Note from the washimegami: Hi, I'm just a bit bitchy right now, so
you can skip ahead to the story if you are not that "michelle" person. Grammar
mistakes my left foot, you maladroit that won't leave your e-mail address
so I have to retort here. Really, find one mistake that you can point out!
I edit my fics several times over before I post them! Some of my ellipses
usage is odd, true, but not incorrect. You don't like the story? Fine, you
can fuss about content all you want, but don't lie about my grammar!
*Alexandria, the destruction of Bahamut and Alexander
Tell her. Tell her now… Zidane knelt in front of Garnet, who was still composing herself. Zidane, overjoyed to see her, overjoyed that she was all right, finally made a decision. See there, she still needs me. Why should I hide everything from her? The truth, however painful, is the only thing that is fair to everybody.
"Dagger… I'm sorry…" he really wasn't certain how to say this. All right, someone, quick, anyone, how do you tell a queen that you love her? …never mind. I think I know. He bowed his head before continuing. "I don't know why I wasn't honest with you…"
"Zidane, we mad a really big mess, didn't we?" interrupted Eiko. Cheez, I can't tell Dagger this in front of Eiko!! Eiko practically terrified Zidane. Zidane really couldn't bring himself to hurt her feelings, and he had no clue how to ask a six-year-old girl to leave him alone nicely. So he tended to ignore her when she was hitting on him. But now, how could he confess his love to Dagger in front of Eiko? It wouldn't be pretty… The castle rumbled.
"We'll talk later! Let's get out of here!" He grabbed Garnet's wrist, pulling her upright, and the three of them raced down the stairs and through the throne room antechamber before bursting through the huge twin doors at breakneck speed; the castle rumbled again. Zidane stopped suddenly at the spot where he and the princess had first encountered each other, both girls ran into his back.
"Zidane?!" they both interjected simultaneously. Zidane cocked his head and focused on the ceiling, his ears picking out a faint whirring noise through the commotion of destruction. I know that sound. It was one of those times that Zidane wasn't about to question his instincts, no matter what odd conclusions they led him to. In a rush of adrenalin, he grabbed both girls, one under each arm and tore down the hall to the royal seating on the balcony.
"This is no way to treat—"
"Zidane?! What are you—"
"Trust me!!" Zidane hollered as he sprang from the balcony into the oblivion of the wretched night, taking both girls with him. And as he did so, the castle ripped apart beneath them in a wave of energy that picked up their flight and tossed them up and over the first wave of destruction. Eiko, being the lightest, was carried all the way out to be deposited in the water, out of harm's way. Zidane and Garnet rolled along the ground when they hit. Zidane looked up to see the castle still being torn apart by the energy and, without a word, threw his body over Garnet's as the wave of demolition swamped them.
***
"My gods…" Cid said from the safety of the hills, where he was with all the Alexandrian citizens.
"Zidane-Eiko-Dagger!!" Vivi screamed all at once.
"Your Highness!" Steiner fell to his knees. "Beatrix…" He has been separated from her in the battle and had come up the hill in search of her, only to not find her there. Then Alexandria was destroyed. Most of the residents were crying, but now Cid gave out orders.
"Everyone, get the children and the elderly to the port! I want every able bodied person to go down and search for survivors! Now!"
"Yeah, Zidane's gotta be alive down there somewhere, right Marcus?" Blank asked nervously.
"Yeah," Marcus nodded solemnly. They both nearly fell on their faces as Baku slapped them forward.
"Whatcha waitin' fer?" He scolded. "Get down there and help out! This is an emergency!" Blank and Marcus ran towards the city with everyone else.
"Baku," Cid interrupted, "I'm heading down as well. I find my oglop senses would be very useful in locating survivors. Could you set up some medical stations?"
"Sure."
***
Eiko clambered out of the water. Zidane, you're just lucky that I can swim, she pouted not really caring that she had been saved because she was underwater when the city had been leveled. She looked around to see high walls of what had been the castle. She was stuck you. Ooh, Zidane, you had better come find me, because I'm cold and wet and it's all your fault! Eiko sat down where she was and pouted.
