Author's Note: The extra bits of the summary are here: After the rebirth of Garland, Gaia settles into relative peace. The mist from the Iifa Tree is gone, and the power of the roots is instilled in Kirika Tribal. Now Garland and Mikoto are up to no good, sending a group called the 'Black Tail' after all of them. Later, there will be romance between Kirika and someone else. Enjoy!
Sosei, Reincarnation's Sequel
Prelude-The Miseducation of Amaranthine
Alexandria Castle
6:17 A.M.
Kirika:
A whine filled my ears, followed by the light snuffling of a nose and then the wet slurp of a tongue in my ear. Normally, I would have ignored it due to the fact that Alexandria Castle had plenty of cats in it, but well…what existed in my room wasn't a cat. A rough set of jaws or maybe hands shook me and dragged me out of bed. My eyes shot open fully, bring me face to face with my now pet dragon, Amaranthine. She peered at me with her glossy blue eyes and dropped me on the floor.
"Let me guess, your hungry, right?"
She nodded, easing herself over to the wall to let me get to my feet. Amaranthine was Silver's pup (A/N: You know, I'm not sure what baby dragons are called.) and she was barely two years old. However, she lacked the weight and muscle of a normal two-year-old Silver Dragon, so Kuja volunteered to take care of her for Silver. It was the least he could do, right? Heh, now I know you are probably wondering about what's going on and what has changed…so I shall tell you.
After the 'defeat' of the Iifa Tree, we settled back in Alexandria, conveniently staying away from the castle until it was rebuilt. During the two years it took to rebuild it, I had grown ill as a long-term result of inhaling the poisonous mist of the Iifa. The illness weakened my vocal cords, which forced me to speak in a raspy tone and even sometimes in a hoarse whisper. Nevertheless, Kuja was upset about my loss and even today; he is still searching for a doctor to fix that problem. But I was used to it by now, plus I had plenty of medicine to make me feel better.
Since those two years, Gaia has gone through a major technological upgrade. We now had engines that ran on air, and cell phones and various other things to make life easier. Well…let us get back to what is truly important.
I slipped on a thin robe and opened the two double doors to my bedroom. Amaranthine bounded past me; stopping at the top of the stairs, tail waving faintly. I laughed, closing the door behind me and walked to the stairs. Amaranthine hesitated for a moment and nudged me further down the hall until we reached the door to the dining hall. I opened both doors and walked inside, ignoring her annoyed growl. Everyone was at the table, busily helping themselves to the food. Kuja pushed a baby's bottle to the end of the table, not bothering to pull himself from the food. I couldn't blame him, especially since he hadn't eaten very well in the past two months.
Why? He said that he had been gravely ill, but I knew that was a lie. Kuja was dying, and he knew it. I took the bottle and sat in the empty seat in front of it. My plate was immediately filled up with food within seconds. Amaranthine sat her head in my lap and I stuck the bottle in her mouth, letting her drink.
"Good morning, Kirika and Amaranthine. How did you sleep?" Garnet asked.
"I was sleeping fine, but thanks to Amaranthine, that was short live," I answered.
Amaranthine snorted and finished her bottle off calmly. With her taken care of, I started on my breakfast, which tasted spicy but very good. The cooks were out doing themselves again.
"Kirika today is Amaranthine's training day. This time, we'll teach her everything but hunting," Kuja said softly.
"Even verbal and whistle cues?"
He nodded. I groaned and shook my head. Verbal cues were my bane now, especially with my voice in its current condition. And personally, I thought whistle cues were primitive. Amaranthine was not a dog. She was a halfway grown dragon.
"Kuja, I really don't like the idea of the whistle for Amaranthine right now," I said softly.
Amaranthine nuzzled my stomach and sent one thought through my mind: 'I want to make it easier for you, Mommy.' I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Children really are evil sometimes.
"On second thought, I'll take my easier statement back."
"Good, because Amaranthine needs a bath."
