced to grow up to fast. Kuja has not only robbed us of our father, he has stripped me of my childhood....' Vivi shook himself out of his thoughts and followed his brothers.

"VIVI!!!!" A cheerful voice piped up from behind him, he turned, 'Blue hair.... Summoner's horn, Memory Earring, Angel's Flute..... Eiko Carol? Yes, it's Eiko...'

"Hello Eiko... How have you been?"

"Look at my mother and father!" She cried pointing at Regent Cid and Lady Hilda whom chuckled.

"How have you been, Vivi? We owe you a great debt, for you have helped save our world. From what my niece has told me, they could not have won without you," Lady Hilda said kindly.

"I am fine, ma'am, I have b- er... Children now. Six of them," Vivi remembered to declude himself and call his brothers his 'children'.

"Thats fine news, Vivi. I do hope they have long lives," Regent Cid said.

"Yes sir, very long lives. F- I mean I made sure of it," Vivi replied.

"Talk all you want later! We have to catch the play!" Eiko butted in and dragged Vivi II, Regent Cid, and Lady Hilda away.

~*~

Soon they were all seated and awaiting the play, Baku was the first to come out. He said something, but Vivi couldn't hear correctly anymore, he caught bits and pieces of the play, but what he heard most was his own thoughts.

'Why? Why me?' "....cloud nor squall shall stop me...." 'I met someone named Squall before.... I talked to him as soon as I became aware, I had wandered off before Father could explain anything... Father was only a child himself. Squall had a friend with him, her name was Quistis Trepe. She said something about growing up too fast, now I know what she meant... I wonder what happened to her, and how she could bear this burden. I just wish to be like my brothers, but now I have to take care of them because I have to be Vivi, I have to be Father. I hate to lie to all of his old friends.... If I told them, what would happen? What about Zidane? Didn't he die? I didn't read it correctly, the last entry was stained and almost illegible. I said something about Zidane's noble death, how will Princess Garnet take this news? It is known that she locked herself up for quite a while crying before she remembered her duties....Why me? If you were alive, Kuja, I would beat you within an inch of your life for what you've done!' "..bring my sweet Dagger back to me!" Vivi snapped his head up and saw a figure on the stage, he wore worn jeans and a blue vest, his blonde hair wavered in the wind. He tail was held at a graceful ark.... 'Zidane?!?!?!' The princess disappeared from her platform and showed up moments later in the crowd, Vivi saw something fall from her neck, it was the Falcon Claw. Vivi left the company of his brothers to retrieve it for her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two lovers embrace, Vivi smiled to himself but then remembered his news, he waited until Dagger was out of questions and Zidane was out of answers before he walked up to return the princess's necklace.

"Yo! Vivi! Man, are you a sight for sore eyes!" Zidane said when he saw Vivi II.

"Um... Yeah, h-here you go, p-Dagger..." He mumbled as he handed over the pendant.

"Thank you, Vivi, it means a lot to me," Dagger replied.

"Um.... That was what I was going to talk about, could you gather the rest of the gang?"

~*~

An hour later, everyone, Freya, Fratley, Quinta, Steiner, Beatrix, Amarant, Eiko, Regent Cid, Lady Hilda, Lani, and Vivi's brothers were all back in Quan's Dwelling.

"So, what's the news, Vivi?" Zidane asked, "And why did we have to come here?"

"Um.... I'm sorry everyone.... I lied. I'm not the real Vivi. I was named after my father. I am Vivi the 2nd," Vivi muttered.

"Well, where's our Vivi?" Eiko asked.

"In the kitchen.... He's stopped," Vivi replied. Dagger gasped, everyone else had their own reactions. Amarant spoke first.

"I didn't really expect him to live as long as he did," he stated rather coldly.

"How can you say that? One of our own has passed on and all you can say is that you didn't expect him to live as long as he did?!?! Amarant, how could you?" Dagger cried, her hands on her hips as she stamped a foot in anger.

"Quarreling like children, though I expected nothing less," a voice rung out from behind them, Vivi II spun around and faced none other than Kuja, maker of the Black Mage.

"Kuja!" He yelled in fury.

"Kuja?"

"Kuja?"

"Kuja???"

"Kuja?!?!?"

"Hey Kuja!" Those were the reactions of the others, the last one from Zidane.

"I'm glad you all know my name. What do you want, Zidane?" Kuja snorted impatiently. (Hey, it was never proved that Kuja had died, just about as much as Vivi dying, I am one of the Kuja Obsessed and proud of it! Kuja doesn't die in my book!)

