Greetings once again

This eleventh chapter shall signal the birth of a new phase in this saga, however I must warn that the first parts may be disturbing to some for the true nature of evil's mind is realised and it is foul indeed. Read if you wish but for those who wish not to simple scroll down to the point that I have marked. As always, your opinions are greatly appreciated so feel free to let them be known as reviews or e-mails to my personal address. All questions pertaining to the fic will be given my personal attention and responded to as soon as time allows.

Goodbye and Good Fortune

Fallen Saga Creator

Awakening

Kuja smiled as he heard the commotion beyond the doors of his throne-room, the day had been painfully boring up to this point, perhaps amusement was not beyond reach. He stared at the doors in expectation, waiting as the demon guard ran to open them. The doors were opened to reveal two dozen of his demons holding an unconscious form, some of them clasping their hands over horrible wounds that would have been fatal to any human.

The leader limped before him, terrible burns scarring the right side of his face and torso. Kuja smiled in greeting, 'And why pray tell does one of my patrols return to me with half their number missing and bearing the wounds of fire and lightning? I have not so many demons yet that I can afford for two score to die for no reason.'

The demon quivered before his gaze, knowing the psychopathic anger that lurked behind Kuja's serene features. 'I… I apologise master but we attempted to take prisoner a woman who emerged from the forest but found her to be a mage of extreme power. We had though that she was unaware of us but she must have been preparing spells all the while we readied our attack. The first wave was consumed by fire that burst forth from the ground beneath our feet. Then she raised her hands and in a voice like the burst of trumpets called down lightning upon us, I myself receiving the full force of her fury. She killed in total two score and three of us before we struck her with sling and knocked her to the ground.'

Kuja smiled as though amused, 'And yet, despite all of her power you never once thought to simply strike her with stone the moment she entered my kingdom? You must think of all possibilities before attacking, you should have known that she was one of power the moment she appeared travelling alone through the forest.'

'I am sorry master, I… I did not think…'

Kuja nodded offhandedly, 'You are correct, you did not think… and that is why you are no longer fit to command my patrols.' He clicked his fingers and the demon had time to begin a scream of terror before lightning, darker than blackest night seared from the air around him, spearing through his body and ending his unnatural life as the foul odour of burned flesh became suddenly pungent in the throne-room.

Kuja wrinkled his nose in distaste and pulled forth a flask from the small chest beside his throne. Blotting a handkerchief with the floral perfume within he held it to his nose and sighed in pleasure, 'Ah magnolia, one of nature's wonders, I really must remember to preserve the flower gardens when I lay the blight upon this world.'

Another demon, this one uninjured, stepped forward slowly as the armoured forms of the royal guard dragged his captain's lifeless husk aside, 'M-master, we have brought the mage before you… I… I thought that it would please you to pass judgement upon her yourself for killing two score of your demons.'

Kuja nodded pleasantly as he took another breath of the perfumed handkerchief, 'Ah, simply divine.' He turned to the demon, 'You did well captain,' he promoted the demon with a word before beckoning to him, 'Bring her forward, I would see the woman who has the power to kill two score and three immortal demons.' Two demons broke from the rest of the group, between them bearing the unconscious figure of a woman between them. One of the guards grabbed a fistful of her silky black hair and yanked back, pulling her face into view.

Kuja's eyes widened, and his hand moved to cover his mouth as a smile formed, 'Exquisite.' He shot a look at the guards as one pulled her hair harder to give him a better view, 'No, no my pets, be gentle with this one, she is a creature of fragility and beauty, something which must be handled as though a crystal glass of finest quality.'

He rose, the small chimes and bells attached to his scantily-formed clothing tinkling as he moved toward the captive, He cupped her cheek gently, 'Such a thing as this cannot be killed with a broadsword. One such as she must be killed in a way as delicate as her beauty. I will see to her slow, beautiful death personally.' He turned to one of the royal guard, 'Take her into the courtyard, and bring me my playthings. I will make her death beautiful, wondrous and everlasting.'

