Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX. Squaresoft does. If I did own it,
I would be filthy rich and wouldn't need to be writing these stories....
"Kuja!"
Kuja looked down at the little girl, her arms wrapped around his waist. Shock and Disbelief warred in his eyes. He found himself stuttering, no words being able to form in his mouth. Lila looked up at him, confused. They both just stared at each other for a moment or two, before Lila broke the silence with her silvery laughter.
"How?"
"....Zidane. And Shiva. They helped me."
"Shiva?"
"Didn't you know? She brought you back to life. Shiva was disguised as Grammy!"
Again, Kuja was confused. How could she be here? Grammy was an eidolon? His brother...... His brother had helped her? Subconciously, one hand drifted down to her hair, and he caressed it. She was real. But before he could ponder these things more closely, the planet below shuddered, and he saw red light pouring through the crevasses. Lila looked at him, her smile gone.
"Please stop Kuja! You're hurting people! Kuja, please!"
He nodded, and told her to stay in the atmosphere. Kuja allowed himself to focus, and plunged back down toward the earth. He reached out with all of his power, forcing the Ultima to return.
Garland felt the approach of power. Power that would set him free. Power that would create a new civilization, one above life or death. He opened his arms wide to the violet comets streaking towards him. And met nothing. The Power he had been craving swept in an arc and raced back towards the surface.
Kuja shivered. This wouldn't work. Would he live long enough? His body felt as though it were on fire as the energy swept itself back into him. His heart leaped in his chest, and he twitched from the shock. He felt his concentration slip as the energy coursed through his veins and absorbed back into his reserves. For a long moment he faltered, his mind scorched. He plummeted faster now, and he feared he would not be able to pull up. He closed his eyes and prayed Zidane and the others could do the rest.
Seconds before he hit the the ground, there was a screech off to his right. Beneath him he felt warm feathers instead of rock. He opened his eyes, relieved, to see one jet black eye rolled back to look at him with concern.
"Thank you, Radali."
'Master, I'd forgotten what a hassle you used to be.'
Kuja raised his hands, a current of energy flowing between them. The let it flow, over and around the entire planet of Gaia, forcing the broken pieces together again. Lila could not live on Terra. She needed flowers and meadows, not crimson streams and power-thirsty souls. He had her back, and that was all he had needed of doing this. To release her soul.
His body ached from the previous spell intake. Kuja felt his focus blurring again. He didn't have enough power to heal it. Still, he held it together, praying for a miracle, someone who knew how to heal a planet. His energy was reaching the bottom of his reserves. Just a moment longer, please! he begged himself.
Suddenly, a wave of green light washed over him, soothing and gentle. It washed across the whole planet, "sewing" the pieces back together. Startled, he looked up and saw Lila, concentrating on a little emerald sphere in her hands. He smiled, and released the pieces of Gaia. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Finally, he could rest.
Kuja spoke too soon. Radali howled in pain and shuddered beneath him. A Thundaga spell had hit him from below. The pieces of Gaia were beginning to shift apart again. He dared to look back at Lila, whose face showed signs of a struggle. Below him, he saw Garland. Or what was once Garland. He had used the power of Necron to shift his soul and body into a beast of enormous proportions. Kuja's eyes went wide as he saw the monster lift his hand, or what passed for one, and throw another Thundaga at them. Radali wheeled out of the way, but he was also losing altitude. The dragon half pulled up and half crashed onto the field just below Alexandria.
The monster that was Garland charged for him, and he felt himself fly without the aid of Radali. He crashed into the cliff face and landed in the lake. He didn't have the strength to swim to the surface, but it turned out he didn't have to. Garland lifted him out and slammed him repeatedly against the ground. He felt his ribs crack from the force, and he spat out blood. He lay there, cringing, waiting for the next blow. Then, he felt another soothing wave pass over him. His wounds quickly closed, and his ribs reknitted themselves. Kuja forced himself up, and went at the creature with only his hands for weapons.
Lila was next to him, farther back, ready to throw whatever spells she could from long range. Immediately, Garland found himself at the mercy of Kuja. The Genome cupped a Firaga in his hand, and hit the demon with an open palm to the chin, followed by a kick to the stomach. He couldn't fight long without a weapon, but he was determined to make the most of it. While Lila bombarded the zombie with cure spells, Kuja reached out with his mind, calling for his brother.
Zidane paced up and down the length of the room. Since the tremors started, there was fear and complaints all over the kingdom. He missed a step as it shook again, and stumbled to the floor. He had had about all he could take from this. What was going on? He got up with an annoyed expression on his face, and his own son laughing at him.
"Koh, that wasn't that funny."
'Zidane!'
"Did you say something?"
"No...... You didn't hit your head did you?"
'Zidane! Brother!'
"Kuja?"
