disc 1
It's back. Yes, it is. I don't know how updates will work, but since I might have more free time...
Anyway, read review, and sorry about the paraphrasing, but I didn't feel like rewriting everything.
*Treno, same day
Vivi was confused. He had a ticket for the play, but they wouldn't let him on the airship to go to Alexandria. After spending all of his money on the ticket, he wouldn't get to see the play…
"B-but… I-I have a ticket. S-see?" He held it up for the man to see.
"That's a play ticket, not a boat ticket," the man turned him away again. Vivi walked away sadly, sniffling as he went.
"Hey there!" another man came towards him, carrying a sack which he set down. "What's wrong, little guy?" In fits of broken language, between his stuttering and sniffling, Vivi managed to tell the man what was wrong.
"Wait right here," he said and walked onto the ship. He came back moments later. "All clear! You have the captain's permission. Go on ahead!"
"Th-thanks!" Vivi said. He was going to Alexandria after all.
*the Prima Vista, moments before the opening sequence
Zidane pressed his face into the pillow. This was so obviously a kidnapping job, what with the sleeping weed he had to pick up before hand and all. And he had a hunch, what with the political unrest, that the target was the princess herself. A potentially dangerous job, the least was said. So he figured he slip in a nap. However, it wasn't that the Alexandrian security concerned him so much as the idea of pulling off a less than perfect job in front of a girl, and a princess none the less. No, the nap was definitely in order. Too bad he couldn't sleep. He rolled over to look at the ceiling.
"Yeah, I know the drill," he told it. "I will finally doze off two seconds before I should get up. Mwa-ha-ha. Word up, Leo. My kinsman's suffering will not have been in vain, for I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain. You gotta love that line."
"Oh I do," Blank said as he came into the room to get something.
"Mine," Zidane reminded him rolling over to look at him.
"You can have it for all I care. Meeting in half and hour, so don't be late, sleepyhead."
"Eh, you'd be better off telling me to be late," Zidane rolled onto his back.
"No, then you'd be thirty-five minutes late instead of just ten. I know what I'm doing… You just fell asleep, didn't you?" Certain enough, Zidane was sleeping soundly. "Huh, at least you won't screw up now." Blank shook his head as he left the room.
*Alexandria Castle, duh.
Garnet left during the excitement of the dueling scene. It would take her a while to get changed, and she'd still need time to sneak aboard the ship. Hopefully, no one would notice her absence. She had to do this on her own, and she had to do it right. Here goes… She waited for the guards to take their rounds outside, the she dashed out onto the balcony to nearly collide with one of the Pluto knights. She stopped dead in her tracks, her breath caught in her throat. She let it out, quickly realizing that it was not one of the Pluto Knights. No… he's one of the noble man's knights. He should just let me pass. But no… he was staring intently into her eyes. She was suddenly concerned that she was already discovered.
"Um…is there something on my face?" she squirmed with discomfort. Her words apparently broke his concentration, a light popped on in his eyes, as if calling him back to Gaia.
"Oh, no!" he quickly assured her. "I just thought you might be the one I've been waiting for all this time." Damn, if that wasn't a little straightforward, Zidane mentally slapped himself to spare her the trouble.
"Um…you were waiting for me?" Have they known about my plans all along? Garnet was really concerned now.
"Yeah…" No backing down now… He cocked his head slightly to the side, the honey blonde strands swaying to the side, his eyelids lowered slightly over blue-green orbs. "I've been wanting to meet you here ever since the day I was born." Good grief, since when was I this corny?!
"Do you mock me?" Garnet asked, flustered. Is this how you peasants treat normal girls? Do I look stupid to you?
"No! Of course not!" Can I blow it any harder? Maybe it's cause she's the princess. Dammit, how do you pick up a princess?!
"Then I shall take my leave of you," Garnet sighed. That was really weird…
"Wait a sec!" Eh, can I try the old way now? "Haven't we met before?" That sounded a little better. Kind of.
What?! "No…" Garnet was really confused now. And he wouldn't stop staring into her eyes. "I do not know you."
"Hmmm," he said his eyes leaving hers to examine…the rest of her. She felt like she was on display as he walked around her, eyeing every inch of her body. What…?
"Hmmm," Zidane came back the other way. She is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. I'm such a numb skull… Ack, line! Line! "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'd never let someone as gorgeous as you get away." Better, boy. Muuuuch better. See, she's blushing now. Garnet's breath caught in her throat. What…?
"You…think I'm beautiful?" Are you supposed to tell me that? What is going on? He looked slightly taken aback by her reply. You've never been told that before? Am I not supposed to let you know just how good-looking you are?! Crap…
"Definitely," he nodded vigorously. Ack, cut to the chase. Cut to the chase. "Say you wouldn't—"
"What's going on, Zidane?" Blank cut in. That, I would like to know. Garnet was becoming increasingly concerned about getting caught.