***
Kuja groaned as he opened his eyes. He groaned louder as he shoved a large piece of debris off of himself. He tried to sit up, but when he did, his right hip and knee twisted unnaturally and he was forced back down with a hiss of pain. He raised his head to look at his leg. It was trapped under a huge piece of…the castle gate? Yes, it was a piece of the castle gate. It had flown out far past the gates of the city and was now crushing his leg just below the knee. He tried to pull away from it, but he was stuck. He lied back down, gasping in his pain. I am going to die here.
He opened his eyes only to close them again with a wince. He was unused to feelings of physical discomfort. I'm dying…No. That's illogical, sure I may be stuck here for now, but once I get my strength back, I can break this rock and leave. Of course, if the Alexandrians find me…but they can't touch me. No, I'll be fine. …I'm going to die here. No, not here… if not here soon. Garland has found me out… Hmm, maybe he thinks I'm dead? I could hide… No, then I'll die here. I don't want to die… But… Approaching footsteps interrupted Kuja's only-less-than-hysterical train of thought. They stopped by his ear, and he heard the drawing of a sword. He opened his ice-blue eyes and squinted into the darkness.
"I should have known," said a very familiar voice.
"Beatrix?"
"I—I should have known this is what you'd do. Liar."
"Liar?" he groaned. "This isn't what you think…"
"And what am I to think?" she snapped, on the verge of tears. "You said you had no interest in Alexandria! You said!" For the first time ever, Kuja felt guilty.
"Please believe me…" Kuja closed his eyes. "I had no intention of destroying Alexandria… I merely needed the eidolon Alexander…" This was closer to the truth, but Kuja knew he was still lying.
"I don't believe you! Why should I?!" she sobbed and brought her sword close to his head. Kuja said nothing for a moment.
"I—I've failed," he sighed. Then he tilted his head back, exposing the soft, white skin of his throat. She forced her sword point to touch it, letting the tip draw the smallest spot of blood before she stopped.
"Bastard…" she sobbed. Neither of them moved for a moment. Then…
"Finish me, Beatrix," he whispered in that sad voice of his, "I'd much prefer you did." Beatrix was more than happy to comply. However, it was her heart that controlled her hand, not her head. After struggling with herself for a moment, then sheathed her sword. Kuja opened his eyes, looking surprised. She gazed into his eyes one last time, and read the faint flicker of hope there for the first time. "Beatrix, I shall protect you." Steiner…She didn't need Kuja and his games, even if she did still care for him. With this she could leave, and fortunately, her head still had control over her mouth.
"No," she shook her head haughtily. "You don't deserve it. You can die here like the dog you are." She spun on her heel and marched into the darkness, relieved that he could not see the tears that spilled over her cheeks.
Kuja watched her disappear into the darkness, and for the first time ever, he cried. Silent tears burned into the cold of his eyes before slipping away down the corner and onto his face. He did this for all of two minutes before stopping spontaneously. I am no dog.
He sat upright despite the pain and got a grip under the gargantuan boulder that pinned him in his place. I will not be defeated so easily. He grunted, and pushed with all his strength, despite the massive protest in his knee. I'll show you, Beatrix… Garland… The boulder moved. I am not to be taken lightly. He changed his grip and began to heave, with all the might he had disguised in his slim Terran body. I will not be defeated so easily. You cannot break me, for I will not die here. The piece of rock began to be levered up. You cannot defeat me like this, not here…not now… He shifted his grip again. He was sweating for the first time in so long that he could not remember. Not ever . He pulled his leg free, and scrambled back as he let the boulder fall. Garland, you cannot stop me! The boulder slammed against the ground, as if it were the seal on the statement, the gavel in the hand of the judge.
***
Cid picked up the vibrations of a ship landing in his oglop feet.
"This way, Erin! gwok" he scrabbled along through the rubbish, his trusted pilot in tow, when they rounded one huge mess of what must have been the outer wall. And when he did, he saw…"The Hilda Garde?!"
"Quiet, regent, look!" she ducked behind the wall as Kuja sat upright in the rubble. The regent moved closer, knowing that he wouldn't be seen.
"Is the ship unharmed?" Kuja called over to a pair of pointy-hatted people who came out of the ship.
"Yes, master Kuja," one answered, "It can fly."
"Those are black mages!" Erin exclaimed to Cid.
