Author's Note: This may sound a little confusing since I'm still trying to place a plot in place. I have it now so…enjoy!

Reincarnation

Chapter 1- 'What have you gotten yourself into, Kuja?'

Totetsumonari Kyuuden (Extravagant Palace) In the Heart of Treno

Nine Years Later

9:03 Gaian Standard

Kuja:

          Ever since that fateful day, I've had my share of doubts and frustrations from only one source. I had to wonder why in Gaia's name did I take this child home with me.

(Flashback-Nine Years Later (The night of the Nova Dragon reemergence)

          'Get this child some help, Auctioneer.'

          'But Kuja…I-I—'

          A slightly younger version of me turned around, eyes shifting between sky blue and blood red. My beautiful face was covered with soot and cuts where the debris had cut into my skin. I wasn't in the mood for simple questions that night and apparently the Auctioneer didn't understand that. It was beyond his simple intelligence anyways. Maybe that's why I didn't fry him right there on the spot.

          'Do not argue with me, just do it!' I shouted.

          The Auctioneer cowered in fear, holding the child close to his chest.

          'Y-Yes, Sir K-Kuja.'

          And with that, he hurried away.

(Another Flashback-Hours later)

          I sat in a rather comfortable chair from across my bedroom in Totetsumonari Kyuuden, staring at the lightly bandaged child on my fine silk bed. She was up and actively crying, not knowing what to do in such a foreign atmosphere. It was her fear that I enjoyed the most. I loved the stench that fear and sorrow created. But that belonged to the old side of me, the side I couldn't escape. Not that I would want to escape it.

          'What is your name, little girl?' I asked.

          The little girl looked up at me with startlingly beautiful purple eyes.

          'K-Kirika…' She stammered Kirika. Now that was an unusual name for a child.

(End of Flashback)

          I still don't know why I took this child into my care. I wasn't in my right mind, plus what would it look like for me, the Angel of Death, to take care of a five-year-old child for nine years. God….and those in those nine years…I had grown to love Kirika as my own child. I found this change in emotions fascinating. Every time I saw her, I couldn't help but beam in pride. And I couldn't get mad at her, oh no…

(Flashback-Nine Years Earlier: After the Lindblum incident)

          Kirika slowly walked down the halls of my residential palace behind me, eyeing something that had suddenly caught her eye. It was my tail, which was flowing out behind me in a questioning matter. She (Kirika) jumped into the air and caught it. I, seemingly, ignored it, content to continue on throughout the hall. She pulled on it, harshly, generating a snarl and a very, very angry look on my face. The second I started snapping at her, she pouted and started to cry. It was that action that cancelled out my anger every time.

(End Flashback)

          Ever since then, I couldn't stay mad at her. The fact that I was the only thing she could depend on as a parent, unnerved me. I couldn't love; I could not feel love. I had too much hatred in me to feel love and compassion, but Kirika showered me with it constantly. I couldn't hit her or scream at her when she did something that I deemed wrong. In other words, she was twisting my way of logic, and she did it very well.

          I ran my brush down my hair carefully, admiring its length in the mirror. At least that was one thing that couldn't be change: my narcissism. There was a soft knock on the door just then, interrupting my chain of thought.

          "Come in," I said through clenched teeth.

          The door opened with a slight groan and a tall, lithe woman about 5'9 scrolled into the room. The woman had black waist long hair and lavender eyes. She was wearing a form-fitting purple jumpsuit with a pair of purple boots to match. I recognized her as Kirika, the fourteen-year girl child I had raised.

          "Good evening, Kuja."

          I turned in her direction and ran my fingers through my hair.

          "Good evening, Kirika. I trust you've had a good day?" I said softly.

          A smile came about Kirika's small, thin lips, making her eyes twinkle.

          "Yes, of course. By the way, you've gotten a letter," She answered.

          A letter? I had a dark feeling that I knew who it was from.

          "Did the messenger tell you who it was from?"

          "Some guy named Zidane."

          Zidane…now King Zidane of Alexandria. That's right, he married Queen Garnet til Alexandros and become co-ruler of the city. The only reason why he would write me was because it was now known that I was alive. That had to be the only reason.

          "Kuja? What's wrong? Is that bad?"

          I gazed back at Kirika quizzically and shook my head.

          "No, it's not bad. Do you have the letter with you?"

          My voice sounded shaky and unsure. Kirika shrugged and handed me the letter. I cracked the seal with my finger and scanned over it quickly. Zidane wanted me to attend the annual ball in Alexandria tonight so he could reintroduce me to his 'family'.

          "Ridiculous, I won't go. I refuse to," I snarled.

          Kirika softly took the letter from my hands and read it carefully.