"I—I must go!" she knocked both of them over and fled down the stairs.
"Get up. Blank! That was Princess Garnet!" Zidane leapt over his cohort and tore after her. He knew?! Garnet picked up her pace. She had to lose him…
Man, when I wanted to cut to the chase, I didn't mean this! Zidane thought as he pulled off his armor coming out of the castle after her. Free of the excess metal, he carried on in hot pursuit. So much for not screwing it up…
Garnet glanced back to see him gaining on her. What kind of knight is he? I can't let him catch me… She suddenly had an idea and raced for the tower, rushing up the endless flight of stairs. He stayed in stride just behind her. Go girl, go! Zidane rooted in his head despite his need to catch her. Despite herself, Garnet was slightly impressed. He's not a knight at all…She let him chase her until she had enough lead to climb up and get a rope. She watched him pant at her feet for a moment before smiling sweetly and leaving him standing there. He, however, was not about to be outdone. Once inside the ship, she finally stopped running.
"So you finally made up your mind?" he asked, although he had no idea why he was still trying to pretend that this was a normal conversation. So he's…an actor? Garnet thought.
"Do you work on this theatre ship?"
"Yeah," he scratched his head.
"…I wish to be kidnapped. Right away!" And I think you might actually be able to do it, Garnet began to realize how fortunate she was. Zidane was now completely confused. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!
"Please! They've come for me!" she pulled her hood back over her face. Oooh. She was concerned that I was going to stop her from escaping the castle. Now it makes sense. Heck, it isn't every day some adorable, rich girl begs you to kidnap her, right? Zidane got down on one knee, and with utmost sincerity:
"Very well, then, your Highness. I shall hereby do my best to kidnap you." Of course, now that he was getting it right, Cinna had to cut him off short.
*Just outside of the Evil Forest, later obviously
Garnet awoke with an aching head. She sat up and groaned, remembering the destruction of the theatre ship, being captured by plants…
"You rescued me?" she asked the blobs of light around her.
"Your highness!" this was Steiner's voice. "It is my sworn duty to protect you. " Steiner rescued me? Ah well… At least he's not an eligible knight. I don't want a knight, anyway.
"What are you talking about?" She knew this voice too, but it took her a moment to place the name. "It was Vivi's magic and my dagger that got you out of there, Princess." She looked up at him. He seemed very indignant and somewhat upset. She suddenly felt very guilty about the whole ordeal.
"You both have my gratitude," she smiled at him. He wasn't looking at her, though. He was staring off towards the forest, a sadness hovering in his face. She hadn't really noticed his face before then, but now she took the opportunity to examine it. He had an odd profile that did not match any form of standard good looks, but somehow he managed to be fully attractive. Only at the moment, he looks so sad… He glanced at her and smiled half-heartedly.
"That monkey is not worthy of your praise!!" Steiner shouted angrily. Zidane cast him a fleeting death glare before rolling his eyes back into his head. He turned his back to Steiner and walked away, swishing his tail and humming something as Steiner continued. "…and for him to claim he has rescued you—!"
"Steiner, I left the castle of my own free will," she blurted. Leave him alone; it's not his fault. She heard Zidane turn around behind her.
"Impossible!" Steiner shouted.
"It's true," she nodded.
"Interesting coincidence, eh?" Zidane chimed in behind her. "We went to snatch her and she wanted to be snatched." What? Garnet thought.
*Just Outside of the South Gate, um, after the Festival of the Hunt
She felt bad, really. He had just been trying to protect her. But that was the thing; everyone was always trying to protect her. Zidane had always treated her as an equal, not only admitting that she could make decisions for herself but also respecting that. Everyone else had always simply protected her; her opinion did not matter. But Zidane… she had begun to trust him. But then he did it too. "You don't understand," he'd said. Like I'm a helpless child. You're no different from everyone else.
"There must be a way to get past those guards," Steiner said. "We cannot risk you getting caught." "They're not looking for the rest of us, so we'll just hide you." Zidane's voice was there again. It had been helpfully haunting her the whole trip here. Unfortunately, Zidane had not told her how he planned to pull that off. She thought about it for a moment, and by chance happened to notice a glysal pickle vendor at the foot of the mountain. Ugh, so that's what that smell was. Hey, wait a moment…
*Burmecia, just before the end of disc one
The rain made the whole situation feel better. Actually, the entire surrounding was quite lovely. What dampened the ecstasy were the beings about the place. The rat people were ugly enough on their own; they did not need the assistance of being half burned into cinders as well. And there was the elephant woman as well. Her irritation of the princess's disappearance could not compare to his, but he was infinitely more patient than she could hope to be. However, he could take some comfort that now that he had managed to start a war, Garland would not bother him about the lack of available souls. What was rather disgraceful was that he hadn't to try very hard. The queen was a truly disgusting person.