"I know…gwok they must have brought the ship here…" the Regent silenced himself as they watched Kuja struggle to his feet. The tall enemy finally stood, but upon taking a step forward fell the long way back to the ground. He hissed in pain as he caught himself with one hand. He attempted to stand again, but when he fell this time, he stayed on the ground. He slowly looked up.
"You two, there," he addressed the black mages who stood by the ladder, apparently waiting for him. "Come…give me a hand." They both blinked.
"Sir?" one of them ventured. Kuja squeezed his eyes shut in what looked like agony.
"This is humiliating; do not make me repeat myself!" The two hastened over the rocks as fast as their clumsy legs could carry them. Together, they hoisted Kuja upright. "Gently," he admonished with a small sigh. His arms slung over both of their backs to support his bad leg, Kuja managed to get to the ship. He climbed, arms only, up the ladder, and once the two mages followed him up, the Hilda Garde took off.
***
Garnet awoke with a groan. There was a massive weight on her back. She blinked her eyes open as something warm and wet fell on her face. She groaned again as she moved her hand out from under her head to wipe her cheek dry. She looked at the dark smudge on her hand and quite suddenly recognized the smell. Blood. She glanced over her shoulder and nearly screamed. Zidane was lying on her back, his head on her shoulder, and blood was dripping from his mouth. That meant he was bleeding internally.
"Zid-zidane?" she questioned, but either he was unconscious or he was…she couldn't think about that. She pulled herself out from under him and pulled him out from the rubble. This time, she did scream. She gazed horrified at the shard of stained glass protruding from his back, soaking his white shirt in blood. "Oh, gods no!" she cried as she pulled gently at the glass. It slid smoothly out of his limp muscles, and proved not to be as deep as it first looked. And it was bleeding, meaning he was still alive. She sobbed pathetically as she drew him onto his back, leaning his head on her shoulder. She held his unconscious form to her, and rocked it gently, as if he were a baby. But it was she who was bawling.
"Zidane, please don't die… You can't die! Not now, please! Heaven, Please!"
"What's wrong, Dagger?" Eiko called, clambering over a piece of wall.
"Eiko!" Garnet looked up happily. "Eiko, do you have any power left?"
"No, Alexander used all of it… What happened to Zidane?!"
"I don't know, but I think…I think he's dying…" Garnet burst into tears. Eiko frowned. Then she looked around. Huge piles of rocks surrounded them on all sides.
"There's only one thing left to do then!" Eiko nodded.
"What's that?" Garnet blinked. Eiko took in a deep breath, threw back her head and:
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!" Soon, Garnet chorused in.
***
Amarant wandered down the streets towards the castle. In one tremendous leap, he cleared the canal from one set of steps to the next. The moment he landed, he heard screaming. Figures that I'd be the one to find Eiko. He quickly located the source of the racket and scaled the half-demolished wall in a matter of seconds. The moment he appeared, both girls ceased their screaming.
"Took you long enough," Eiko chided with her hands on her hips. Man, I hate kids. Amarant's eyes took in the tear-ridden queen for a moment before traveling down to observe the battered body in her arms.
"What's wrong with him?" he nodded in Zidane's direction.
"Well, let's see… he's bleeding, he's barely breathing, and he's not moving," Eiko said as Garnet started to cry again. Amarant rolled his eyes.
"Let's get you two outta here," Amarant said, picking up Eiko with one hand and reaching for Garnet with the other.
"Hey!"
"Wait, what about Zidane?" Garnet asked urgently.
"I'll come back for him." Garnet set Zidane down gently before climbing onto Amarant's back. The red-haired giant was over the huge pile of rocks in two leaps. Setting the girls down, he went back over the wall. He examined Zidane's wounds for a moment, shaking his head.
"You've really done yourself in," he snorted, picking up the tailed boy. He was tiny and so light in his arms; Amarant wondered how he possibly could have lost to him. Being careful not to injure Zidane further, because that would most definitely upset the girls, Amarant came back over in three leaps, to find the two Tantalus losers on the ground waiting for him.
"How is he?" Marcus asked."
"Not good," Amarant replied. The patchwork redhead came forward and ran his fingers along Zidane's neck. As he did so, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
"He'll be okay," Blank smiled at the girls. "Let's get him back to Lindblum so he can rest and get treated." Garnet and Eiko hugged each other and then followed the men towards the harbor.
