---Adding Characters. Ones I STILL don't own. But I do own this story, and if you steal anything. I will complain alot. ----

"To live... Once one has been given life, their main goal is...to live. No matter the colour of the persons heart, or the intents of their soul...we all search for that one thing. Life." A thin cloud of mist surrounded the large pile of branches, wood, and leaves that was now the Iifa Tree. It rose up to the sky now..unlike the mist before that lingered eerily on the ground. "I always wanted to be your superior. To be daddys favourite toy you might say. Surpassing you in any way would have been my one allivation to feeling true joy...then. Now what is it that I seek? Now...now that I live once more. What do I wish to have? I...I do not know. The first gift I recieved from this new life, was uncertianty. Both ways pulled me...begged me to go along with them. This odious world we choose to live in..has taught me one lesson however. One man cannot make a difference. One man cannot tip any scales, only upset the balance. Chaos. I almost brought you this. Oh sweet Gaia do you remember the chaos that filled you to the brim until you almost spilled out onto the universe... because of me? I did that. I...did.... This new life. Why me? I do not deserve such a life. A soul. Can you call what I have...a soul? Can you call the force that drove me into insanity...a soul? Can you call me a human? What am I now... Here on this world I am the nonentity of Gaia. Heheh... What am I now? What have I become? Why has life chosen to seed itself within this body once more? Death was my peace. In death I felt...more alive then I ever had before. More alive then when I watched the shadows of my home fall to the ground, the shadows of the very objects that held me. And now that I am once again living...no...I am not living... Now that I am operative once more... I feel more dead then ever. Oh wondrous death please...offer me this peace once more. Why have I returned here...why...am...I here...?" Red light filled the sky above the Iifa Tree ruins, sparkles of hell falling down from the sky upon it...and a scream could be heard above the bang. A scream of pain, frustration, and confusion. "Why!?"

That night when he opened his eyes, it felt like the first time. The first time...oh how he remembered that day. The first thing he saw was blue...surrounding him...and he felt it. He actually felt that blue light becoming part of him...and it hurt. He screamed from his containment, and finally outside the blue he saw a hand touch the glass. "You will be...amazing. My first...my son." He remembered how that was the only time that man ever called him son. Ever. Even when he made him smile with his childish questions. He remembered the first... "Am I your favourite?" He asked, still very small for he had not yet reached his full growth that his master had desired. He simply patted his head, running his fingers through his silver hair. "You are the most perfect. But even perfection can be improved. You are simply a test, once I work harder... ...Just understand. You are not the last. " Those words hurt him. He never had affection, and as he grew...the want for affection turned to hate. Hate for him, hate for everything. Just....hate.

"Why have I awakend...?" He sat up slowly..wiping dried blood from his mouth, it took him a few tries to pick it all off, for it had been there quite a while. His head ached as if it was being pulled from him, and his mind felt empty. He tried to stand but only fell again. "What...is this." His eyes darted around to see where he was and he realized he could not get out without strength. He was trapped inside a giant fortress of twisted branches. Perhaps it wasn't real...he kept telling himself that maybe this was a test before his soul would move on into the heavens. He reached up and touched his face...he could feel himself...skin. Yes...yes this was very real. He let his own voice be his company, sorting things through in his mind aloud and his screams called forth powers that he had forgotten he had. The red light he caused, brought him to his knees once more, after he had gained the strength to stand. He coughed...the first time he had shown any sign of a mortal weakness...crimson spilled from his mouth and onto his hands as he coughed...sputtering.. "Damn this world. Damn fate! I was supposed to die! This world does not need me!" He touched his face again, spreading the blood from his fingertips to just beneath his eyes. Wet. He felt...water...no...warmer then that. "What is...this...?" He would not let himself believe that he was in tears...what he was...he was so powerful. And now, he was this selfish little child crying on the ground. He curled up on the ground and began to sob to himself. "This...........isn't...........fair............."

He remembered blue. That was the colour of life, his creator had taught him. "We must do all that is in our power to extract the azure. The crimson must change to azure or we will die. Do you want that to happen?" A young child, no older then the age of six sat with his feet dangling over a ledge. The large castle was no fun for him but he was soon being taught that fun...was not what he needed. "You said yourself that...everybody on this planet was in pain. Why not let them die? Isn't that the best way to..." "No! I made this world...and it shall prevail. You...my perfect creation have been made to keep Terra alive. The power runs through your veins like blood. You are the single creature who shall turn the dreaded colour of death on Terra, to the colour of life once more." "Wh-Why have you chosen me?" "Do not stutter. It shows mortal weakness. You are not human my creature. You are mine, do you understand this?" "Yes but how can I...?" "When the time comes, my perfect angel of death...you shall know" Only a six year old child, he had no friends the years he grew. He remained in the castle with his creator and was not permitted to leave. He stared longingly out the panes of glass onto the city below him, almost crying everytime. And one day, he did not notice as the footsteps behind him became angered. His perfect angel of death was showing emotion again...he was not to do this. "You want to live out there do you?" He asked, putting a twisted old hand on the boys shoulder. He cringed a little...afraid that he had done something wrong. "I...I..do not know....things look so...simple there. I should like to see it once..." The man smiled a horrible smile. "Then go down and play with the children if that is what you wish" The boy turned around and smiled eagerly. He had light behind his eyes, unlike the others. "Really!?" The man stood back from him to allow him to pass. He swiftly stood and ran past him but the old man grabbed him. "Only the children there, are not living yet...because we have not extracted what we need from Gaia. The children there, do not play. I would rather you play with the children over here..." He pushed the young boy towards a telescope which looked down on a glowing blue planet. "Do you see this?" The boy looked down, but pulled back...eager to play with someone. "I don't care where you send me. Just let me go." "So you can see what people are like down there?" "Yes!" The man smiled and picked up the boy, stroking his long silver hair. "It is a shame I cannot program you like the others. But you are special...and your lessons shall be special as well..." He closed his eyes and the young boy dissapeared from his sight, in a blue light. "My angel of death. You shall soon learn to hate them. My perfect tool to bringing that world to ruin. Kuja, I will be sure of it that you feel no remorse."