Perhaps what made things the worst was that the general would not so much as look at him. She was the shaft of light in this grim place that rendered it as a piece of heaven, and he could not so much as get a glimpse of her good eye. So he turned his attention to the rain instead. The wet, coolness of it poured over his skin as if to take his troubles with it. How long could he stand there with his face to the rain?
Beatrix was sick of being ignored. The queen only acknowledged her presence when she wanted to bitch about something or order her around. She's just upset because her daughter's missing, she tried to assure herself. Presently, they were still trying to find the King of the Burmecians.
"Beatrix, what's taking so long!?" Brahne nearly screeched at her.
"I don't know, Your Majesty. I've ordered Zorn and Thorn to search the perimeter, but there's been no word so far. I will join them and lead the search right away." Beatrix must have flinched visibly, because Kuja came to her rescue.
"You're wasting your time," Kuja stretched lazily as he said this.
"What?" Beatrix didn't catch on at first.
"Rats often look for new homes when they sense an earthquake," Kuja spoke with that tone that embodies a dream. "They probably moved to the sandy tree house by now... So, you see, it's too late. The king has already turned tail and fled."
"Sandy Tree House… Surely you don't mean Cleyra?!" Brahne asked, completely enthralled by his ability to determine the obvious. "It'll be quite difficult if they escaped to Cleyra."
"Cleyra…" Beatrix didn't want to be left out. "Unless we can get through that sandstorm, it will be impossible to attack them."
"Sneaky little rats!" Brahne pouted. "Kuja, what do you think? Surely, with your powers, there must be something you can do." Of course my military genius is worthless, Beatrix turned her back to the scene.
"Of course, your majesty," Kuja crooned behind her. "I will present you a marvelous display of my power. I am certain that you will be most pleased. I was wondering if you would gather your troops near Cleyra. I'm certain those filthy rats will retaliate in full force, and my black mages may not be enough." Beatrix suddenly realized that this last part was addressing her. Would you stop reading my mind?!
"Of course," she looked back at him and for a dreadful moment, their eyes locked. Thankfully, a foolish rat creature interrupted them. Even better, more creatures quickly joined him. She felt that at least she could give a display of her powers now. The little mage with them was powerful, but he went down easily. The rat dragon knight was tougher, but not much. She went down with a Shock Seiken attack. The one who gave her a run for her money was the boy. The Save the Queen was the most powerful blade in all of Gaia, but it was worthless if one did not land a hit with it. He seemed to understand this, and he was fast enough to avoid being hit.
He pressed his attack, confining her sword to defensive maneuvers. He was, however, no true opponent: all skill and no power. And although Beatrix did marvel at his skill, he was no threat. It was only a matter of time before he gave her an opening. In the meantime, she had to be careful not to make any mistakes herself. She managed to work up some power into her sword as they dueled about the room. She smirked.
"Shock…" It missed him by inches as he dove out of the way. He rolled on the ground back into an upright position, where he stood panting heavily. He glanced at his fallen friends. It was here that she realized that he had stripped her of her ether during the course of the battle. "You must think you're pretty good," she smirked again, noting that she could not afford to miss again.
"Whatever works," he shrugged. This time she charged. He had let his guard down and was too slow. His block was weak and she easily forced his dual-bladed weapon from his hands. To her utter surprise, he retaliated with a jump kick to her gut. As she stumbled backwards, he scrambled for his weapon, which was just to her right. Like she had predicted, he was now tired and sluggish. He was stopped just inches from his weapon, her blade beneath his chin. His breath came in short rasped as his eyes traveled up the length of her sword to look at her face.
"Uh…guys?" he glanced back at the mage and the rat before returning his gaze to her. She smiled and tapped the underside of his chin with the flat of her blade saying:
"Up." He complied, raising himself slowly from the ground until he stood before her, his breathing coming in faster rasps than before. He no doubt was expecting the deathblow at any time, and with good reason. "Do you consider yourself a man?" she asked snidely. He didn't miss a beat.
"Either that or I'm getting pretty close," he replied, smiling nervously. This drew a chuckle from her. She liked warriors like that, and she didn't especially want to waste his talent. Perhaps, there was also some maternal instinct she hadn't managed to beat out… he is so young. How can he fight like that? However, she knew no mercy.