***
"Zorn! Thorn!" Hilda called the pair. "Is Kuja back yet?"
"Back is he!" Thorn answered.
"But he wishes not to be disturbed," Zorn finished.
"No, he made me wait long enough!" Hilda marched off in the direction of Kuja's chambers. Being in his custody was more than she had bargained on. The things he told her boggled her mind, and she finally had decided to simply accept everything he said. It would be the only way to ever understanding him. Does he have that eidolon now? What did he do to get it? She would have to find out, because she feared the worst for Alexandria.
***
Kuja limped from his shower towards his bed. He sat down and dried his long tendrils of silver with a towel before dropping it on the floor. He then took the towel off his body, dried his tail with it, and sat down to inspect his leg. He had never seen such deep shades in his own skin. His entire knee was covered with dark blue and purple spots, some so dark that they seemed black. Even brushing it with his finger made it hurt. He cast a small cure spell into his knee, which eased the pain slightly. He sighed and picked up a small mirror from the bed stand. He tenderly fingered around his left eye, which also bore a nice purple mark along the length of it. His skin was paler than usual. He sighed and lied down, too exhausted to worry about thoroughly drying his hair or preening his feathers, and promptly fell asleep.
Hilda knocked on the door. There was no response, but she opened the door anyway to find a very naked Kuja passed out on the bed. In a rush, she scrambled over and grabbed the blankets.
"For heaven's sake, a little modesty at least!" she quipped, covering him up to the waist with the sheets. He grunted when the covers touched him, and he drew the waking-up-now breath before squinting up at her.
"Go away…" he muttered. Then he blinked his eyes. "Hilda?" She folded her arms across her chest and cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, you certainly have a fine heroine's chic going on here."
"Oh, shut up," he groaned, and started to roll away from her, but thought better of it because of his tail. He slowly rolled back onto his back to hide it beneath himself. Hilda reached out a finger and ran it under his eye, making him wince. "And leave me alone," he added.
"What happened to you?" she inquired. You don't want to know…Kuja thought. Ha, I don't want to know.
"…Garland."
"What?" she was a little shocked. Which was Garland…? Oh yes, his enemy… The one he needed an eidolon to defeat. "Didn't you get the Alexander?"
"No," Kuja moaned.
"What happened to Alexander then?"
"Garland." Hilda's breath caught in her throat. No…does that mean?
"Then Alexandria was…?" He opened an eye at her and then closed it again.
"Yes, leveled flat. And me with it."
"Alexandria was destroyed?!"
"Would you leave me alone now?" Hilda clenched and unclenched her fist a couple of times. In a sudden rage, she gabbed the letter opener from the table and held it to his throat. The cold metal would at least scare him.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you now." His eyes remained closed, but he cocked an eyebrow.
"Please Hilda, even if you could hurt me with that, you know that you wouldn't." True, she knew she wouldn't, but how did he know that?
"Oh? What makes you so sure?" she prodded him with the dull blade. He smirked, just a tad.
"You could never bring yourself so low as to strike a man when he's down." How can you know so much about me while I understand very little about you? It's not fair.
"Hmph, some man…"
"Just leave me alone," Kuja rolled his eyes. Then he winced.
"What hurts?" she asked, almost conversationally, while she placed the letter opener back where she had found it.
"Everything, so go away," he muttered. She traced a finger down the center of his narrow chest to poke him at the base of his sternum.
"Here?" He frowned and looked away.
"…right leg," he finally muttered. She wipped away the blankets.
"Whoa, hey! Don't look at that!" he interjected, although he was too tired to do anything else. She looked at him awhile before tossing the sheets back on him.
"You really ought to put some ice on that."
"Thanks for the tip…" he said dryly.
"I'm surprised you have one." He glared at her as she coyly hid her smile behind her hand.
"Hilda?" he pulled the sheets around himself. "I am very tired and in a sour mood and aching everywhere. Would it kill you to let me be?"
"Probably not."
"Then for the gods' sakes, woman, please just go away!" he pulled the sheets over his head.
"Well, for the 'please,' I guess I can comply." Hilda walked out, but before she closed the door, looked at him one more time. He was asleep again. Hilda hated the feelings of pity she had for Kuja, as she could only guess what had befallen her loved ones back on the mist continent. She hadn't a clue what motions had just been set.
