QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Wen' ou-side, came back iiiinnnn... wen' ou-siiide, came back iiiiinnnn... ... ... And then, in the afternoon... Wen' ou-siiide, came back iiiinnn...." (If you ever find yourself in Branson, Missouri, I recommend the Showboat Branson Belle. Irving the talking dog is so funny, you'll wet yourself. No, seriously. I almost peed my pants.)
Author's Note: ...Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry, I got caught sneaking onto the internet at night... and uh, well... I was grounded. -_-; But we can ignore that. Hi, y'all! Thanks for coming back. Again. ^.^ I'm enjoying this fic more than I ever thought possible!! And that's saying something! Twilight's Star, thanks for reviewing Light of the Stars! ...I updated again, if you didn't know! Anyhow, I DID have writer's block. A huge case of it, too... -_-; And then, Neko hypnotized me! Ever since, I've been obsessed with writing and typing. I filled up a seven-subject notebook while on vacation in Branson. And it was only three days. And it was really only a few hours. But what else can you do when you don't have the internet, and your camper is about as big as four tiny closets, and you have a five-person family?? Sit on your parent's (much larger) bed, and write 'til your fingers hurt, of course! So, I've got a new idea, a new chapter, and a chapter in the progress of being typed. Neko, your hypnosis abilities astound me.
(This chapter gets confusing. The italics [yeah, finally figured out how to change it to html!] are Blase's dream. The regular writing is Kuja's POV, but not as he's talking to Blase. This is kind of an introspect-chapter.)
DREAM-WORLD
The silver-haired boy in his late teens ran a hand through the dense Mist. He was crying silently, tears of loneliness and rejection. Tiny white sparkles in the Mist danced from his fingers, making trails that lasted for several moments before fading into the shifting white fog. "I don't need friends... I can create my own..." he said softly, clenching his hand into a loose fist. He closed his eyes, focusing. The Mist seemed to collect in front of him, forming a vague figure. It twisted and grew until Kuja reopened his eyes. He reached forward almost tentatively to touch the form... and the Mist dissolved into a feathery dragon with hidden eyes. "You.. you're a Silver Dragon!" Kuja exclaimed joyously, stroking the creature's feathers. "...So... you are my first companion?" he asked, as the dragon nudged his stomach gently. A low growl emanated from her throat as she embraced her creator with soft-downed wings.
The Silver Dragon was my first real friend in years. She was the only one who dared to care about me. When I first created her, I was scared... I didn't know how she would treat me. But she liked me... maybe even loved me. And she was precious to me. I protected her as she protected me. She cared for me as I cared for her. A little while after I created her, I created little Vivi. I was thrilled with my latest creation. He called me Kujie, something that I still find rather embarrassing. But when you're eighteen and have gone for perhaps six years without affection from another, anything is acceptable. I doted on them both. Vivi became almost like Zidane had been: loving, playful, and easily entertained. I adored him. As for the Silver Dragon... she was like a mother. She couldn't stand it when Garland would yell at me. She would always have to check me over when he left, as though his words could damage me physically.
The dragon roared in soft outrage as the old man's words caused her companion to flinch under their malice. He was being unreasonable. Kuja was unwilling to go on this escapade to Gaia for the sake of eliminating as many lives as possible to upset the Cycle of Souls. But Garland insisted. Silent tears were falling down Kuja's cheeks as he listened to his mission's outline. The old man turned away, walking out of the room. The gentle dragon nudged a small figure by her front right leg. A tiny black mage squirmed unhappily. "Kujie, what's wrong?" the tiny boy asked, looking up at the tall teenager adoringly. "...Vivi... I'm sorry..." Kuja said softly, pulling the small child into his arms. "Sorry for what, Kujie?"
"...I have to get you out of here."
Was I scared...? What a ridiculous question. I wasn't scared... I was only afraid for Vivi's sake... what would I do with him? I couldn't keep him with me on Terra... so I had to take him to the safest place I knew: somewhere no one would look on Gaia. But he needed a protector. Someone too thick-headed, too caring, or at the very least, too afraid to hurt little Vivi. Quan was everything I was looking for. I watched the aging Qu as he went about his daily chores, making sure that he was truly what I needed. Granted, he wasn't the sharpest knife in the set, but he was different... and he was lonely. That much was obvious. He would skip a meal now and then-quite a feat for a Qu-and think about his solitude. I almost felt sorry for him. But the thought occurred to me that I could help him. The only problem I had was getting Vivi to him.
Kuja stared blankly at the dangling line. Quan was fishing... in the Mist? Foolish, but useful. Vivi's clothing was loose, and could get hooked on the line. Vivi would be saved from Garland's harsh words, and the tests and experiments that were required of a prototype. He wouldn't have to see Kuja's tears, and hear him sobbing at night. Vivi would never have to see the blood of millions spilled. It would be over... Vivi would be safe! But the Genome hesitated, holding Vivi close. This was just like Zidane... but it was a Qu instead of a thief. It wasn't going to be a tiny homeless child waking up on a man's doorstep with his brother hiding in the shadows... making sure everything was okay. It was going to be a boy with memories that would fade away like the innocence of the older boy who held him. It would be a hard goodbye... Kuja hadn't had the heart to erase his memory as he had done to Zidane. Vivi was all too precious. "Kujie, what's going on...?" Vivi asked, as a shining tear rolled down Kuja's face, dropping onto Vivi's. Kuja hooked Vivi gently on the suspended line, and gave it a tug. He kissed Vivi gently on the cheek. "...Please don't forget me, Vivi..." he whispered, and the small mage nodded with some confusion. Then, he was gone, moving upward into the blinding sunlight.
To be completely honest, I never thought I'd see Vivi again. I remember crying into the Silver Dragon's wings until the sun rose two days later-I'd never cried so long before in my life. She did everything she could to comfort me... but nothing was enough. Not even her tenderhearted nature could make me feel whole again. That was two parts of my life, huge parts, gone. I felt as though a hole that had been twice repaired was torn once again, and nothing could fill it. But eventually, bitterness replaced the love of those two children I had needed so deeply. For the longest time, I was nothing at all... merely a shadow. Until I turned twenty-one, I was about as noticeable as Mist on the Mist Continent. I existed, and everyone knew I was there... but they lived around me, letting my existence go unnoticed. And for once, it didn't bother me. All I wanted was to be alone.
...So I faded away.
Author's Note: ...
*sings a Celine Dion song*
*everyone flinches at her singing voice*
*she doesn't really care*
I'm really sorry about the shortness! But now that I've gotten Blinded by Love all typed up, I can focus more intently on this fic! And that means... yep! More fictionpress.com updates, too! ^.~ I can finally turn my attention to one fic at a time. *contented sigh* ....But those who know me know that I'm not one to just relax... Yep! There's likely to be another fic in the future. But I'm gonna get it all written out first. A favorite author of mine, DarkMessenger1, let me know that they wanted two things:
1.) To use Raz in one of their upcoming fics
2.) Another fic like By/On Your Side!
So that's my newest project. It's gonna be a prequel-ish fic, and I hope it turns out as good as the first two.