"Let's find out." He flew backwards from the force of her Stock Break attack and landed squarely on his back, his breath forced from his lungs and his body seething with pain. She walked over to where he lay moaning on the ground. "Get up." He slowly forced himself upright, and even more slowly got one foot underneath of himself. This leg gave out when he attempted to put weight on it and he fell back into a sitting position. "Get up," she repeated. He grunted as he pushed against the ground, but to no avail. Finally, he slowly looked up at her, his face a complete etching of pain.
"I—" his breath gave out and he couldn't speak. She flipped her hair.
"Hmph," she sneered. "You're just a boy." She walked away, shaking her head. "How pathetically weak… Isn't there anyone worthy of facing me?" Her gaze avoided Kuja's person entirely. Brahne did not seem impressed by her handiwork.
"Come, Beatrix," she said as if nothing had happened. "We must prepare to attack Cleyra."
"Yes, your Majesty," she sighed as she saluted her queen. They made their way to the Airship Red Rose.
Kuja watched them go. He hadn't been interested in the battle so much as watching Beatrix in action. To be honest, it turned out to be far more interesting than he had expected. However, her opponent's technique had been disturbingly familiar. He walked over to the fallen trio.
"Now, what do we have here...? Another filthy rat, and…" his breath caught in his throat. At first, the similarity was faint, but the strip of blond velvet that trailed along the ground was unmistakable. It had been twelve years. "Hmm… This 'boy' could become a problem…" he finally breathed. He slowly walked towards him. Thick, wet tangles of tawny hair fell from a bowed head. His breathing was labored. Rain made his clothing stick to his slightly frame. This is what you've made of yourself, Zidane? …it's not really your fault, I suppose. Garland, he survived. That is all. No more, no less. Kuja chuckled to himself. He would have lingered longer, but the rat was waking up and he didn't want to even seem to have connections to the pitiful creature on the wet ground. Pitiful, that is indeed the word. Garland, your work of perfection cannot even hold his own against the Gaian woman that I find need to look after. Kuja shook his head demeaningly as he walked away. Pitiful. Casting one last glance at his little brother, Kuja mounted his silver dragon and took to the downcast skies. Well, Zidane, you have my pity. Pity? Really? Kuja sat in thought as he flew to the city that never sleeps. How can Garland's best be that bad? Honestly … He thought about it for a moment.
***
"There's nothing special about him," Kuja sniffed. "He looks just like the others."
"He's even better than you," Garland's smile was that of satisfaction. They watched the tiny genome, who had recently mastered the art of walking, learn the art of fighting. Kuja was painfully aware that he was still struggling with the levels that Zidane was closing in on.
"He's not even as good as the others," Kuja insisted. "He can't even use simple magic."
"Magic is nothing."
"Nothing?!" Kuja was completely incredulous. "But…you practice magic."
"The blood of the Highlander tribe runs through his veins, Kuja," Garland looked exceptionally pleased with himself. "Magic is nothing to him. It is so useless that it does not exist."
"…but, what could be more useful than magic?"
"Dyne."
"Dyne? What's that?"
"I don't know," Garland's smile grew.
"You…what?" Kuja was now completely baffled. "But—"
"It was once translated to me as 'the conversion of ideas into energy,'" Garland looked at him. "What he can do is incomprehensible to me. He can draw power from his mind… I don't know how, but I saw it done once before. It's possible and he can do it himself."
"He can do anything he thinks he can do?" Kuja suggested, completely overwhelmed. Garland chuckled.
"That's another way to put it. He's unstoppable." Kuja was quickly becoming frustrated with Garland's vagueness, plus he was increasingly feeling threatened by this "special" genome, this new angel of death.
"Let's see it then," Kuja snorted.
"See the dyne?" Garland laughed. "But he's just a child. His dyne must mature first."
"His mind must mature?"
"That's a significant part of the process, yes," Garland continued watching the little boy in the simulation chamber.
"Well, how long will that take?" Kuja sighed in aggravation.
"He should mature when he reaches his seventeenth year. That's the way it worked in the Highlanders records. A child who had reached the age of seventeen would be sent on a journey to anywhere, where they would wander until they understood their dyne abilities. They would come home and put their abilities to the benefit of their tribe..."
***
Beatrix is correct, Kuja realized. He's just a boy. He cannot even be a threat to me until he reached his seventeenth year. Kuja did the math in his head. There were easily several months for Zidane to go. It was not that amount of time until he gained control of Alexander, he knew. Zidane would be too late. Maybe I'm just cocky, Garland. Just an arrogant imperfection that is pleased with the way he stands out. Stands out far above your plans. You said I was unworthy, yet how many people just now died? How many more in the next few days? All your plans lay idle, and yet your goals are accomplished. What am I Garland? Kuja laughed into the open skies. Imperfect? At least I am not pitiful.
yei. I'll try to get more, just bare with me.