~

Zidane ducked the arc of the broadsword and drove his knee into the demon's groin, some blows were universally painful to all species and this was no exception as the demon keeled over, a dull, moaning groan croaking from his throat. He leapt into the air, his natural agility carrying him above the charge of the next rank, his dagger flying from his hand to strike the eye of one of the demons as he fell among them, the creature roaring in pain but refusing to die. His borrowed short-sword felled the wounded one's companion, its head flying from its shoulders even as Zidane turned and pulled his dagger free, ducking the strike from the still living demon. Spinning he kicked the creature to the ground and launched himself onto a new opponent, knowing that the demon behind would be the next victim of Amarant as the giant cut his own swathe of destruction through the demons.

The battle that raged in the docks was even, three dozen of the old royal guard swelling Tantalus's numbers as they cut their way to the Prima Vista. Baku stood at the base of the gangplank, shepherding them up as Zidane and Amarant held back the arriving reinforcements. From the ship there were a half dozen demon screams as the royal soldiers fell upon the guards and Baku bellowed above the din of battle as he took the heads from three demons that rushed him.

'Zidane, Amarant, to the ship.' Even as he spoke the engines roared into life, the din of the propellers drowning out even the sounds of battle. The genome fought amidst them but at Baku's summons he leapt free. Using the demons that surrounded him as a springboard to launch himself into the air, twisting and flipping to land perched upon the dock rail, a grin upon his face as he leapt again and scurried up the plank behind Baku. Amarant's extrication was less grateful, two huge sweeps from the broadsword sending swathes of blood and gore spattering to the floor as the demons fell back from the blows. He whirled and in three huge strides was at the gangplank, sprinting up it before turning on the deck and booting it free, the demons that had surged after him screaming in dismay as they plummeted to the ground far below.

Arrows, huge and cruelly barbed arced through the air but the escapees were beyond the demons' reach, the arrows spattering off the ship's hull uselessly as Baku entered the cockpit, seizing the wheel with a huge grin. He patted the heavy wood gently, muttering under his breath, 'See baby, I told you daddy wouldn't let any damn demons do anything to you.' He seized the throttle beside him and threw back his head, his roar reaching even the engine room far below. 'Full speed ahead! Let's get the hell outta here!'

The roar of the engines increased and the demons that crowded the dock were forced back by the winds and the mooring ropes, each as thick as a man went taut, the huge ship straining against them. The demon ranks parted as cannons were wheeled forward and for a moment it seemed as though the escape might yet be foiled. But before they could be loaded there was a great rending in the stone dock and the moorings broke free, the iron hoops dragged from their settings by the power of the Prima Vista's engines.

Zidane laughed with exhilaration as they ship burst forth from the docks, the city and castle below. But as he looked down into the castle courtyard he saw something that stopped his heart. Dagger, he knew it was her, somehow, despite the distance he knew that the limp, raven-haired form chained to the metal frame was her. Turning he leapt up, bounding to the top floor of the impressive Prima-Vista deck house and diving through the window,

'Baku, go down!'

~

Kuja sighed at the involuntary moans coming from the beauty as she was chained to the metal frame. He licked his lips delicately as he turned to the beautifully carved mahogany chest beside him. A shudder ran through him as he opened it to reveal almost two dozen evil metal tools, each slim and fragile in appearance but devilish in design. Each was a selection of barbed hooks, slim spikes and razor sharp but tiny blades locked in an intricate spider-web of metal, it seemed as though they were impossible to use without cutting yourself. But Kuja ran a slim, a pale finger over each, tracing the tools of torture with an almost loving expression.

He set his hand upon one and slid his fingers into various holes and loops, lifting it gently from the velvet cushion upon which it rested. He turned to the woman and cupped his palm against her cheek, stroking her creamy soft skin. He held up his free hand, each finger controlling one of the vicious parts of the device. With a skillfull twitch of his index finger he sent one of the slim blades across her cheek, a line of red forming before the first drop of blood ran slowly down.