Beneath the Black Mage Village
Mikoto:
It had been a long time since I have gone down to this area, underneath the happiness of the Black Mage Village. I suppose it was time for me to disappear and place my plan into motion. However, I sorely missed the company of Kirei. You see, Kirei left me for Kuja's company quite earlier last year. She said I was wrong for being so evil and jealous. I shrugged her off and let her leave without a thought.
I walked down the hallway slowly, listening to the echo of my footsteps. I opened the door slowly to a room illuminated in green. My gaze settled on the various containers of genomes, being supported by a small supply of mist. Alas, my mist stores were running dry, but that was fine. The genomes in the containers were almost ready to breathe Gaian air.
"They are almost ready, are they not?"
I turned around slowly, knowing that the next face I would see would be that of my creator, Garland.
"Yes, master. And how is your end of the plan going?"
Garland smirked.
"Almost ready. I just have to get them ready."
Them? I didn't bother to ask about who he meant when he said them. After all, I wasn't in the place to do so.
"What is the status on our targets?"
"Nothing except for the fact that Kuja is finally dying."
Alexandria City
Kirika:
"Ugh, stop splashing me, Amaranthine!"
More and more lake water splashed over me, soaking me to the bone. Somehow, I was glad I had remained in my pajamas for this rather annoying task. However, bath time was primetime entertainment for Amaranthine. And by primetime…I mean primetime.
"It's hard to keep her disciplined, isn't it?"
I knew whose voice that was: Kirei's. She was dressed in a see-through outfit that shimmered in the light.
"Well…Amaranthine can be a little difficult at times, but she really is a sweet dragon. I don't mind being soaked. It's just another bath for me," I answered softly.
"Ah, well Kuja told me to take over for you. So, I'll be getting to work now."
I didn't bother to protest that order. My throat had enough punishment for now. I walked away from the dragon and set myself down on the steps nearby.
"Amaranthine, come here!" Kirei shouted, bringing the whistle up to her mouth.
She blew in it two times and set it down, beckoning Amaranthine forward. Amaranthine obeyed silently, dragging her wet body out of the lake with all the speed she could muster.
"How's your throat feeling?"
I glanced up into the dulling blue eyes of my father.
"It's a little sore," I whispered.
"You'll have to go inside to get it treated, you know."
"I know that. So how are you?"
Kuja shrugged.
"I could be better, but I will tell you this: I am feeling much better now."
For your sake, Kuja, I hope you are. Trust me, I know your life story. It wont' be long before you vanish. I just hope you won't suffer.
"Besides, after Kirei is finished, I want you to help Amaranthine fly to the Forgotten Continent with me.
"Amaranthine can only do short distance flying. Her wings aren't strong enough to carry her long distances yet."
Kuja gave me a look that said 'I know!' and walked into town. Well, I wasn't going to disobey him of course. I got up and motioned for Amaranthine to come to my side. She tore away from Kirei's grasp and stopped just inches away from my face.
"Stay with Kirei until I get back, ok?" I whispered.
Amaranthine nuzzled my chest and lay down on the paved portion of the riverside. I got into the boat and told the guard to return to the castle with a wave.
About an Hour later
Skies above the ocean
Kirika:
I watched idly as Amaranthine's great wings flapped powerfully up and down. I was surprised to see that she was handling my weight well. Our destination was the hidden grove of silver dragons on the Forgotten Continent. It was the only place that no one in Gaia except for us knew for a good reason. Hundreds of silver dragons perished nine years ago, which cut the population down severely. The grove was the only place where dragon could reproduce in peace.
'Are we meeting Mommy?'
I jumped a little at Amaranthine's inner voice.
'What's wrong, Mommy?'
"Nothing, my dear. And yes, we're going to see Silver," I said out loud.
'Oh boy!'
There was a shrill ring that pierced the air. I reached in my pocket and pulled my phone out.
"Kirika, bring Amaranthine inside. She must be tired."
"Will do."