It's back. Yes, it is. I don't know how updates will work, but since I might have more free time...
Anyway, read review, and sorry about the paraphrasing, but I didn't feel like rewriting everything.
*Treno, same day
Vivi was confused. He had a ticket for the play, but they wouldn't let him on the airship to go to Alexandria. After spending all of his money on the ticket, he wouldn't get to see the play…
"B-but… I-I have a ticket. S-see?" He held it up for the man to see.
"That's a play ticket, not a boat ticket," the man turned him away again. Vivi walked away sadly, sniffling as he went.
"Hey there!" another man came towards him, carrying a sack which he set down. "What's wrong, little guy?" In fits of broken language, between his stuttering and sniffling, Vivi managed to tell the man what was wrong.
"Wait right here," he said and walked onto the ship. He came back moments later. "All clear! You have the captain's permission. Go on ahead!"
"Th-thanks!" Vivi said. He was going to Alexandria after all.
*the Prima Vista, moments before the opening sequence
Zidane pressed his face into the pillow. This was so obviously a kidnapping job, what with the sleeping weed he had to pick up before hand and all. And he had a hunch, what with the political unrest, that the target was the princess herself. A potentially dangerous job, the least was said. So he figured he slip in a nap. However, it wasn't that the Alexandrian security concerned him so much as the idea of pulling off a less than perfect job in front of a girl, and a princess none the less. No, the nap was definitely in order. Too bad he couldn't sleep. He rolled over to look at the ceiling.
"Yeah, I know the drill," he told it. "I will finally doze off two seconds before I should get up. Mwa-ha-ha. Word up, Leo. My kinsman's suffering will not have been in vain, for I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain. You gotta love that line."
"Oh I do," Blank said as he came into the room to get something.
"Mine," Zidane reminded him rolling over to look at him.
"You can have it for all I care. Meeting in half and hour, so don't be late, sleepyhead."
"Eh, you'd be better off telling me to be late," Zidane rolled onto his back.
"No, then you'd be thirty-five minutes late instead of just ten. I know what I'm doing… You just fell asleep, didn't you?" Certain enough, Zidane was sleeping soundly. "Huh, at least you won't screw up now." Blank shook his head as he left the room.
*Alexandria Castle, duh.
Garnet left during the excitement of the dueling scene. It would take her a while to get changed, and she'd still need time to sneak aboard the ship. Hopefully, no one would notice her absence. She had to do this on her own, and she had to do it right. Here goes… She waited for the guards to take their rounds outside, the she dashed out onto the balcony to nearly collide with one of the Pluto knights. She stopped dead in her tracks, her breath caught in her throat. She let it out, quickly realizing that it was not one of the Pluto Knights. No… he's one of the noble man's knights. He should just let me pass. But no… he was staring intently into her eyes. She was suddenly concerned that she was already discovered.
"Um…is there something on my face?" she squirmed with discomfort. Her words apparently broke his concentration, a light popped on in his eyes, as if calling him back to Gaia.
"Oh, no!" he quickly assured her. "I just thought you might be the one I've been waiting for all this time." Damn, if that wasn't a little straightforward, Zidane mentally slapped himself to spare her the trouble.
"Um…you were waiting for me?" Have they known about my plans all along? Garnet was really concerned now.
"Yeah…" No backing down now… He cocked his head slightly to the side, the honey blonde strands swaying to the side, his eyelids lowered slightly over blue-green orbs. "I've been wanting to meet you here ever since the day I was born." Good grief, since when was I this corny?!
"Do you mock me?" Garnet asked, flustered. Is this how you peasants treat normal girls? Do I look stupid to you?
"No! Of course not!" Can I blow it any harder? Maybe it's cause she's the princess. Dammit, how do you pick up a princess?!
"Then I shall take my leave of you," Garnet sighed. That was really weird…
"Wait a sec!" Eh, can I try the old way now? "Haven't we met before?" That sounded a little better. Kind of.
What?! "No…" Garnet was really confused now. And he wouldn't stop staring into her eyes. "I do not know you."
"Hmmm," he said his eyes leaving hers to examine…the rest of her. She felt like she was on display as he walked around her, eyeing every inch of her body. What…?
"Hmmm," Zidane came back the other way. She is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. I'm such a numb skull… Ack, line! Line! "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'd never let someone as gorgeous as you get away." Better, boy. Muuuuch better. See, she's blushing now. Garnet's breath caught in her throat. What…?
"You…think I'm beautiful?" Are you supposed to tell me that? What is going on? He looked slightly taken aback by her reply. You've never been told that before? Am I not supposed to let you know just how good-looking you are?! Crap…
"Definitely," he nodded vigorously. Ack, cut to the chase. Cut to the chase. "Say you wouldn't—"
"What's going on, Zidane?" Blank cut in. That, I would like to know. Garnet was becoming increasingly concerned about getting caught.