"Just wanted to show you to everyone, hey, everyone! Kuja's alive!" Zidane smiled.

"Zidane, tell us something we don't know," Amarant replied.

"I hate you!" a voice rose up from the crowd. It was Vivi's oldest son.

"Hey, er... Your name is Vivi, right?" Zidane began, "What's wrong?"

"He's what's wrong! My father is dead because of him! He has robbed me of everything I had!" Vivi burst out, it was obvious that he was on the brink of going into Trance.

"Perhaps you should have let me die," Kuja muttered, startling everyone, including Vivi.

"Whadaya mean?" Zidane demanded.

"It is clear to me now, what I have done is inexcusable and I cannot mend the damage I have done. I should have died in the Iifa Tree,"

"Then let me do the honors!" Vivi said, he crossed the line and went into Trance. His eyes went totally blank, as if he was not even there anymore. Vivi cast his most powerful spells that no one had ever seen before, "THUNDAGA 5!" It was something the first Vivi had done to all of his sons, he had gotten the technique from a man named Cloud and enhanced all of their magic, "BIOAGA 5!" The attacks almost made it to Kuja, but Zidane jumped in the way, "Firaga 5!" Vivi did not hear the painful cried rising from Zidane as he took all of the hits for Kuja, "Wateraga 5," Vivi stopped casting when he heard Dagger's scream. His eyes cleared.

"Zidane!" Dagger rushed over and bent down next to Zidane, cradling his head, "Z-zidane, don't leave me! I just got you back! Zidane, please! Please, Zidane!" She begged, but it was no use. Kuja stood behind them in shock.

"Those attacks were pointed at me... Zidane would not have been hit had he stayed where he was, why did he do that?" Kuja asked.

"To save your worthless butt you bastard!" Eiko spat.

"He was attempting to save me?" Kuja said, his eyes widening.

"Yes, though why he did so is unclear," Freya replied.

"......" Kuja was out of words.

"W-what did I do?" Vivi asked.

"Do you not know? You just cast the most powerful spells I have ever seen! Though your target...." Regent Cid trailed off.

"I-i hurt Zidane?" Vivi asked.

"Indeed," Lady Hilda said as she bent down next to Dagger.

"T-then why don't I remember?" Vivi asked.

"Get Zidane, take him back to Lindblum. I'll call Dr. Tot," Regent Cid ordered.

"N-no need... He can use my bed, I'll get Dr. Tot. Treno is not far..." Vivi said, "Please don't bother my father... We have not yet been able to bury him..."

"Why, of course dear, I'll help you get him into the kitchen, Princess," Lady Hilda offered.

"T-thank you...." Dagger sniffed. Vivi quickly brushed pass Kuja, trying to resist the temptation of hurting him.

"I apologize, Vivi, Black Mages were not designed to-" Kuja began.

"Shut up! Nothing you say will bring my father back! Your a monster! You create life yet you think nothing of it! You should die just like my father! You should just wake up one day and find yourself to tired to move, you should stop, just like my father did! Only then will you know what you have put your creations through!" Out of fury, Vivi cast Thunder into the healing hot springs. Then, he rushed out the door, careful not to let Kuja see his tears.

"Zidane is a fool.... He risks himself for me though I have slain so many, his friends and foe alike...." Kuja whispered as he watched Vivi go.

~*~

Dr. Tot showed up not five minutes later. He rushed into the kitchen to see how Zidane was doing.

"Hm.... He looks pretty bad, if one of you would go back to my tower to get one of my special Elixirs, its marked 'Poison'," Dr. Tot said.

"Erin, go!" Regent Cid commanded, so Erin the Sailor saluted and left in a hurry.

"As for you.... It seems as if you loose all control and awareness when you go into Trance, that could be a problem..." Dr. Tot concluded when he examined Vivi.

"A-are you all mad at me?" Vivi asked a very small voice.

"No,"

"Of course not!"

"It's not your fault...."

"I no angry!"

"I can not blame you,"

"Really? I'm still terribly sorry.... The last thing I remember was being mad at Kuja..." Vivi said, quite relieved that no one blamed him.

"Sir!" It was Erin.

"Yes?" Regent Cid replied.

"Someone has broken into Dr. Tots tower, it is in ruins!"

(Evil music... I know it was a really evil cliffhanger but.... oh well, I'll get the next part out asap, k?)