Hope you like it! Now I get to do some writing about , , ,camels. . . Any wonder that I' m in a bad mood?
Review, please, so I know that I'm not writing to a wall or something...
*Alexandria, the destruction of Bahamut and Alexander
Tell her. Tell her now… Zidane knelt in front of Garnet, who was still composing herself. Zidane, overjoyed to see her, overjoyed that she was all right, finally made a decision. See there, she still needs me. Why should I hide everything from her? The truth, however painful, is the only thing that is fair to everybody.
"Dagger… I'm sorry…" he really wasn't certain how to say this. All right, someone, quick, anyone, how do you tell a queen that you love her? …never mind. I think I know. He bowed his head before continuing. "I don't know why I wasn't honest with you…"
"Zidane, we mad a really big mess, didn't we?" interrupted Eiko. Cheez, I can't tell Dagger this in front of Eiko!! Eiko practically terrified Zidane. Zidane really couldn't bring himself to hurt her feelings, and he had no clue how to ask a six-year-old girl to leave him alone nicely. So he tended to ignore her when she was hitting on him. But now, how could he confess his love to Dagger in front of Eiko? It wouldn't be pretty… The castle rumbled.
"We'll talk later! Let's get out of here!" He grabbed Garnet's wrist, pulling her upright, and the three of them raced down the stairs and through the throne room antechamber before bursting through the huge twin doors at breakneck speed; the castle rumbled again. Zidane stopped suddenly at the spot where he and the princess had first encountered each other, both girls ran into his back.
"Zidane?!" they both interjected simultaneously. Zidane cocked his head and focused on the ceiling, his ears picking out a faint whirring noise through the commotion of destruction. I know that sound. It was one of those times that Zidane wasn't about to question his instincts, no matter what odd conclusions they led him to. In a rush of adrenalin, he grabbed both girls, one under each arm and tore down the hall to the royal seating on the balcony.
"This is no way to treat—"
"Zidane?! What are you—"
"Trust me!!" Zidane hollered as he sprang from the balcony into the oblivion of the wretched night, taking both girls with him. And as he did so, the castle ripped apart beneath them in a wave of energy that picked up their flight and tossed them up and over the first wave of destruction. Eiko, being the lightest, was carried all the way out to be deposited in the water, out of harm's way. Zidane and Garnet rolled along the ground when they hit. Zidane looked up to see the castle still being torn apart by the energy and, without a word, threw his body over Garnet's as the wave of demolition swamped them.
***
"My gods…" Cid said from the safety of the hills, where he was with all the Alexandrian citizens.
"Zidane-Eiko-Dagger!!" Vivi screamed all at once.
"Your Highness!" Steiner fell to his knees. "Beatrix…" He has been separated from her in the battle and had come up the hill in search of her, only to not find her there. Then Alexandria was destroyed. Most of the residents were crying, but now Cid gave out orders.
"Everyone, get the children and the elderly to the port! I want every able bodied person to go down and search for survivors! Now!"
"Yeah, Zidane's gotta be alive down there somewhere, right Marcus?" Blank asked nervously.
"Yeah," Marcus nodded solemnly. They both nearly fell on their faces as Baku slapped them forward.
"Whatcha waitin' fer?" He scolded. "Get down there and help out! This is an emergency!" Blank and Marcus ran towards the city with everyone else.
"Baku," Cid interrupted, "I'm heading down as well. I find my oglop senses would be very useful in locating survivors. Could you set up some medical stations?"
"Sure."
***
Eiko clambered out of the water. Zidane, you're just lucky that I can swim, she pouted not really caring that she had been saved because she was underwater when the city had been leveled. She looked around to see high walls of what had been the castle. She was stuck you. Ooh, Zidane, you had better come find me, because I'm cold and wet and it's all your fault! Eiko sat down where she was and pouted.
***
Kuja groaned as he opened his eyes. He groaned louder as he shoved a large piece of debris off of himself. He tried to sit up, but when he did, his right hip and knee twisted unnaturally and he was forced back down with a hiss of pain. He raised his head to look at his leg. It was trapped under a huge piece of…the castle gate? Yes, it was a piece of the castle gate. It had flown out far past the gates of the city and was now crushing his leg just below the knee. He tried to pull away from it, but he was stuck. He lied back down, gasping in his pain. I am going to die here.