"I—I must go!" she knocked both of them over and fled down the stairs.
"Get up. Blank! That was Princess Garnet!" Zidane leapt over his cohort and tore after her. He knew?! Garnet picked up her pace. She had to lose him…
Man, when I wanted to cut to the chase, I didn't mean this! Zidane thought as he pulled off his armor coming out of the castle after her. Free of the excess metal, he carried on in hot pursuit. So much for not screwing it up…
Garnet glanced back to see him gaining on her. What kind of knight is he? I can't let him catch me… She suddenly had an idea and raced for the tower, rushing up the endless flight of stairs. He stayed in stride just behind her. Go girl, go! Zidane rooted in his head despite his need to catch her. Despite herself, Garnet was slightly impressed. He's not a knight at all…She let him chase her until she had enough lead to climb up and get a rope. She watched him pant at her feet for a moment before smiling sweetly and leaving him standing there. He, however, was not about to be outdone. Once inside the ship, she finally stopped running.
"So you finally made up your mind?" he asked, although he had no idea why he was still trying to pretend that this was a normal conversation. So he's…an actor? Garnet thought.
"Do you work on this theatre ship?"
"Yeah," he scratched his head.
"…I wish to be kidnapped. Right away!" And I think you might actually be able to do it, Garnet began to realize how fortunate she was. Zidane was now completely confused. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!
"Please! They've come for me!" she pulled her hood back over her face. Oooh. She was concerned that I was going to stop her from escaping the castle. Now it makes sense. Heck, it isn't every day some adorable, rich girl begs you to kidnap her, right? Zidane got down on one knee, and with utmost sincerity:
"Very well, then, your Highness. I shall hereby do my best to kidnap you." Of course, now that he was getting it right, Cinna had to cut him off short.
*Just outside of the Evil Forest, later obviously
Garnet awoke with an aching head. She sat up and groaned, remembering the destruction of the theatre ship, being captured by plants…
"You rescued me?" she asked the blobs of light around her.
"Your highness!" this was Steiner's voice. "It is my sworn duty to protect you. " Steiner rescued me? Ah well… At least he's not an eligible knight. I don't want a knight, anyway.
"What are you talking about?" She knew this voice too, but it took her a moment to place the name. "It was Vivi's magic and my dagger that got you out of there, Princess." She looked up at him. He seemed very indignant and somewhat upset. She suddenly felt very guilty about the whole ordeal.
"You both have my gratitude," she smiled at him. He wasn't looking at her, though. He was staring off towards the forest, a sadness hovering in his face. She hadn't really noticed his face before then, but now she took the opportunity to examine it. He had an odd profile that did not match any form of standard good looks, but somehow he managed to be fully attractive. Only at the moment, he looks so sad… He glanced at her and smiled half-heartedly.
"That monkey is not worthy of your praise!!" Steiner shouted angrily. Zidane cast him a fleeting death glare before rolling his eyes back into his head. He turned his back to Steiner and walked away, swishing his tail and humming something as Steiner continued. "…and for him to claim he has rescued you—!"
"Steiner, I left the castle of my own free will," she blurted. Leave him alone; it's not his fault. She heard Zidane turn around behind her.
"Impossible!" Steiner shouted.
"It's true," she nodded.
"Interesting coincidence, eh?" Zidane chimed in behind her. "We went to snatch her and she wanted to be snatched." What? Garnet thought.
*Just Outside of the South Gate, um, after the Festival of the Hunt
She felt bad, really. He had just been trying to protect her. But that was the thing; everyone was always trying to protect her. Zidane had always treated her as an equal, not only admitting that she could make decisions for herself but also respecting that. Everyone else had always simply protected her; her opinion did not matter. But Zidane… she had begun to trust him. But then he did it too. "You don't understand," he'd said. Like I'm a helpless child. You're no different from everyone else.
"There must be a way to get past those guards," Steiner said. "We cannot risk you getting caught." "They're not looking for the rest of us, so we'll just hide you." Zidane's voice was there again. It had been helpfully haunting her the whole trip here. Unfortunately, Zidane had not told her how he planned to pull that off. She thought about it for a moment, and by chance happened to notice a glysal pickle vendor at the foot of the mountain. Ugh, so that's what that smell was. Hey, wait a moment…
*Burmecia, just before the end of disc one
The rain made the whole situation feel better. Actually, the entire surrounding was quite lovely. What dampened the ecstasy were the beings about the place. The rat people were ugly enough on their own; they did not need the assistance of being half burned into cinders as well. And there was the elephant woman as well. Her irritation of the princess's disappearance could not compare to his, but he was infinitely more patient than she could hope to be. However, he could take some comfort that now that he had managed to start a war, Garland would not bother him about the lack of available souls. What was rather disgraceful was that he hadn't to try very hard. The queen was a truly disgusting person.