'Come to the bottom of the cliff face, NOW!'
".....Yeah, okay..."
"Dad? Maybe you should go see a doctor?"
Kuja mentally slapped himself after contact with his brother. He doubted Zidane would show up, he didn't even trust Kuja anymore. This was their only chance to get help before they wound up in the great beyond. Behind him, he heard shouts. While Garland was distracted, Kuja powered up with Ultima and lashed out with his fist. In the back lines, Lila called down an ice monolith onto the demon.
"Where'd you-"
"Shiva taught me."
"Kuja!"
Kuja turned around slightly, not letting his guard down. Garland charged at the same time Zidane threw the Orichalon to Kuja. The gigantic monster suddenly bit off more than he could chew, and got steel across the jaw as a reward. He shrieked and charged all of them, throwing them back. Zidane leapt in, cutting with his double-bladed weapon. He came back with blood on sword. It was another dance in battle. Garland threw spells contering Lila's and threw attacks knocking them all off their feet.
Zidaen lay gasping for breath on the ground. Both sides were putting up a good fight, but with Garland's now enhanced abilities, they were being pushed back. Kuja was next to him, struggling to maintain a Cure spell, and failing. Lila was crying behind them. Garland focused for a moment, then chraged with all his might, screaming as the banshees would.
"Diamond Dust!"
Garland stumbled back, the ice surrounding him. The pressure from the impact as it broke tossed Garland aside like a rag doll. He fell and lay still. Shiva drifted down slowly next to them, healing her "comrades". Lila laughed and hugged her. It was all done, the damage to Gaia had been reversed. All was as it should be.
Then the ground pitched violently under them. The planet began to crack all over again, everything was focusing around Garland's body. Necron's voice spoke in Kuja's mind.
'Garland sacrificed for Terra, it will take a sacrifice for Gaia to reverse it.'
Kuja stared up at Alexandria. The previous tremors had done damage enough that anything more would cause the cliff to collapse. His nephew was there. He ran to Lila and knelt down beside her. He lightly pressed his lips against hers.
"No girl ever forgets her first kiss."
Then he ran to the center of the field, and drove the Orichalon through his stomach. For Gaia.
The trembling stopped. Kuja slumped to the ground and lay still.
Lila cried. Shiva looked away. Zidane screamed.
"You've taken my brother twice!"
Author's Note: Personally, I think this chapter sucked. I'll probably end up redoing it. So, it's all over now. Or is it? Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on my devious mind.
"Kuja!"
Kuja looked down at the little girl, her arms wrapped around his waist. Shock and Disbelief warred in his eyes. He found himself stuttering, no words being able to form in his mouth. Lila looked up at him, confused. They both just stared at each other for a moment or two, before Lila broke the silence with her silvery laughter.
"How?"
"....Zidane. And Shiva. They helped me."
"Shiva?"
"Didn't you know? She brought you back to life. Shiva was disguised as Grammy!"
Again, Kuja was confused. How could she be here? Grammy was an eidolon? His brother...... His brother had helped her? Subconciously, one hand drifted down to her hair, and he caressed it. She was real. But before he could ponder these things more closely, the planet below shuddered, and he saw red light pouring through the crevasses. Lila looked at him, her smile gone.
"Please stop Kuja! You're hurting people! Kuja, please!"
He nodded, and told her to stay in the atmosphere. Kuja allowed himself to focus, and plunged back down toward the earth. He reached out with all of his power, forcing the Ultima to return.
Garland felt the approach of power. Power that would set him free. Power that would create a new civilization, one above life or death. He opened his arms wide to the violet comets streaking towards him. And met nothing. The Power he had been craving swept in an arc and raced back towards the surface.
Kuja shivered. This wouldn't work. Would he live long enough? His body felt as though it were on fire as the energy swept itself back into him. His heart leaped in his chest, and he twitched from the shock. He felt his concentration slip as the energy coursed through his veins and absorbed back into his reserves. For a long moment he faltered, his mind scorched. He plummeted faster now, and he feared he would not be able to pull up. He closed his eyes and prayed Zidane and the others could do the rest.
Seconds before he hit the the ground, there was a screech off to his right. Beneath him he felt warm feathers instead of rock. He opened his eyes, relieved, to see one jet black eye rolled back to look at him with concern.
"Thank you, Radali."
'Master, I'd forgotten what a hassle you used to be.'
Kuja raised his hands, a current of energy flowing between them. The let it flow, over and around the entire planet of Gaia, forcing the broken pieces together again. Lila could not live on Terra. She needed flowers and meadows, not crimson streams and power-thirsty souls. He had her back, and that was all he had needed of doing this. To release her soul.