The pain brought a hiss from the young woman and Kuja cooed gently. 'Yes, that is it, wake up so that you may sing your pain.' She pulled against the restraints as she awoke slowly, her eyes slowly opening to see Kuja smiling down at her. The moment that the fog of sleep had cleared from her eyes they widened and she screamed, terror on her face as she saw him standing over her. Kuja's back arced as he heard the sound, his eyes closing as though in exquisite pleasure.

As the scream died he looked at Dagger with an expression of wonder and joy, 'Blissful, such a song and simply from my sight. How much sweeter shall you sing when I set my playthings into your beautiful skin. You I shall never let rest. You will be always my canary, my sweet songbird to woo me with your sounds. You will die a thousand times and return always to me, a songbird bound to her cage.'

Dagger stared at him with eyes wide with fear, her chest heaving as she struggled to control her ragged breathing, the sting high on her cheek making it seem as though she cried tears of blood. Kuja let his other hand drop back to the chest and glide over the tools that remained, his fingers slipping into the controls for another device as he turned back to her, licking his lips in anticipation.

He raised one hand, 'This one to pluck your features, your eyes, your ears, your nose, but your lips I will not touch, they must remain perfect to form the wondrous sounds. This other to play with you torso, to cut your skin, to hook your flesh. Ah such sweet songs you will sing me.'

Dagger watched with eyes wide and frightened as the vicious implements in his hands inched closer to her skin, Kuja's voice a low coo as he sang softly. But a moment before the first implement touched her skin a noise suddenly filled the air, like a great thunder but constant. All eyes turned skywards as the sound grew until it filled the air, the night sky hiding whatever made the noise.

Then suddenly the moon came out from behind its cloud and a wail went up as the monstrous form of an airship descended upon the courtyard, its propellers creating winds that whipped the dust paths into a storm even from the great distance. Kuja watched it with a bemused smile, as though curious as to what the ship entailed. His question was answered a moment later as a single form swung down on a rope, the speed of his descent whipping his shoulder length blond hair into a wild mane. He let go of the rope fifty feet from the ground, two throwing axes in each hand.

Dagger gazed up at him with joy shining in her eyes as his name rang out in her voice. 'Zidane!' He roared as he let fly with his axes, the slim blades spinning through the air to strike with deadly accuracy, the two demons that held the tethers that bound Dagger dying as their skulls were split. The second two hit Kuja, one thudding into the centre of his forehead as the other bit into his neck, blood as black as the lightning that he had summoned spraying from Kuja's wounds.

Zidane landed between Kuja and Dagger, not even thinking of the suicidal impossibility of his mission as he turned and struck the manacles from Dagger's arms. She immediately threw herself into his arms, wrapping them around him as he grabbed the rope as it swung past. He swarmed up it with Dagger clasped tight against his chest, not daring to look back to see the dark one that he had struck. The realisation hit him as he climbed desperately, he had struck Kuja, he had attacked the greatest terror ever to walk Gaia and had not hesitated even a moment, had felt no fear at the being that had haunted his entire race for millennia. He knew the reason for the courage that had led him to the deed as he looked down into the face of the woman he had saved, her eyes shining with happiness as he held her; he had done it to save Dagger.

The demons stared in wonder at Kuja as he sat upon the grass, a look of shock on his face as his blood sprayed from the wounds he had received, the axes still imbedded in his body. Suddenly his lips twisted into a snarl and the axes burst from their places, the skin mending in an instant as he leapt to his feet. His eyes lost their ethereal darkness in an instant, taking on a wholly evil aura, the pupils disappearing in a sea that seemed to suck light from his face.

'My songbird genome, you dare to take my canary from me after your kind betrayed me at my defeat.' His voice roared above the din of the engines, his ringing tone echoing in the courtyard and deafening the demons that surrounded him. 'You can never take from me fool.' The airship tried desperately to climb, Zidane swarming up the rope after it, his limbs pushed by fear and adrenaline as the voice pushed his courage to the side. But he did not give into it, he would not let Kuja have Dagger, never.