Perhaps what made things the worst was that the general would not so much as look at him. She was the shaft of light in this grim place that rendered it as a piece of heaven, and he could not so much as get a glimpse of her good eye. So he turned his attention to the rain instead. The wet, coolness of it poured over his skin as if to take his troubles with it. How long could he stand there with his face to the rain?
Beatrix was sick of being ignored. The queen only acknowledged her presence when she wanted to bitch about something or order her around. She's just upset because her daughter's missing, she tried to assure herself. Presently, they were still trying to find the King of the Burmecians.
"Beatrix, what's taking so long!?" Brahne nearly screeched at her.
"I don't know, Your Majesty. I've ordered Zorn and Thorn to search the perimeter, but there's been no word so far. I will join them and lead the search right away." Beatrix must have flinched visibly, because Kuja came to her rescue.
"You're wasting your time," Kuja stretched lazily as he said this.
"What?" Beatrix didn't catch on at first.
"Rats often look for new homes when they sense an earthquake," Kuja spoke with that tone that embodies a dream. "They probably moved to the sandy tree house by now... So, you see, it's too late. The king has already turned tail and fled."
"Sandy Tree House… Surely you don't mean Cleyra?!" Brahne asked, completely enthralled by his ability to determine the obvious. "It'll be quite difficult if they escaped to Cleyra."
"Cleyra…" Beatrix didn't want to be left out. "Unless we can get through that sandstorm, it will be impossible to attack them."
"Sneaky little rats!" Brahne pouted. "Kuja, what do you think? Surely, with your powers, there must be something you can do." Of course my military genius is worthless, Beatrix turned her back to the scene.
"Of course, your majesty," Kuja crooned behind her. "I will present you a marvelous display of my power. I am certain that you will be most pleased. I was wondering if you would gather your troops near Cleyra. I'm certain those filthy rats will retaliate in full force, and my black mages may not be enough." Beatrix suddenly realized that this last part was addressing her. Would you stop reading my mind?!
"Of course," she looked back at him and for a dreadful moment, their eyes locked. Thankfully, a foolish rat creature interrupted them. Even better, more creatures quickly joined him. She felt that at least she could give a display of her powers now. The little mage with them was powerful, but he went down easily. The rat dragon knight was tougher, but not much. She went down with a Shock Seiken attack. The one who gave her a run for her money was the boy. The Save the Queen was the most powerful blade in all of Gaia, but it was worthless if one did not land a hit with it. He seemed to understand this, and he was fast enough to avoid being hit.
He pressed his attack, confining her sword to defensive maneuvers. He was, however, no true opponent: all skill and no power. And although Beatrix did marvel at his skill, he was no threat. It was only a matter of time before he gave her an opening. In the meantime, she had to be careful not to make any mistakes herself. She managed to work up some power into her sword as they dueled about the room. She smirked.
"Shock…" It missed him by inches as he dove out of the way. He rolled on the ground back into an upright position, where he stood panting heavily. He glanced at his fallen friends. It was here that she realized that he had stripped her of her ether during the course of the battle. "You must think you're pretty good," she smirked again, noting that she could not afford to miss again.
"Whatever works," he shrugged. This time she charged. He had let his guard down and was too slow. His block was weak and she easily forced his dual-bladed weapon from his hands. To her utter surprise, he retaliated with a jump kick to her gut. As she stumbled backwards, he scrambled for his weapon, which was just to her right. Like she had predicted, he was now tired and sluggish. He was stopped just inches from his weapon, her blade beneath his chin. His breath came in short rasped as his eyes traveled up the length of her sword to look at her face.
"Uh…guys?" he glanced back at the mage and the rat before returning his gaze to her. She smiled and tapped the underside of his chin with the flat of her blade saying:
"Up." He complied, raising himself slowly from the ground until he stood before her, his breathing coming in faster rasps than before. He no doubt was expecting the deathblow at any time, and with good reason. "Do you consider yourself a man?" she asked snidely. He didn't miss a beat.
"Either that or I'm getting pretty close," he replied, smiling nervously. This drew a chuckle from her. She liked warriors like that, and she didn't especially want to waste his talent. Perhaps, there was also some maternal instinct she hadn't managed to beat out… he is so young. How can he fight like that? However, she knew no mercy.