His body ached from the previous spell intake. Kuja felt his focus blurring again. He didn't have enough power to heal it. Still, he held it together, praying for a miracle, someone who knew how to heal a planet. His energy was reaching the bottom of his reserves. Just a moment longer, please! he begged himself.
Suddenly, a wave of green light washed over him, soothing and gentle. It washed across the whole planet, "sewing" the pieces back together. Startled, he looked up and saw Lila, concentrating on a little emerald sphere in her hands. He smiled, and released the pieces of Gaia. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Finally, he could rest.
Kuja spoke too soon. Radali howled in pain and shuddered beneath him. A Thundaga spell had hit him from below. The pieces of Gaia were beginning to shift apart again. He dared to look back at Lila, whose face showed signs of a struggle. Below him, he saw Garland. Or what was once Garland. He had used the power of Necron to shift his soul and body into a beast of enormous proportions. Kuja's eyes went wide as he saw the monster lift his hand, or what passed for one, and throw another Thundaga at them. Radali wheeled out of the way, but he was also losing altitude. The dragon half pulled up and half crashed onto the field just below Alexandria.
The monster that was Garland charged for him, and he felt himself fly without the aid of Radali. He crashed into the cliff face and landed in the lake. He didn't have the strength to swim to the surface, but it turned out he didn't have to. Garland lifted him out and slammed him repeatedly against the ground. He felt his ribs crack from the force, and he spat out blood. He lay there, cringing, waiting for the next blow. Then, he felt another soothing wave pass over him. His wounds quickly closed, and his ribs reknitted themselves. Kuja forced himself up, and went at the creature with only his hands for weapons.
Lila was next to him, farther back, ready to throw whatever spells she could from long range. Immediately, Garland found himself at the mercy of Kuja. The Genome cupped a Firaga in his hand, and hit the demon with an open palm to the chin, followed by a kick to the stomach. He couldn't fight long without a weapon, but he was determined to make the most of it. While Lila bombarded the zombie with cure spells, Kuja reached out with his mind, calling for his brother.
Zidane paced up and down the length of the room. Since the tremors started, there was fear and complaints all over the kingdom. He missed a step as it shook again, and stumbled to the floor. He had had about all he could take from this. What was going on? He got up with an annoyed expression on his face, and his own son laughing at him.
"Koh, that wasn't that funny."
'Zidane!'
"Did you say something?"
"No...... You didn't hit your head did you?"
'Zidane! Brother!'
"Kuja?"
'Come to the bottom of the cliff face, NOW!'
".....Yeah, okay..."
"Dad? Maybe you should go see a doctor?"
Kuja mentally slapped himself after contact with his brother. He doubted Zidane would show up, he didn't even trust Kuja anymore. This was their only chance to get help before they wound up in the great beyond. Behind him, he heard shouts. While Garland was distracted, Kuja powered up with Ultima and lashed out with his fist. In the back lines, Lila called down an ice monolith onto the demon.
"Where'd you-"
"Shiva taught me."
"Kuja!"
Kuja turned around slightly, not letting his guard down. Garland charged at the same time Zidane threw the Orichalon to Kuja. The gigantic monster suddenly bit off more than he could chew, and got steel across the jaw as a reward. He shrieked and charged all of them, throwing them back. Zidane leapt in, cutting with his double-bladed weapon. He came back with blood on sword. It was another dance in battle. Garland threw spells contering Lila's and threw attacks knocking them all off their feet.
Zidaen lay gasping for breath on the ground. Both sides were putting up a good fight, but with Garland's now enhanced abilities, they were being pushed back. Kuja was next to him, struggling to maintain a Cure spell, and failing. Lila was crying behind them. Garland focused for a moment, then chraged with all his might, screaming as the banshees would.
"Diamond Dust!"
Garland stumbled back, the ice surrounding him. The pressure from the impact as it broke tossed Garland aside like a rag doll. He fell and lay still. Shiva drifted down slowly next to them, healing her "comrades". Lila laughed and hugged her. It was all done, the damage to Gaia had been reversed. All was as it should be.
Then the ground pitched violently under them. The planet began to crack all over again, everything was focusing around Garland's body. Necron's voice spoke in Kuja's mind.
'Garland sacrificed for Terra, it will take a sacrifice for Gaia to reverse it.'
Kuja stared up at Alexandria. The previous tremors had done damage enough that anything more would cause the cliff to collapse. His nephew was there. He ran to Lila and knelt down beside her. He lightly pressed his lips against hers.
"No girl ever forgets her first kiss."
Then he ran to the center of the field, and drove the Orichalon through his stomach. For Gaia.
The trembling stopped. Kuja slumped to the ground and lay still.
Lila cried. Shiva looked away. Zidane screamed.
"You've taken my brother twice!"
Author's Note: Personally, I think this chapter sucked. I'll probably end up redoing it. So, it's all over now. Or is it? Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on my devious mind.