Chapter 5
AU: Hi again. Um, I haven't written in a long time, because I'm lazy, and
I don't get enough time on the computer. Anyways, yeah, now I'm writing
again, on my brand spanking new laptop which lacks internet access. I hope
I remember to stick this on my regular computer. I mean, of course if
you're reading this, then I did. anyway. Yeah, so I'm writing this, I've
been working on this. comic game thing my brother wants me to make, I've
been meaning to write in What Cid Thinks About Everything, nobody else
reviewed Kuja, even though I wrote in that too, and I need to think of
something else funny. Well actually, I did, but then I discovered Shizuka
Valentine made one like, the exact same way and I reviewed it, so if I
wrote it now, it would just seem like I copied her. So that idea's been
scrapped. Ugh. Serious humor block. I think I'll just write random crap
again. That's how my best stuff starts anyways.
Adam woke to the sound of someone crying. His big green eyes blinked and scanned the room. Everything was blurry. He looked out across his bed, at the window with the dark wooden desk in front of it, and saw his father. His head was in his hands, and his tail slowly swung back and forth. He was the one making the noise. Adam opened his mouth to say something, but his throat felt dry, and it hurt. Instead he climbed out of his bed and walked up behind his father. Zidane lifted his head as he heard bare feet flopping against the hard wood floor.
"Adam." He turned to face his tired son. His eyes were red, but he smiled anyway. Adam looked up at him, confused. "Adam, I'm so glad you're alright." Adam felt his fathers arms around him, his face pressed against his shoulder. Adam didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on. He could still feel himself being pulled backwards, the red line around his neck, and the force of a boot against his head. His head. He'd forgotten about it. Adam reached up and gingerly poked the large bruise on the side of his face. Zidane pulled back, his hands on Adam's arms.
"Who did this to you? You don't have to say, just nod if I'm right. Okay?" Adam stared at him. He couldn't remember who it was. Why had it happened in the first place? He didn't know. He couldn't remember what he said. He couldn't remember what he looked like. "Was it one of the guards?" Zidane softly asked, eyes swelling up again. Adam didn't answer. He didn't know how to. He wanted to talk, but he couldn't. "Adam, was it. was it Kuja?" Kuja? Who's Kuja? A voice rang in the back of his head. It was the man with the blankets. He remembered his smile, and the clicking of heels as he disappeared down the hallway. Adam was afraid of him. "Was it a man with blonde hair? Was he tall? Were his eyes blue?" Adam tried to shake away from Zidane. He didn't know who he was talking about. He couldn't remember. All he could see was he man in the blankets. His father's image began to fade in front of him. The room began to swirl in a sickening way. Adam looked up at the ceiling, trying to drown out the picture of the man with the silver hair and the sunken eyes. He couldn't see. Everything was fading away. He couldn't.
Zidane flung open the small white door that lead to the courtyard. Charim was sitting on the edge of a fountain, swirling his fingers around in the water. He looked up and smiled warmly as Zidane rapidly approached him.
"Good afternoon your majesty. Is your day well?"
"Where were you?" Zidane hissed at him. Charim blinked twice and raised two perfect golden brows at him. His face was filled with complete innocence and surprise.
"What do you mean, sire?" His voice was pleasant and cheerful. Zidane hated it.
"You know what I mean, you sack of shit." He grabbed the front of the bodyguard's shirt and pulled him closer to his face. "Where were you when my son was attacked?" His voice was bitter, angry. He suspected the man of everything.
"Prince Adam was attacked? Is he alright? I hope nothing happened to him!" His cheerful innocence was replaced with a face of exaggerated sorrow. He looked to be mocking the king.
"Don't gimme that. I want to know where you were."
"If you remember, sir, you told me to go away, get out of the castle, whatever I needed to do to stay out of the way of the search for your dear brother." Zidane snarled at him and pushed him back into the fountain. He remembered mentioning something about that, but he couldn't help being suspicious of the man. Hired by Garnet or not, he would never trust Adam's new bodyguard if his life depended on it.
Ren tapped the heel of his foot against the floor and took a sip of his drink. The storm outside hadn't let up yet; the boy must've been in an especially playful mood. He heard the familiar creak of the swinging doors and looked over his shoulder. He'd been doing that for about an hour now, and every time it was the wrong person. A fat balding man with grease stains on his shirt flopped down a couple stools away from him and ordered a drink. Just another mechanic getting off duty. Lindblum was full of them these days. People hardly did anything else. Even the theater district had mechanics living in it. The city had reached an ultimate technological high, even after the death of Cid Fabool. The Lady Eiko- the first ruler of Lindblum who wasn't named Cid- had boosted the manufacturing of airships and research on new engines since she took over. The city was very proud of her. At first most people thought she was too young, but minister Artania made sure she did things like the reagent did. She's become the favorite, cutest ruler of the four major kingdoms. She left the castle to visit the other kingdoms almost everyday, especially since Princess Garnet til Alexandros the 18th and Prince Adam were born in Alexandria. The bar doors swung open again. Ren didn't even bother to look back. Most of the workers got off around this time, and his guest had probably forgotten anyway. She had a tendency to do that. He was wrong, of course. It was who he'd been waiting for. She sat at the stool next to him and smoothed out her little blue dress against her knees.