He opened his eyes only to close them again with a wince. He was unused to feelings of physical discomfort. I'm dying…No. That's illogical, sure I may be stuck here for now, but once I get my strength back, I can break this rock and leave. Of course, if the Alexandrians find me…but they can't touch me. No, I'll be fine. …I'm going to die here. No, not here… if not here soon. Garland has found me out… Hmm, maybe he thinks I'm dead? I could hide… No, then I'll die here. I don't want to die… But… Approaching footsteps interrupted Kuja's only-less-than-hysterical train of thought. They stopped by his ear, and he heard the drawing of a sword. He opened his ice-blue eyes and squinted into the darkness.
"I should have known," said a very familiar voice.
"Beatrix?"
"I—I should have known this is what you'd do. Liar."
"Liar?" he groaned. "This isn't what you think…"
"And what am I to think?" she snapped, on the verge of tears. "You said you had no interest in Alexandria! You said!" For the first time ever, Kuja felt guilty.
"Please believe me…" Kuja closed his eyes. "I had no intention of destroying Alexandria… I merely needed the eidolon Alexander…" This was closer to the truth, but Kuja knew he was still lying.
"I don't believe you! Why should I?!" she sobbed and brought her sword close to his head. Kuja said nothing for a moment.
"I—I've failed," he sighed. Then he tilted his head back, exposing the soft, white skin of his throat. She forced her sword point to touch it, letting the tip draw the smallest spot of blood before she stopped.
"Bastard…" she sobbed. Neither of them moved for a moment. Then…
"Finish me, Beatrix," he whispered in that sad voice of his, "I'd much prefer you did." Beatrix was more than happy to comply. However, it was her heart that controlled her hand, not her head. After struggling with herself for a moment, then sheathed her sword. Kuja opened his eyes, looking surprised. She gazed into his eyes one last time, and read the faint flicker of hope there for the first time. "Beatrix, I shall protect you." Steiner…She didn't need Kuja and his games, even if she did still care for him. With this she could leave, and fortunately, her head still had control over her mouth.
"No," she shook her head haughtily. "You don't deserve it. You can die here like the dog you are." She spun on her heel and marched into the darkness, relieved that he could not see the tears that spilled over her cheeks.
Kuja watched her disappear into the darkness, and for the first time ever, he cried. Silent tears burned into the cold of his eyes before slipping away down the corner and onto his face. He did this for all of two minutes before stopping spontaneously. I am no dog.
He sat upright despite the pain and got a grip under the gargantuan boulder that pinned him in his place. I will not be defeated so easily. He grunted, and pushed with all his strength, despite the massive protest in his knee. I'll show you, Beatrix… Garland… The boulder moved. I am not to be taken lightly. He changed his grip and began to heave, with all the might he had disguised in his slim Terran body. I will not be defeated so easily. You cannot break me, for I will not die here. The piece of rock began to be levered up. You cannot defeat me like this, not here…not now… He shifted his grip again. He was sweating for the first time in so long that he could not remember. Not ever . He pulled his leg free, and scrambled back as he let the boulder fall. Garland, you cannot stop me! The boulder slammed against the ground, as if it were the seal on the statement, the gavel in the hand of the judge.
***
Cid picked up the vibrations of a ship landing in his oglop feet.
"This way, Erin! gwok" he scrabbled along through the rubbish, his trusted pilot in tow, when they rounded one huge mess of what must have been the outer wall. And when he did, he saw…"The Hilda Garde?!"
"Quiet, regent, look!" she ducked behind the wall as Kuja sat upright in the rubble. The regent moved closer, knowing that he wouldn't be seen.
"Is the ship unharmed?" Kuja called over to a pair of pointy-hatted people who came out of the ship.
"Yes, master Kuja," one answered, "It can fly."
"Those are black mages!" Erin exclaimed to Cid.
"I know…gwok they must have brought the ship here…" the Regent silenced himself as they watched Kuja struggle to his feet. The tall enemy finally stood, but upon taking a step forward fell the long way back to the ground. He hissed in pain as he caught himself with one hand. He attempted to stand again, but when he fell this time, he stayed on the ground. He slowly looked up.
