{ Melodies of Life 3 }
Beatrix stared out at the sunrise. The orange, pink, red, blue, and purple hues spun together, forming a pleasantly swirling pattern of colours.
Peace has come. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of no more wars, no more friends lost to the cruelty of human nature. The sickening sight of blood gushing forth, the smell of death and loss and despair and hopelessness.
But nothing lasts forever, and peace is unfortunately one of the most short-lived somethings that falls to the tragedy of nature and humanity...and even alien nature.
Each knight knew, after their first real battle, how to sense danger. Both herself and Steiner were picking up some terrible signals...the birds twittering nervously, the nights of horrible dreams swirling into an endless nightmare of fright. She balled her fists, sensing that this upcoming trouble was doing its best to stop her from being able to use Seiken and White Magic. It knew of Shiva's deal with Alexandria's General...
Why, though...why do those same dreams still plague me...? she wondered, for the memories of her painful and death-filled past had returned after years of being dormant.
A lone tear made its way down her cheek, soon joined by others..."Oh, Shiva, why can't you help me anymore!" Now the tears fell freely, joined by huge sobs that wracked her whole body. Sinking down to sit on the floor, Beatrix drew her knees to her chest, sobbing like a lost child.
"Mama...Papa..."
~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Kuja pondered his options. He had been slowly gaining strength, then feeding it to Beatrix, sensing that she would need it more than he. In his current state, that witch Trani couldn't touch him with the spells that would lead to the destruction of Gaia, the death of the whole planet...save Zidane.
He remembered Trani from his days of training in Terra. /How long ago that seems.../
[Eh...Kuja...wha...?] Kuja snickered as Zidane's thoughts came to him. He wasn't what you'd call a morning person.
/Nothing. Go back to sleep./
[That's a pile of chocobo crap, and you know it. Tell me.] Zidane said, joining the world of the living.
/Trouble is brewing./
[What do you mean, 'trouble is brewing'?]
/If I could, I would sigh. Trani is disappointed in you./
[Who's Trani?]
/She was, and probably still is, Garland's most intense supporter. To her, whatever he said or thought was law, no questions asked./
[Um...that would be bad.]
/Add that to the face that she's had an obsession over you since she first saw you, yeah. We're in deep trouble./
[Aw, man! Now my wedding's gonna be screwed up. I swear, the universe is out to get me...]
/Indeed./
[Well, at least we got Beatrix with that Seiken thingie.]
/I wouldn't count on that. She and Trani go way back...the minute she sees Trani, it's the end of Seiken and White Magic, at least for a while./
[Why!?]
/I don't know all of the details, so you'll have to ask the General yourself. It's a fairly touchy subject for her. Not to mention private./
Zidane pondered these points, hoping with all his heart that war would not once again come to Gaia.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kuja drifted off to his hiding place in Dremoria. The trick about going into Dremoria was that it was fairly easy for a Rainbow Mage to cast a dangerous mind-control spell on your mind. Fortunately for the universe, it was incredibly difficult to reach the world of dreams. The entrance was wrapped in shadows, guarded by huge hoards of near-invincible Undead warriors. You had to have either far too many Potions or Hi-Potions on your hands, or have an abundance of MP to fuel Cure spells. These Undead monsters were immune to everything but healing items and spells.
All that aside, it was fairly easy for a being of pure spirit to enter the world of dreams. And so Kuja hid, wishing, hoping, praying to hold onto the semblance of life his brother's determination had bestowed upon him, to fill his unquenchable desire to be like Zidane: free, his own person, engaged to the woman he loved more than anything.
/It will never happen,/ Kuja thought bitterly. Trani loved Zidane, Zidane loved Dagger, Dagger loved Zidane, Kuja loved Trani. One big screwed-up family.
/All my life, I've had to give everything up to him,/ he told a nearby drifting spirit. /Garland's favor, the job on Gaia, the chance to truly live, the better soul...even Trani, though Zidane showed little interest in her other than as a threat to his fiancé's precious country./ Kuja sighed again, in despair. /I worked so hard to earn her affection.../
No, Trani would never love him. He who had fought Garland tooth and nail the entire way down the road. A small, private part of why he'd wanted to kill the annoying old man was because he held Trani so closely in his grasp. Trani had been in a programmed sleep when Zidane and company had visited Terra, and there was no predicting why she'd woken up.
Kuja scoffed. There was a reason Trani had rejoined the living, he realized with a sinking feeling where his heart would have been, had he possessed one in the physical sense. She'd risen to wreak her vengeance on Dagger for 'stealing' the man she considered her property. /What I wouldn't give to be that man./
But no. He would stand aside, as Zidane and his friends performed the inevitable action: killed her. Trani would not let herself be changed, as he had been. If Zidane wouldn't love her, then she would kill off his friends until he did. And if that didn't work, she would surely kill him. Kuja would stand on the sidelines, silently weeping, trying to hide the emotions bottled up inside of his lonely soul.