          "It sounds wonderful, Kuja. I want to attend," She said softly.

          I glared at her darkly for a second or two. She glared back, her lavender eyes glittering in the light.

          "Nothing you will say or do will make me go to Alexandria, Kirika," I snapped.

          "Then I'll go alone. I can take care of myself. I'll just take the Invincible—"

          "No, you won't. I'll go with you only because you need protecting."

          Nice going Kuja, I thought as Kirika exited the room. You couldn't put your foot down when it comes to her. Oh well, I may as well get ready for the ball. I went to my closet and opened it, yawning lightly. I pushed aside my normal wear and pulled out my silver formal wear. It was composed of a long silky shirt with long frilly sleeves and my thong hakuma combo. Perfect, just perfect. And the right touches of makeup would make it glorious. Just like that, I forgot all of my doubts and fears. The prospect of making myself more beautiful had always excited me.

          What could I say?

Kirika:

          I searched my closet carefully, eyeing the many different types of patterns in it. Kuja had made sure that I had the finest clothes in Gaia, and all were made with silk. I was really excited that Kuja decided to go with me to Alexandria. Most likely, he probably wouldn't make an appearance at the Ball. What to wear…what to wear. Ah…my silver silk outfit.

          I pushed a couple of clothes aside and pulled out my silk kimono. I stepped behind the silk curtain in my room and put it on slowly. I admired myself in the mirror for a minute or two, and then put my favorite earrings on. They hung about an inch and a half from my ear with little stars dancing down its central chain. With a sigh, I ran my brush through my hair and added special touches of makeup to my face.

          Just perfect, I thought as I headed through my door out into the hallway. Kuja was there, waiting for me, dressed in his usual formal attire, which was covered with a long, black cloak. He handed me my cloak, which was covered with a long, black cloak. He handed me my cloak from out of nowhere seemingly and smirked.

          "You look excellent, Kirika," He purred.

          I smiled and took my cloak from him.

          "So do you."

          Kuja chuckled and grabbed me by the hand.

          "Come on. The Auctioneer parked the Invincible just outside of the gate."

          And he led me along the streets to the Invincible. I had to sit back and admire Kuja's appearance. He was built and shaped like a woman, but his face, his tail, and the slight hint of muscles in his arms told everything. I considered this man to be my father—not my biological father, but father nevertheless.

          I never knew what happened to my real mother. It was one of the many secrets he kept. Especially the secret about the sadness behind his eyes. There was nothing I could do to remove that sadness. It wasn't long before we were times before, often when Kuja was asleep. During those times, I had learned how to actually the ship. That was something Kuja didn't know.

          "Are you actually going to stay around in the ball or are you misleading me?" I asked him as we entered the bridge.

          Kuja glanced at me sidelong before stepping onto the circle that served as the steering wheel for the ship.

          "What made you think that, dear Kirika?" He asked, busying himself with the controls.

          I sighed.

          "Kuja, the least you could do would be to at least show your face," I protested.

          The ship began to rise up from the ground and tilt northward as I moved over to the wall.

          "You can go by yourself, Kirika. You'll be fine, I know it," Kuja snapped.

          I shook my head and groaned. There was no use arguing with him now.

          "But didn't you just say—"

          "End of discussion, Kirika."

          It wasn't long before the Invincible touched down on Alexandrian soil. Kuja stepped down from the circle and approached me slowly. As he did so, he reached up and pulled out two long shimmering feathers from his hair and sighed.

          "What are those for?" I asked as he positioned himself to the right of me.

          I could feel his hands traveling through the front of her hair, softly messaging it or something.

          "Don't worry about it. Just go to the ball. I will be around in case you need me," He answered.

          Kuja was rushing me for some odd reason. And I doubted that I would ever find out why. He would keep it a secret for as long as he could, I suppose. Nevertheless, I exited the bridge and walked out of the side entrance. Just like that, I was standing outside in the Gaian air. I took a deep breath and walked through the first gate into Alexandria. The streets were deserted as I continued through the darkened city until I reached the moat. There was a small canoe-like boat with a soldier wielding a long staff-like pole. I walked quietly down the stairs to the edge making sure that I remained as dignified as possible.

          "Would you like to ride to the castle?"

          I nodded lightly and settled down into the boat with the help of the soldier. The moment I stepped on dry land, I looked up at the castle. It was absolutely beautiful, plus it was the first one I've seen in years.

          Later on:

          I stepped onto the marble floor of the huge ballroom in awe of the sight and of the people. This was the most exposure I've gotten in years. Suddenly, I wished Kuja were here with me. He would be able to explain and show me things. I couldn't imagine why he didn't want to go and meet this Zidane person.