"You two, there," he addressed the black mages who stood by the ladder, apparently waiting for him. "Come…give me a hand." They both blinked.
"Sir?" one of them ventured. Kuja squeezed his eyes shut in what looked like agony.
"This is humiliating; do not make me repeat myself!" The two hastened over the rocks as fast as their clumsy legs could carry them. Together, they hoisted Kuja upright. "Gently," he admonished with a small sigh. His arms slung over both of their backs to support his bad leg, Kuja managed to get to the ship. He climbed, arms only, up the ladder, and once the two mages followed him up, the Hilda Garde took off.
***
Garnet awoke with a groan. There was a massive weight on her back. She blinked her eyes open as something warm and wet fell on her face. She groaned again as she moved her hand out from under her head to wipe her cheek dry. She looked at the dark smudge on her hand and quite suddenly recognized the smell. Blood. She glanced over her shoulder and nearly screamed. Zidane was lying on her back, his head on her shoulder, and blood was dripping from his mouth. That meant he was bleeding internally.
"Zid-zidane?" she questioned, but either he was unconscious or he was…she couldn't think about that. She pulled herself out from under him and pulled him out from the rubble. This time, she did scream. She gazed horrified at the shard of stained glass protruding from his back, soaking his white shirt in blood. "Oh, gods no!" she cried as she pulled gently at the glass. It slid smoothly out of his limp muscles, and proved not to be as deep as it first looked. And it was bleeding, meaning he was still alive. She sobbed pathetically as she drew him onto his back, leaning his head on her shoulder. She held his unconscious form to her, and rocked it gently, as if he were a baby. But it was she who was bawling.
"Zidane, please don't die… You can't die! Not now, please! Heaven, Please!"
"What's wrong, Dagger?" Eiko called, clambering over a piece of wall.
"Eiko!" Garnet looked up happily. "Eiko, do you have any power left?"
"No, Alexander used all of it… What happened to Zidane?!"
"I don't know, but I think…I think he's dying…" Garnet burst into tears. Eiko frowned. Then she looked around. Huge piles of rocks surrounded them on all sides.
"There's only one thing left to do then!" Eiko nodded.
"What's that?" Garnet blinked. Eiko took in a deep breath, threw back her head and:
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!" Soon, Garnet chorused in.
***
Amarant wandered down the streets towards the castle. In one tremendous leap, he cleared the canal from one set of steps to the next. The moment he landed, he heard screaming. Figures that I'd be the one to find Eiko. He quickly located the source of the racket and scaled the half-demolished wall in a matter of seconds. The moment he appeared, both girls ceased their screaming.
"Took you long enough," Eiko chided with her hands on her hips. Man, I hate kids. Amarant's eyes took in the tear-ridden queen for a moment before traveling down to observe the battered body in her arms.
"What's wrong with him?" he nodded in Zidane's direction.
"Well, let's see… he's bleeding, he's barely breathing, and he's not moving," Eiko said as Garnet started to cry again. Amarant rolled his eyes.
"Let's get you two outta here," Amarant said, picking up Eiko with one hand and reaching for Garnet with the other.
"Hey!"
"Wait, what about Zidane?" Garnet asked urgently.
"I'll come back for him." Garnet set Zidane down gently before climbing onto Amarant's back. The red-haired giant was over the huge pile of rocks in two leaps. Setting the girls down, he went back over the wall. He examined Zidane's wounds for a moment, shaking his head.
"You've really done yourself in," he snorted, picking up the tailed boy. He was tiny and so light in his arms; Amarant wondered how he possibly could have lost to him. Being careful not to injure Zidane further, because that would most definitely upset the girls, Amarant came back over in three leaps, to find the two Tantalus losers on the ground waiting for him.
"How is he?" Marcus asked."
"Not good," Amarant replied. The patchwork redhead came forward and ran his fingers along Zidane's neck. As he did so, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
"He'll be okay," Blank smiled at the girls. "Let's get him back to Lindblum so he can rest and get treated." Garnet and Eiko hugged each other and then followed the men towards the harbor.
***
"Zorn! Thorn!" Hilda called the pair. "Is Kuja back yet?"
"Back is he!" Thorn answered.
"But he wishes not to be disturbed," Zorn finished.