The young boy looked around confused...he had never seen grass, or dirt, or even blue water. Fear filled him at first but he knew that Garland would protect him from any real harm, for he had put so much effort into creating him. Kuja stirred in his sleep, mumbling softly. His memories of this were slurred and horrible. The young boy ran down into the first small town he saw and the children were playing. It was amazing, he had never seen someone like him...playing. First, they played. But the children began to ask questions, to which Kuja didn't lie to. He told the children about being created but they were too small to understand most of his words. They pulled at his tail, laughing and singing to make fun of his oddity. He yelled at them to stop but they would not...and that day he could not make out a red eye in the sky with a man laughing above. Garland was above, controlling these children...in fact...the town wasn't even real. The children, were not real. Garland had made it all an illusion for his young student. The young boy began to sob on the ground, begging them to leave him alone...but they wouldn't. They kicked him while he was on the ground, calling him names and laughing as he bled. The boy had never bled before, the hot taste in his mouth made him feel....hot. Anger...that's it. "Stop them. You have the power to stop them" Garlands voice sounded in the childs ears. And it was the last thing he heard before screams. After the light died down, he looked around to see the monsters who hurt him...scattered in pieces around him. A smile spread across his bloodied lips. These monsters didn't deserve this blue light...Garland was right. This was not the only test. Garland made sure to put young Kuja through many tests and lessons...but he got through all of them..he had to..he wanted to make his creator happy. But finally he praised him, finally he loved him. And although Kuja was now too far gone to admit to feeling happy over a silly emotion. He was glad that Garland liked him best.

"I was supposed...to expire. My destiny had been mapped out for me...I was...supposed to expire." Kuja finally awoke from his sleep, the horrible flashes of memories. He wiped his face, finding more blood then tears, but he was angered at the tears. "You fool!" He screamed at himself. "You weak...human...fool!"

"Maybe Mikoto was right...maybe Kuja really did come back. But it had to be a while ago. And...why would he reopen the seal to Terra? Before he died...he seemed okay to me..." Zidane talked to himself as he walked to the airship. His mind was full of reasons why, but no reasons how. "Mikoto was so sure of how it.." "Damn right I was" Mikoto said, running up behind him. Zidane turned around to look at her. "Where'd ya learn to talk like that little girl?" He asked, with a small smile. "From my wonderful example of a big brother. Now...are you going to let me help you, or not?" A smile from him reached Mikoto and she returned it. "Thanks." "I don't want any of that. But we have family business to take care of." "Yeah, we sure do. " He said, as him and his sister began to walk to the airship. This would be easier with Mikoto by his side. She knew much more about Terra then he did, she lived there more recently...and Zidane had a feeling that Garland gave her some things that he didn't give him or Kuja. After all...she had been made sooner. In fact, Mikoto was supposed to be an improvement of Zidane and Kuja. Zidane always wondered if there were things in her that werent in him or his brother. There was no doubt about it that she was very special.

Zidane found the airship ride back to Alexandria to be much more enjoyable with the company of Mikoto. She told him all about the village, and how the mages and genomes lived together in peace. They enjoyed living away from everybody in complete seclusion. Mikoto hadn't left the village too many times, except to trade with the small people in Conde Petie. Zidane told her how things were in Alexandria...about Daggers 'distance' she put between them both. Mikoto was a bit too blunt for her own good, she still hadn't grasped the concept of considering others feelings...even though her intetntions were pure. "Maybe she doesn't love you anymore" Zidane looked at her for a moment, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah..maybe..." The thought had crossed his mind a few times, but he always tried to shake it off. The way she ran to him...the way they held eachother..and the way she acted when they were alone. He was certian she loved him. He stayed silent the rest of the airship ride with Mikoto, her comment ruining his happy mood. Mikoto didn't care either way, although she wanted to hear about her brother...she also wished to look out into the world below. It was all so different from Terra...

"Zidane. I know what I have to do now. You were always one step ahead. Now...it is my turn."