Always, always, Kuja would remember the tortured scream he heard, erupting from the depths of his soul, the despair displayed by a soul crying.
~~~~~~~~~
Trani paused, hearing the scream echoing throughout Dremoria. She dismissed it as nothing, then returned to her current activity of wearing holes in the floor, her hands clenched into fists. Vaguely, she remembered the basic outline of a spell to pull a select group of people or objects into Dremoria unharmed...but how? Think, think. Tut, tut, looks like rain, she thought, glancing out though the magical window she'd created.
"That's it!" she shrieked, running to her large bookshelf, which featured every spellbook ever written. Running her fingers down the columns of volumes containing everything from how to blow up a building to how to master White Magic. Her urgently searching hands brought her to a worn old blue volume, the title barely visible. Tut, Tut, Riani Liuy Sofcom, it read, in words only one fluent in the Terran language could read. 'Travel, Travel, Magical Portals Open' was the valid translation.
Tearing the old volume from the shelf, Trani's eager eyes scanned the index, looking for the appropriate chapter. Sofcom wu Hitupa - Open Without Energy, Tut Kalaki Fnyi wek Liyuy - Travel Different Countries with Portals...the list went on, discouraging the seeker. Finally!
Trani's perfectly manicured right fingernail found the spell.
"I've got you now, Zidane Tribal!" Evil, cackling laughter echoed throughout the library as Trani threw back her head and shrieked her success to all of Dremoria.
~~~~~~~~
"My wedding day," Zidane muttered, yanking on his tie as Vivi, Amarant, and Steiner snickered at him. "The single most important day in my life, and I have to worry about some psycho chick from the homeworld screwing me up."
"Your life sucks." Amarant said calmly.
"Thank you for that lovely and uplifting observation."
"I think it might be okay," Vivi volunteered timidly.
"We will valiantly protect Queen Garnet and her fiancé at all costs!" Steiner cried out, raising his sword happily.
"Ah...thanks. I think," Zidane giggled nervously.
[I am in deep shit.]
/No duh, that idiot never fought me, Necron, or any of the tougher battles/
[...be quiet.]
And the bride?
~~~~~~~~~~
"I am in deep shit."
"Don't use foul language," Freya said distractedly as she yanked at a tangle in Eiko's hair.
"It'll be fine, Dagger," Eiko predicted brightly.
"No go wrong. Quina help."
"Well, I'm keeping some Ethers and other stuff with me - just in case."
"Me too. You can never be too careful," Freya said, shooting a LOOK at Quina, who was currently off in la-la land...a land of frogs.
"Try telling her...erm...him...uh...IT that!" Eiko muttered.
"My Queen," Beatrix said, sticking her head in the door and bowing it slightly.
"Come in, Beatrix."
"It's time." Dagger gulped.
~~~~~~~~~~
Zidane fidgeted while waiting up on the altar, waiting for Dagger. Vivi would be bringing her up; Eiko being flower girl, Beatrix Maid of Honor, and Freya bridesmaid. Quina was ring bearer, mainly because Amarant wouldn't be. Kuja contented himself with fantasies of him marrying Trani, his silence puzzling Zidane - who figured it was for the best anyhow.
And then suddenly, she was coming up the altar, looking like a goddess. Zidane felt his breath freeze in his throat. His mind blurred, and he saw only her as she slowly walked ever closer to him...
Suddenly, he heard the priest asking him a question.
"I do." he murmured softly, remembering only because of the thousands of practices.
"I do." she whispered.
"You may kiss the bride..." Zidane leaned in, looping his arms loosely around Dagger's slim form, feeling her fingers twine around his hair. Slowly, closed his eyes, tilted his head...
The cheers from the crowd were lost on the happy couple. Suddenly, Beatrix felt a huge wave of energy shooting straight for Gaia. The cheers and applause turned to gasps and shrieks of fear as three columns zapped down, encasing Freya, Eiko, Dagger, and Zidane.
And the light columns promptly bounced back up to the sky. Beatrix stumbled and fell to her knees, tears coursing down her face as she remembered that horrible night so long ago...
She screamed. Screamed her hate, her frustration, her anger, her fear, her sorrow. Screamed her hopes, her dreams, her love, her passion, her soul.
When she opened her eyes, the world was tinted blue. "What's...happening...?" Beatrix choked out, feeling her body zooming up, up, up, away. Clutching her arms to her chest, she tried to hold back the sobs that only seemed to make the light travel ever faster.
Now she was standing in a white cloudy world. "My Lady?" she called out.
"Here!" she heard Eiko cry out. "Dagger's hurt!" Beatrix followed the child's voice to a partially enclosed area. Eiko was crouched, concentrating on casing Curaga on the fallen queen.
"Where are we...?" Freya wondered.
"Dremoria." Freya looked over at Zidane, whose eyes had glazed over, his head drooping. "I am speaking to you through the one of the Genomes present. One of the few vessels that can stand my power. I am Trani. And you will all die."
