Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any of the characters.

Love's Lost Refrain

PART 6

"Zidane. You are a liar."

"Shut up!" Zidane was shaking. As he stood before Kuja, his entire body trembled. This was it. He would settle the score with Kuja once and for all. "You said you wouldn't hurt my friends..."

"But you are a LIAR!" He threw his hand in the direction of Zidane and he fell back with incredible force. "Zidane... don't forget. You were the one that spilled the beans! You told Beatrix. You told Garnet to hide the pendant! It's the least I could do in return."

Zidane tried to get back on his feet gasping for air. "Kuja... why do you hurt people? Why did you kill Beatrix and Garnet!? WHY!?"

"Zidane... it was bound to happen. Fate chooses these things. It couldn't be helped."

"It could to! I could've left you to DIE in the Iifa tree! I gave you a second chance! You lived because of ME!"

"All fate... Zidane."

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP! Fate has nothing to do with ANYTHING!" Zidane was shaking harder than ever. As no one said a word, Zidane could hear faint screams far away. "We decide our own fate. Fate is not pre-written! What is wrong with you!?"

"Zidane... I would stop now, if I were you, and cherish your last moments on Gaia." Kuja threw his hand to his left, and a large image appeared. There were 13 knights with spears floating along the equator of Gaia, anxiously awaiting Kuja's command. "One word, Zidane. That's all it takes. One word, and say goodbye to Gaia. Say goodbye to Garnet forever, say goodbye to Tantalus. Say goodbye to all of your friends."

"Yeah, but without that pendant, you are worthless. You focus all of your power on material objects!"

"DON'T PUSH ME OVER THE EDGE... Zidane... Right now... I... AM... GOD..."

"You are a coward." Zidane's voice trembled. He didn't have a plan. He didn't know what he was doing. He just knew he had to defeat Kuja... for Garnet. "You are a COWARD!"

"Oooh, such harsh words from a little boy. What are you going to do? Stab me with a puny dagger? So what if I focus my power on material objects? I'm still more powerful than you."

Zidane now knew what he had to do. He had to get that pendant that has caused so much pain all across Gaia. He had to stop this madness.

"I'm your worst enemy, am I not?" Zidane asked him.

"My worst enemy," Kuja started, "...is life. What is a life filled with sorrow? Anger and hatred? But I must say that you are quite the pill."

"You've killed Garnet, Beatrix, Queen Brahne... why haven't you killed me?" Zidane had finally found the courage to confront Kuja with these words.

"Oh... why haven't I killed you... I suppose, that there is something worse than death. Witnessing death. Watching all your friends die is more painful than death itself." He thought about it for a while. "But I suppose that you have nothing left to live for, now that you lost your most precious possession." He gave Zidane an evil grin. I suppose that it's now your turn, is it not?" Zidane began to breath heavily. He had waited for this moment for what seemed like years, but only lasted days. "But I suppose that you want a fair, one on one battle, right?" He threw the pendant to the ground, and he stepped down, facing Zidane. "TRANCE!" A magenta light surrounded Kuja. His hair went from silver to blood red, as did the rest of his body. He walked towards Zidane. He dragged out a long sword. "We test our physical skills." Zidane took out two of his daggers. "Please don't insult me." He threw him a sword. They both got into battle position. Kuja's sharp eyes pierced through Zidane's soul, as they both stared at each other. "FIGHT!"

Kuja leaped towards Zidane with his sword over his head. Zidane blocked the sword with his, holding his horizontally. Kuja leaped to the side.

"You're pathetic!" Kuja screamed.

"You aren't so great yourself!!"

Zidane ran towards him, screaming, holding his sword with both hands. It seemed as if he was running faster than the speed of light. He lunged the sword forward towards Kuja, as he jumped out of the way.

"Surely you have more skill than that!" Kuja said.

He tried to stab Zidane in the back but he ducked. Kuja was swinging his sword horizontally, swinging and swinging and swinging. Zidane was miraculously able to dodge each one. Kuja could not take this anymore. He ran over to the pendant and snatched it.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Zidane yelled at him.

"Let's just get this over with!" Kuja held the pendant in front of his face and closed his eyes. The

next thing that Zidane knew, he was holding his sword in front of him, facing towards his abdomen.

"Kuja... what are you doing?"

"Suicide is a terrible thing. Too bad that you will be my first suicide victim!" He turned to the image of the Knights of the Round. "DESTROY!" The 13 knights drew their swords into the earth, ever so slowly, one by one. Zidane had to stop them before Gaia ceased to exist. "Goodbye... Zidane!" Zidane lunged the sword towards himself. He closed his eyes and prepared for death. But at the sword approached his body at lightening speed, he remembered Garnet's memories, slowly fading.

With a jolt of power, Zidane opened his eyes and dropped his sword, millimeters away from his body. Kuja opened his eyes as well.

"What?" He dropped the pendant, along with his sword, and lost his concentration. Zidane picked up his sword and ran for Kuja, faster, faster faster! He closed his eyes until he came to a screeching halt. He felt a warm substance splatter on his face. He opened his eyes to realize that his sword had pierced Kuja's body. Kuja looked down at the sword, than back at Zidane. With the sword still in his body, Zidane decided he wanted to teach Kuja a lesson.