Suddenly agony lanced through him, even as he thought himself safe in the night sky above Alexandria Kuja stretched out a hand and gestured, his ever nerve suddenly aflame as dark power seared through his body. His mouth opened and his scream of pain split the night, Dagger's eyes widening in fear and horror as she watched his eyes roll back, his scream seeming as though it could not gain enough to express his pain. But he did not stop, climbing even as pain overwhelmed his senses, every bone feeling as though it had shattered, every muscle and inch of skin feeling as though flames licked through it. But he would save Dagger. No matter the pain.

Kuja watched the genome as he struggled upward to the airship even as it began to pull up and climb. His lips curled into a cruel grin and he held up his other hand, closing is fingers as though grasping something in them. In the sky his power manifested as fingers of air fastened upon the Prima Vista, the ship shuddering to a halt in mid-air as the beams and propellers buckled and broke beneath the force of the magic Kuja sent against it.

In the sky Zidane felt his control slipping and grasped Dagger's hands between his, pressing them to the rope as the pain continued to spear through his body. 'Dagger, hold… on.' He gritted between clenched teeth, staring into her gaze.

Her beautiful chocolate eyes widened as she realised what he intended, tears filling them as she called desperately to him, 'No Zidane, don't do it. Don't leave me. Don't leave me Zidane.'

He looked into her eyes and for a moment, regained control of his body, he cupped her cheek gently as he spoke, ignoring the pain, 'Dagger, I love you.' Her eyes closed, tears falling freely from her cheeks as she crushed her lips against his for a moment before he leapt free of the rope, her cry ringing in his ears as she reached after him, loss too great to describe welling up inside her.

Kuja's magic was unable to bind him with pain in free-fall and he laughed wildly a he broke free of the spell, drawing his dagger and short-sword as he plummeted groundward, guiding his descent toward the demon that stopped his beloved's escape. He roared as the ground rushed up to meet him but against such a power, heroics counted for naught. Kuja watched his fall with a smile of amusement then raised his hand, black wisps of power coalescing in the air before his palm before being unleashed as a seething ball of dark energy. It slammed into the warrior, his sacrifice for naught as Kuja's grip upon the airship remained as strong as ever, his limp form arcing back from the impact, unable to even govern his landing as he felt a dozen bones in his body break.

~

Dagger stared down at him in horror, her mind blank as she watched the genome hit the ground. He was gone, he loved her but he was gone. They would not be able to share what they had found, she would never even get to tell him that she returned his feelings. Never would she feel his embrace given from love instead of good nature, never see his eyes shine, as she knew they would when they shared each other. Never share her life with him.

The loss returned but this time it brought something with it, anger, anger at what the demon had done to her kingdom, anger that such a thing was allowed to walk Gaia, but most of all anger that the thing had taken away her beloved. No one noticed the pulsing glow that appeared deep within the crystal heart of Alexander's Spire as Kuja twisted the ship in the air, those within thrown around like rag-dolls as Kuja toyed with the massive construct.

Dagger had let go of the rope but did not fall. Her eyes were fixed upon Kuja as he laughed, her only thought to avenge her fallen beloved. The propellers on the ship had stopped but a wind stirred her hair and clothes nonetheless, her eyes closed as the raw emotions of grief and rage called up something from deep within her, a power never before seen blossoming from some hidden recess. She would not let the creature live, she would not let it tear her heart anymore than it already had.

The glow in the centre of the crystal spire began to increase, the pulse in time with Dagger's heart. Her eyes opened and she was filled with power, white light shining from her eyes as she called upon the new power that had flooded her. When she spoke her voice rivalled Kuja's the entire city cringing as they awoke from their beds to see the air ship and the figure hovering beneath it, her words filling the night.

'Kuja, you have taken the one who was most precious to me, and I will make you pay. YOU WILL PAY!' Suddenly the spire burst into brilliant light, Kuja turning in awe to regard the crystal turn night to day. He turned back and suddenly the smile left his face as he saw the same glow burst from Dagger's body, great swirls of white energy flying from her body as she floated in the centre of a nexus of power.