And then Zidane collapsed, leaving Freya to drag him closer to the revived Dagger, and Beatrix to freeze.
/No more tears...but I can't fight...not with that deal I made./
~~~~~~~~~~
"So nice to meet you all here...the team that saved Gaia...the summoning brats...that stupid rat...little redeyes, how you've grown! Hmm, Kuja must be here somewhere...Zidane!!!" As Trani appeared out of the mist, stepping closer to the huddled group, pointing with a perfectly manicured fingernail to each person.
"Kuja's been dead for four years." Eiko piped up, a look of disgust marking her childish face. "He died after we fought him."
"Yes, I know he's dead. Where is that little moron?" Dagger opened her mouth to explain to the odd girl - who was undoubtedly Trani - that Kuja had passed on from this world.
"He's here." Zidane said calmly, stepping closer. "He warned me about you. Let us go. Now." Anger and hate flashed in his blue eyes. Trani's cold demeanor seemed to shift to pain.
"How about a deal, mm?"
"What kind of deal?" Beatrix asked, clearing her throat.
"We have a fight. I win, Zidane stays with me. I lose, you all go free to Gaia, healed for free...but understand, this is a fight to the death."
"We accept." Zidane said calmly.
"Very well. Chose a party of four. The fifth sits out - and that means no magic, no participation, no nothing."
"Understood." Dagger replied coldly. "Me, Zidane, Eiko, and Freya."
"Then let us begin."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Full-Life!" As Eiko aimed her spell for Zidane, Trani waited patiently for her turn to attack, as if sure of victory. Directly after the Genome was revived, Dagger cried out for Shiva, who promptly froze Trani.
Trani was beginning to get worried. Zidane had been taking her hits for the other party members, making it difficult for her to fight. She hadn't realized that those summoning brats were so skilled at controlling eidolons and White Magic, specifically the troublesome Full-Life spell. And they seemed to have at least ninety-nine Ethers, making it hard for her to simply wait until their magical supply ran out.
Then, suddenly, she heard Kuja's voice in her head.
/Let him go, Trani./
[Kuja!]
/Yes./
[You're just jealous!]
/Perhaps. But you are killing yourself./
[That's not what you care about! I always hated you!]
/I know./
The utter calm and tranquility in Kuja's telepathic voice startled Trani.
[What...?]
/You are killing yourself, and Gaia, not to mention the man you claim to love./
[If I can't have him, nobody can!]
/There you go again./ Once more, his voice scared her.
[Kuja...you've changed...]
/Yes. I was once Angel of Death 01. I have given up that title. Garland was nothing more than a crazy old man, Trani./
[TRAITOR!!!!!!]
Zidane and co. began to be confused when Trani stopped bothering to attack them. Instead, she confronted a silvery-white wisp of being that flew out of Zidane's necklace.
"Kuja!" Trani screeched, flying up after him.
/Goodbye, everybody. I hope to see you when you die.../
This time, all of them could hear Kuja's words before he suddenly exploded, mere inches from Trani, taking her with him.
A huge flash of light blinded the party - all with the exception of Beatrix, who saw Kuja's soul explode into his purple-haired form, only wearing a long white robe and wings holding him up in the air.
"Wha-what is this?" he whispered.
"You're an angel now...a true angel." Beatrix said, then gave a deep respectful bow. "I commend you on your actions, Lord Kuja. I wish you a good afterlife watching over Gaia."
"And to you - congratulations on beating your fears." It was Kuja's turn to give a low bow. "Could you say goodbye to my brother and his wife and friends for me?"
"Of course."
And the angel soared up to heaven, leaving the struggle and hatred and evils down on Gaia, heading to a better life.
~~~~~~~~~~
"My Queen, wake up!" Beatrix shook Dagger, then moved to the others.
"Where's Kuja?" Zidane asked, after checking on his new wife.
"He has moved on to a better life...he is a true angel now."
"His dream..." Zidane smiled, absentmindedly playing with the necklace that adorned his neck. As he turned around, he was faced with three mock-angry female faces.
"Zidane Tribal!" Freya called out.
"You never told us that you had Kuja with you for a whole YEAR!" Eiko yelped, stamping her dainty foot.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, mister!" Dagger grinned, pulling him by the arm to where four beams of blue light had appeared.
"Ehehehehehehehe....."
~~~~~~~~~~
Up in heaven, Kuja looked down on his brother sleeping, Dagger curled in his arms.
/Sleep well, little brother.../
~*~the end?~*~
-Katra
Notes: All right, here it is. The end of MOL. That's right, NO MORE STORIES. At least in FF9...it was really hard to write this, as my obsession with FF9 is giving way slightly to Inuyasha and the Bouncer. It didn't help that I've had an Inuyasha fic in the brainstorming, and Dog-Man is very insistent and pushy about my writing schedule.
My deal with him and my creative shoulder angel (not muse, not conscious) was that I'd write a spamfic and a Angst/Romance thing for Inuyasha.
Not that you care, of course