"I gave you a second chance. A chance to realize that life is not about the anger. A chance to experience what it's like to live a normal human life! I gave you a chance to love, not to hate! To cry, not to scream! To embrace! Not to KILL!"

Kuja looked back at Zidane. He drew the sword out of his body, and watched Kuja slowly fall to the ground. THUMP! The sound echoed for miles. After a moment of pure silence, Zidane slowly walked over to Kuja.

"Zidane... You... you're right. I-I took life for... granted... I always wanted to be... human... But I was always shunned from doing so... I used to b-be innocent... believe it or not... but the world could not a-accept me... I wanted... revenge... I wanted... to destroy... Gaia..." Blood spewed from his mouth.

"Kuja... there will be no second chance now... You've done your share of evil deeds, and now you're about to destroy the world. I'm sorry, but there's nothing that I can do now." Zidane kneeled beside Kuja.

"B-but there is a second chance! Zidane... I don't want... you... to suffer... anymore than you have... I suppose that... this is what y-you call... coming to your senses?" He smiled. "Kuja... I will... give you back... Garnet's memories." Those were his last words. Kuja's eyes closed, and his body grew lifeless. Zidane felt a special bond with Kuja, but he knew his time had come. Zidane stood up. A ray of light emerged from Kuja's body. His body began to transform before Zidane's eyes. His body elevated from the ground and he was lifted high into the sky. His skin turned a golden yellow color, and he exploded into the shape of a bird. This giant bird spread its wings for yards in both directions. Gold sparkles flew from its wings and scattered all over the Crystal world, and into Gaia. The bird let out a cry, and slowly faded away.

Zidane noticed the image in the sky. The knights were still digging their spears into the ground.

"Holy shit!" Zidane exclaimed. The place began to shake, Gaia was about to be destroyed. He ran over to Garnet's pendant and picked it up in his hand. He held the pendant towards the image, as the knights were slowly sucked back into the pendant. A bright white light was constantly shining in Zidane's eyes. He shut his eyes, and waited. Then, silence... He opened his eyes, and realized that he was in Alexandria.

____________________________

Zidane was in Garnet's chamber. He looked over at the bed. Garnet was still laying there, lifeless. He walked over to her.

"Garnet... I did it." He stared at her. She had no life. "Kuja is no more." Once again, his vision became blurry and he laid himself down next to her body, hugged her, and closed his eyes.

With his eyes shut, darkness was all he could see. But he felt a bright light radiating before him. He opened his eyes as he saw a gold sparkle float around Garnet's lifeless body. The sparkle descended towards her body, and went into the open wound Blank (or Kuja) made with his dagger. A bright light flashed in the room, and her wound was gone. Zidane looked into her shut eyes. He saw a twitch.

"Garnet!?" He stopped breathing so there would be total silence. Then, he heard air escape from her mouth. "Garnet!" Her eyes slowly opened. As her vision came into focus, the first thing she saw was Zidane's watery eyes.

"Z-Zidane?" She was finally able to finish saying his name.

"Y-you're alive!?"

She sat up and looked at her hands. She was totally clean.

"Zidane!" She embraced him and squeezed him tightly. She began to cry. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she held him.

"Garnet! Oh, you're alive! You're alive!" They both were crying now.

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked over at Beatrix. "But what about-?"

Just then, another golden sparkle entered the room, and found it's way to Beatrix's body. He wound had disappeared as well. She sat up.

"Wh-what happened?" She was perplexed. Steiner barged into the room.

"Beatrix!"

She jumped to her feet and ran to Steiner. She jumped in his arms, and they too began to cry.

"Beatrix!... I don't know what happened, but all that matters is that you are alive!"

"Oh Steiner... I love you!"

Garnet began to smile, then she turned her head to Zidane.

"What happened to Kuja?"

Zidane looked at her with worried eyes. "He saved your life."

Garnet looked into his eyes, then hugged him again. She wanted this moment to last forever.

______________________________

Zidane and Garnet took a walk along the Alexandria river.

"Garnet..." he started. "I have something for you." He showed her the pendant.

"Oh- Zidane!" She looked at it, than took it from him. "I think we both know what to do with this." She grasped the pendant tightly against her body. She turned to the river, and threw it as far as she could. They both watched it in the setting sun. It rose to the sky, then fell. And with a splash in the water, they both knew that they would never see it again. And that made them feel a million times better. "This is what's best for Gaia."

Zidane stared out to the river. He then turned to Garnet.

"Garnet. I've decided, that I would like to become King." He almost choked on his words. "It might be nice, giving commands, um, watching plays..."

"Save your breath." Garnet interrupted. "Zidane, I have something to tell you." He waited anxiously. "I've given up the throne." He let out a huge smile. "Steiner and Beatrix are the new King and Queen of Alexandria. The ceremony is tonight." She paused, and smiled. "My mother would've wanted this," She said as looked out to the orange sun. She turned back to Zidane. "I'm now a member of Tantalus."

He chuckled. "I love you... Garnet."

"And I love you, Zidane. But... call me... Dagger."

He smiled, and they both turned, and walked down the Alexandria river. Deep inside he could feel her memories coming into true color. Zidane knew that Garnet would have many more memories to be stored away as they would journey together... forever.

Thank you, Kuja...

THE END