Words came unbidden to her lips as the power flowed through her and she cast it down upon Kuja. 'ALEXANDER, COME FORTH FROM YOUR RESTING PLACE AND AID ME, LEND ME YOUR POWER TO STRIKE THIS DEMON FROM GAIA.'

The demons screamed as they felt white magic, bright and pure invade their bodies, a huge silhouette forming in the sky above, a massive creature seemingly made of the mighty towers of a fortress appeared, angelic wings unfurling behind it. It loomed over the city of Alexandria, a massive head enclosed in a knight's helm swivelling to regard Kuga as the demon stood in the courtyard staring up at the massive spirit that his supposedly helpless songbird had summoned.

Her voice called his gaze back to her as she pointed a finger at him, the massive energies around her flowing with the movement to cascade toward him, 'YOU HAVE VIOLATED MY HEART DEMON, YOU WILL NOT BE TOLERATED UPON THIS WORLD. BEGONE!' As she spoke the final command the spirit Alexander obeyed her, the construction of his shoulders reforming into a pair of massive cannons, the two swivelling to point straight at Kuja. The demon roared and cast both hands before him, a nexus of darkness forming around him as the twin cannons began to gather energy.

His voice rose in anger as he summoned his power to defend himself, 'CURSE YOU SUMMONER, YOUR POWER WILL NOT DESTROY ME.' The two cannons fired, twin beams of pure light searing down upon the demons gathered below. The lesser demons, Kuja's solders, were destroyed in a moment, their cries dying to nothing before the power that struck them. But Kuja was not so easily destroyed, the shield of dark energy that he had summoned holding before the attack to leave him standing in the centre of a seared mass of land, all those who had been with him gone beyond trace. He gasped for air as he stared up at the spirit above him, its cannons powering for another blast.

'DAMN YOU SUMMONER, I WILL YET FEAST UPON YOUR FLESH.' Kuja roared as he enclosed himself in dark power, his form fading to nothing as he teleported himself from the city, knowing that at least for now, he was beaten.

Dagger floated lower, landing beside the form of her brave genome. She kneeled beside him and clasped him to her, tears falling from her eyes as she held him. Her eyes opened as she felt something against her breast. His heart, it beat still, her beloved lived. Joy flooded through her, euphoria unmatched in emotion invigorating her every fibre. She lifted her hand and energy poured down from Alexander, the guardian of the city glorifying in her magical cascade of emotion, white magic pouring from him to flood the city, energy shining through every street. Every demon and remnant of evil in the town was helpless before the tide that swept down from the castle where Dagger clasped Zidane to her, healing magic flooding his body as she poured her soul into him.

His eyes fluttered open to behold her there, holding him in all her glorious splendour, he smiled, a tear shining in his eye as he stretched out a hand to cup her cheek. 'You are the summoner Dagger, I… I knew you were, I knew that only someone as gentle and beautiful as yourself could be the favoured of the Light. I thought to serve you when you were awoken, I never thought that I would be fortunate enough, to love you also.'

Tears fell from Dagger's eyes as she heard his words, her hand stroking his face, pushing his unruly bangs away from his eyes. 'And never did I think that I would find love among the ghosts of Terra.' Zidane smiled and sat up, feeling the cool tingle of her white magic throughout his body as he ran his thumb over her lips, leaning closer as she closed her eyes, pursing them to receive him. Their lips met as they embraced, Dagger's power flaring as tears of happiness fell from her eyes. The summoner had been reborn and the darkness forced back. But not yet was it truly defeated and there would be many more battles to be fought. But for now, the saviour of Gaia enjoyed a moment of bliss, wrapped in the arms of the love she had thought lost.

A.N. A great victory for the light indeed but by no means an end to Kuja's threat. Perhaps if anything it has simply made him even more dangerous for now he is aware of Dagger's true power and will no longer hold back his own. We shall see what becomes of this new development in the next chapter when many members of the original cast will appear in this fic.

Goodbye and Good Fortune

Fallen Saga Creator