"No, he made me wait long enough!" Hilda marched off in the direction of Kuja's chambers. Being in his custody was more than she had bargained on. The things he told her boggled her mind, and she finally had decided to simply accept everything he said. It would be the only way to ever understanding him. Does he have that eidolon now? What did he do to get it? She would have to find out, because she feared the worst for Alexandria.
***
Kuja limped from his shower towards his bed. He sat down and dried his long tendrils of silver with a towel before dropping it on the floor. He then took the towel off his body, dried his tail with it, and sat down to inspect his leg. He had never seen such deep shades in his own skin. His entire knee was covered with dark blue and purple spots, some so dark that they seemed black. Even brushing it with his finger made it hurt. He cast a small cure spell into his knee, which eased the pain slightly. He sighed and picked up a small mirror from the bed stand. He tenderly fingered around his left eye, which also bore a nice purple mark along the length of it. His skin was paler than usual. He sighed and lied down, too exhausted to worry about thoroughly drying his hair or preening his feathers, and promptly fell asleep.
Hilda knocked on the door. There was no response, but she opened the door anyway to find a very naked Kuja passed out on the bed. In a rush, she scrambled over and grabbed the blankets.
"For heaven's sake, a little modesty at least!" she quipped, covering him up to the waist with the sheets. He grunted when the covers touched him, and he drew the waking-up-now breath before squinting up at her.
"Go away…" he muttered. Then he blinked his eyes. "Hilda?" She folded her arms across her chest and cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, you certainly have a fine heroine's chic going on here."
"Oh, shut up," he groaned, and started to roll away from her, but thought better of it because of his tail. He slowly rolled back onto his back to hide it beneath himself. Hilda reached out a finger and ran it under his eye, making him wince. "And leave me alone," he added.
"What happened to you?" she inquired. You don't want to know…Kuja thought. Ha, I don't want to know.
"…Garland."
"What?" she was a little shocked. Which was Garland…? Oh yes, his enemy… The one he needed an eidolon to defeat. "Didn't you get the Alexander?"
"No," Kuja moaned.
"What happened to Alexander then?"
"Garland." Hilda's breath caught in her throat. No…does that mean?
"Then Alexandria was…?" He opened an eye at her and then closed it again.
"Yes, leveled flat. And me with it."
"Alexandria was destroyed?!"
"Would you leave me alone now?" Hilda clenched and unclenched her fist a couple of times. In a sudden rage, she gabbed the letter opener from the table and held it to his throat. The cold metal would at least scare him.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you now." His eyes remained closed, but he cocked an eyebrow.
"Please Hilda, even if you could hurt me with that, you know that you wouldn't." True, she knew she wouldn't, but how did he know that?
"Oh? What makes you so sure?" she prodded him with the dull blade. He smirked, just a tad.
"You could never bring yourself so low as to strike a man when he's down." How can you know so much about me while I understand very little about you? It's not fair.
"Hmph, some man…"
"Just leave me alone," Kuja rolled his eyes. Then he winced.
"What hurts?" she asked, almost conversationally, while she placed the letter opener back where she had found it.
"Everything, so go away," he muttered. She traced a finger down the center of his narrow chest to poke him at the base of his sternum.
"Here?" He frowned and looked away.
"…right leg," he finally muttered. She wipped away the blankets.
"Whoa, hey! Don't look at that!" he interjected, although he was too tired to do anything else. She looked at him awhile before tossing the sheets back on him.
"You really ought to put some ice on that."
"Thanks for the tip…" he said dryly.
"I'm surprised you have one." He glared at her as she coyly hid her smile behind her hand.
"Hilda?" he pulled the sheets around himself. "I am very tired and in a sour mood and aching everywhere. Would it kill you to let me be?"
"Probably not."
"Then for the gods' sakes, woman, please just go away!" he pulled the sheets over his head.
"Well, for the 'please,' I guess I can comply." Hilda walked out, but before she closed the door, looked at him one more time. He was asleep again. Hilda hated the feelings of pity she had for Kuja, as she could only guess what had befallen her loved ones back on the mist continent. She hadn't a clue what motions had just been set.
Hope you like it! Now I get to do some writing about , , ,camels. . . Any wonder that I' m in a bad mood?
Review, please, so I know that I'm not writing to a wall or something...