"Let's find out." He flew backwards from the force of her Stock Break attack and landed squarely on his back, his breath forced from his lungs and his body seething with pain. She walked over to where he lay moaning on the ground. "Get up." He slowly forced himself upright, and even more slowly got one foot underneath of himself. This leg gave out when he attempted to put weight on it and he fell back into a sitting position. "Get up," she repeated. He grunted as he pushed against the ground, but to no avail. Finally, he slowly looked up at her, his face a complete etching of pain.
"I—" his breath gave out and he couldn't speak. She flipped her hair.
"Hmph," she sneered. "You're just a boy." She walked away, shaking her head. "How pathetically weak… Isn't there anyone worthy of facing me?" Her gaze avoided Kuja's person entirely. Brahne did not seem impressed by her handiwork.
"Come, Beatrix," she said as if nothing had happened. "We must prepare to attack Cleyra."
"Yes, your Majesty," she sighed as she saluted her queen. They made their way to the Airship Red Rose.
Kuja watched them go. He hadn't been interested in the battle so much as watching Beatrix in action. To be honest, it turned out to be far more interesting than he had expected. However, her opponent's technique had been disturbingly familiar. He walked over to the fallen trio.
"Now, what do we have here...? Another filthy rat, and…" his breath caught in his throat. At first, the similarity was faint, but the strip of blond velvet that trailed along the ground was unmistakable. It had been twelve years. "Hmm… This 'boy' could become a problem…" he finally breathed. He slowly walked towards him. Thick, wet tangles of tawny hair fell from a bowed head. His breathing was labored. Rain made his clothing stick to his slightly frame. This is what you've made of yourself, Zidane? …it's not really your fault, I suppose. Garland, he survived. That is all. No more, no less. Kuja chuckled to himself. He would have lingered longer, but the rat was waking up and he didn't want to even seem to have connections to the pitiful creature on the wet ground. Pitiful, that is indeed the word. Garland, your work of perfection cannot even hold his own against the Gaian woman that I find need to look after. Kuja shook his head demeaningly as he walked away. Pitiful. Casting one last glance at his little brother, Kuja mounted his silver dragon and took to the downcast skies. Well, Zidane, you have my pity. Pity? Really? Kuja sat in thought as he flew to the city that never sleeps. How can Garland's best be that bad? Honestly … He thought about it for a moment.
***
"There's nothing special about him," Kuja sniffed. "He looks just like the others."
"He's even better than you," Garland's smile was that of satisfaction. They watched the tiny genome, who had recently mastered the art of walking, learn the art of fighting. Kuja was painfully aware that he was still struggling with the levels that Zidane was closing in on.
"He's not even as good as the others," Kuja insisted. "He can't even use simple magic."
"Magic is nothing."
"Nothing?!" Kuja was completely incredulous. "But…you practice magic."
"The blood of the Highlander tribe runs through his veins, Kuja," Garland looked exceptionally pleased with himself. "Magic is nothing to him. It is so useless that it does not exist."
"…but, what could be more useful than magic?"
"Dyne."
"Dyne? What's that?"
"I don't know," Garland's smile grew.
"You…what?" Kuja was now completely baffled. "But—"
"It was once translated to me as 'the conversion of ideas into energy,'" Garland looked at him. "What he can do is incomprehensible to me. He can draw power from his mind… I don't know how, but I saw it done once before. It's possible and he can do it himself."
"He can do anything he thinks he can do?" Kuja suggested, completely overwhelmed. Garland chuckled.
"That's another way to put it. He's unstoppable." Kuja was quickly becoming frustrated with Garland's vagueness, plus he was increasingly feeling threatened by this "special" genome, this new angel of death.
"Let's see it then," Kuja snorted.
"See the dyne?" Garland laughed. "But he's just a child. His dyne must mature first."
"His mind must mature?"
"That's a significant part of the process, yes," Garland continued watching the little boy in the simulation chamber.
"Well, how long will that take?" Kuja sighed in aggravation.
"He should mature when he reaches his seventeenth year. That's the way it worked in the Highlanders records. A child who had reached the age of seventeen would be sent on a journey to anywhere, where they would wander until they understood their dyne abilities. They would come home and put their abilities to the benefit of their tribe..."
***
Beatrix is correct, Kuja realized. He's just a boy. He cannot even be a threat to me until he reached his seventeenth year. Kuja did the math in his head. There were easily several months for Zidane to go. It was not that amount of time until he gained control of Alexander, he knew. Zidane would be too late. Maybe I'm just cocky, Garland. Just an arrogant imperfection that is pleased with the way he stands out. Stands out far above your plans. You said I was unworthy, yet how many people just now died? How many more in the next few days? All your plans lay idle, and yet your goals are accomplished. What am I Garland? Kuja laughed into the open skies. Imperfect? At least I am not pitiful.
yei. I'll try to get more, just bare with me.