"You look nice today." "Thanks." She smiled her shiny pink lips and twirled a long slender finger in her bouncy silver hair. "There's been a little problem," Ren began, "It seems someone else has taken interest in the princess."
Adam woke to the sound of someone crying. His big green eyes blinked and scanned the room. Everything was blurry. He looked out across his bed, at the window with the dark wooden desk in front of it, and saw his father. His head was in his hands, and his tail slowly swung back and forth. He was the one making the noise. Adam opened his mouth to say something, but his throat felt dry, and it hurt. Instead he climbed out of his bed and walked up behind his father. Zidane lifted his head as he heard bare feet flopping against the hard wood floor.
"Adam." He turned to face his tired son. His eyes were red, but he smiled anyway. Adam looked up at him, confused. "Adam, I'm so glad you're alright." Adam felt his fathers arms around him, his face pressed against his shoulder. Adam didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on. He could still feel himself being pulled backwards, the red line around his neck, and the force of a boot against his head. His head. He'd forgotten about it. Adam reached up and gingerly poked the large bruise on the side of his face. Zidane pulled back, his hands on Adam's arms.
"Who did this to you? You don't have to say, just nod if I'm right. Okay?" Adam stared at him. He couldn't remember who it was. Why had it happened in the first place? He didn't know. He couldn't remember what he said. He couldn't remember what he looked like. "Was it one of the guards?" Zidane softly asked, eyes swelling up again. Adam didn't answer. He didn't know how to. He wanted to talk, but he couldn't. "Adam, was it. was it Kuja?" Kuja? Who's Kuja? A voice rang in the back of his head. It was the man with the blankets. He remembered his smile, and the clicking of heels as he disappeared down the hallway. Adam was afraid of him. "Was it a man with blonde hair? Was he tall? Were his eyes blue?" Adam tried to shake away from Zidane. He didn't know who he was talking about. He couldn't remember. All he could see was he man in the blankets. His father's image began to fade in front of him. The room began to swirl in a sickening way. Adam looked up at the ceiling, trying to drown out the picture of the man with the silver hair and the sunken eyes. He couldn't see. Everything was fading away. He couldn't.
Zidane flung open the small white door that lead to the courtyard. Charim was sitting on the edge of a fountain, swirling his fingers around in the water. He looked up and smiled warmly as Zidane rapidly approached him.
"Good afternoon your majesty. Is your day well?"
"Where were you?" Zidane hissed at him. Charim blinked twice and raised two perfect golden brows at him. His face was filled with complete innocence and surprise.
"What do you mean, sire?" His voice was pleasant and cheerful. Zidane hated it.
"You know what I mean, you sack of shit." He grabbed the front of the bodyguard's shirt and pulled him closer to his face. "Where were you when my son was attacked?" His voice was bitter, angry. He suspected the man of everything.
"Prince Adam was attacked? Is he alright? I hope nothing happened to him!" His cheerful innocence was replaced with a face of exaggerated sorrow. He looked to be mocking the king.
"Don't gimme that. I want to know where you were."
"If you remember, sir, you told me to go away, get out of the castle, whatever I needed to do to stay out of the way of the search for your dear brother." Zidane snarled at him and pushed him back into the fountain. He remembered mentioning something about that, but he couldn't help being suspicious of the man. Hired by Garnet or not, he would never trust Adam's new bodyguard if his life depended on it.
Ren tapped the heel of his foot against the floor and took a sip of his drink. The storm outside hadn't let up yet; the boy must've been in an especially playful mood. He heard the familiar creak of the swinging doors and looked over his shoulder. He'd been doing that for about an hour now, and every time it was the wrong person. A fat balding man with grease stains on his shirt flopped down a couple stools away from him and ordered a drink. Just another mechanic getting off duty. Lindblum was full of them these days. People hardly did anything else. Even the theater district had mechanics living in it. The city had reached an ultimate technological high, even after the death of Cid Fabool. The Lady Eiko- the first ruler of Lindblum who wasn't named Cid- had boosted the manufacturing of airships and research on new engines since she took over. The city was very proud of her. At first most people thought she was too young, but minister Artania made sure she did things like the reagent did. She's become the favorite, cutest ruler of the four major kingdoms. She left the castle to visit the other kingdoms almost everyday, especially since Princess Garnet til Alexandros the 18th and Prince Adam were born in Alexandria. The bar doors swung open again. Ren didn't even bother to look back. Most of the workers got off around this time, and his guest had probably forgotten anyway. She had a tendency to do that. He was wrong, of course. It was who he'd been waiting for. She sat at the stool next to him and smoothed out her little blue dress against her knees.
"You look nice today." "Thanks." She smiled her shiny pink lips and twirled a long slender finger in her bouncy silver hair. "There's been a little problem," Ren began, "It seems someone else has taken interest in the princess."