          "Wow, I haven't seen you around before. Are you native to Alexandria?"

          I turned around in the direction of the voice and saw a man about my height with blue eyes and blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. He was wearing a set of royal red robes with Alexandrian emblem on it. In a way, he reminded me of Kuja, only not so serious. I sat there nervously, thinking of something to say. The man peered carefully in my face and chuckled.

          "Did I offend you?" He asked.

          "No, of course not," I answered softly.

          He rocked back on his heels, grinning widely.

          "So what's your name?"

          "Kirika."

          "The name's Zidane."

          Zidane? That was the man Kuja didn't want to see. But why? He seemed nice enough.

          "Come on, I'll introduce you to Garnet," Zidane said excitedly.

Kuja:

(A/N: The 's indicate inner speech and the italics is Kuja's inner voice.) I sat against the wall in the Invincible, letting myself relax so I could meditate.

          'My, my, Kuja, how old you've gotten now.'

          There was no mistaking that voice: Garland.

          'You know, for someone I just killed about thirteen years ago, you don't know when to shut up.'

          A light chuckle.

          'I'll always be a part of you, Kuja. By the way, the little child you've been protecting is going to die tonight.'

          More laughter. My blood ran cold in my veins as I heard a demonic roar outside. I scrambled off of the wall, through the exit outside and headed through the gates.

Kirika:

          So far, I had met Queen Garnet til Alexandros the 17th, and King Zidane. They were a pretty happy couple from what I saw.

          'Kirika!'

          I nearly jumped at the sound of Kuja's inner voice. He sounded panicky and worried, which was greatly unusual for him.

          'What's wrong Kuja?'

          'You need to get out of the castle—'

          All of a sudden, the windows on the other side of the ballroom exploded inward, showering the crowd with glass shards. A large dragon flew into the opening made by the glass, flatting some people under its feet. A thin, lithe figure slid down from its back and casually brushed something off of its shoulders. Upon closer inspection, it was a woman with long silver hair with hints of feathers in it and deep blue eyes. She looked exactly like Kuja only she was wearing a one-piece silk jumpsuit (and she was a girl). This couldn't be good, especially if Kuja were to arrive on the scene.

          "Zidane, do you have my staff?" I heard Garnet hiss.

          Zidane shook his head, his pale cheers flushed with anger.

          "Foolish, incapable mortals. Look at you, wasting your time on pointless balls, knowing that the reign of darkness is to come," The woman hissed.

          When I turned to look at Zidane, his face was completely red.

          "How could Kuja have done this?" He hissed.

          "Kuja wouldn't do this, Zidane. Just trust me," I whispered softly.

          There was a loud screech as power erupted from where the woman stood. I found myself flying backward into a wall along with Zidane (and Garnet) and those who didn't get vaporized from the blast first-hand. The woman walked over to the wall and locked eyes with me.

          "Kirika," She breathed.

          I found myself trembling in fear from the sight of her. The woman grinned and brought her hands around my neck. A small squeak came from my mouth as she did so.

          "Look at the fear in your eyes, Kirika. The fear of knowing that if I cut off your windpipe, you'll die."

          'K-Kuja…'

          I tried to call out with my inner voice as loud as I could, hoping that he would hear it. Her grip tightened abruptly, forcing another choked gasp from my mouth.

          "Let her go!"

          A familiar voice. I glanced weakly to the side only to see Kuja, standing tall, defiant. The woman released my neck as she straightened up to face him. My vision blurred somewhat as I hit the ground. Two pairs of arms helped me back onto my feet and over to a safe corner.

Kuja:

          I blinked at the near perfect copy of me, just standing right in front of me. Did Garland create another genome after Mikoto? This couldn't be right. The woman smirked and extended her hand out in the air. Yellow streaks of energy began to gather into it, turning it a bright yellow hue. I knew what spell she was going to cast next: Thundaga. I edged backward, preparing myself for battle, no matter what the cost. I brought my hands forward casting one of the few white magic spells I actually knew (which was Protect) on myself as shielding. The spell erupted from her hand and crashed down upon me, jarring my bones a bit. I automatically retaliated with one of my favorite spells: Flare. The fire magic nearly engulfed the woman and half of the room in its fiery fury. There was a scream of pain and when the smoke and fire faded away, the woman and the dragon were gone. Zidane and Garnet glared at me as they fanned a fainted Kirika.

          "You better have an explanation for this, Kuja," Garnet snapped.

          Like hell I did.

Author's Note: Yeah I know it definitely sounds confusing right now. Or does it? Anyways, the plot is now in effect for the rest of the story. Yay, please comment now.