Author's Note: Hmm…the inspiration for this comes from LeFox somewhat. Also…I guess I'm renewing this idea for a Kuja fic. Um…enjoy.
Tainted Feathers
Prelude: Warp to Earth
Memoria, Iifa Tree
Kuja:
Life can't get any better than this, I suppose. Why not try to leave it behind with a simple stab? Why couldn't the fates bestow this mercy upon me? Instead, I was laying here on a broken leaf of the Iifa with only a small fragment of the Life Crystal left inside of my body. I had said my peace…I had made peace with the fact that the Iifa would make it quick. So when the roots began to crash down, I thought it was all over. And maybe I thought my suffering was at an end.
And then, a blinding light filled my vision and my entire body felt as if were on fire. I admit I screamed quite load, but that was to be expected. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring out a void of white that seemed to pass by every waking moment.
"Am I dead…?" I asked out loud.
My voice echoed off unseen things far off somewhere. Soft piano music began to play and then chocobos rose up all around my body.
"Are you ready, Kuja?"
I blinked and glanced all around my body. It looked like I was now in the middle of a glassy plain. Gods, I'm going mad or I'm probably dead. All of a sudden, a shadowy woman dressed in a array of twisted, delicately woven tree branches walked out of the grass and into the void.
"Stand, Kuja."
At first, I shook my head, knowing that my broken, battered body wouldn't be able to stand for weeks…even months.
"Stand up, Kuja," The woman repeated.
I bit back a snarl and hoisted myself up onto my feet. I expected to feel unbelievable pain right then and there, but it never came.
"What kind of power is this?" I asked.
The woman smiled and extended her hands outward.
"You are in the Iifa, Kuja. I know won't recognize it now."
"But why am I here?"
"Because you are bitter…scorned, without a home. You can't get a second chance this way."
I snorted.
"A second chance? You must be kidding if you think anyone would consider reviving me," I snapped.
"That is why you must learn to deserve your chance. So maybe, just maybe I'll send you off somewhere to learn your lesson."
I could image how foolish I must have sounded earlier, but I didn't care. I would never change. I was the indomitable Kuja: the destroyer of worlds, the destroyer of many generations.
"And…what if I don't comply with this?"
"Too late and you will not remember this visit."
I started to say something, but my mouth refused to make any sound.
"Til we meet again, son of Garland."
Hours later
On a beach somewhere in the U.S.
Kuja:
The sound of roaring and crashing water filled my ears and startled me awake. The soft light of down assaulted my vision immediately, making me snarl in displeasure/disgust. Where was I? This certainly wasn't the Iifa…and I had never seen an area like this before. Of course it was a beach, but on Gaia, people had the sense not to build their homes near the ocean. Not like that was a bad idea. I wouldn't have minded building a place there. I got to my feet slowly, noticing how heavy my clothes were.
I was soaking wet, which somehow made me very angry. My vanity was at stake here! Without thinking, I rubbed my sandy hands all over my head, checking to see if any feathers had fallen out. Fortunately for me, they were all intact. So…once again, I had to bring up the question of my location. This place wasn't exactly like Gaia, which frightened me. I walked away from the edge of the ocean and blinked at the sight of a flock of very white birds. Doves? No…seagulls.
The seagulls glided in closer, letting out cries of joy at their brothers (or sisters). I extended my pale hand out to them and winced as they pecked at it quite painfully. I began to run away from them, but instead, fell face first into the sand. Gods above, I thought as I spat the sand out of my mouth and rolled over onto my back. The stars in the sky were so pale…and so delicate…like me. This was a strange world and I was alone. I had no power here. What am I going to do? I stayed on the beach until the sun was halfway in the sky. I was in a dream-like trance by then, just letting my thoughts wander and displace themselves.
The seagulls had swarmed all over my thin and lithe body, picking and crying. They thought I was dead, but I was not. Now, I wish I could make their thoughts real and push myself into the pitiful state that precedes death…but I couldn't. I had no power to channel, only to live. And living is what the Life Crystal wanted.
"Oh my god! Is that man injured?"
The question snapped me out of my dream-like state into reality. Reality…where the pain comes into little stabs than blows. I groaned loudly, scaring the seagulls away from my head and flexed my hands. They were stiff with the hours of disuse, but I was forced to not care about that when a woman walked up. From my perspective, the woman appeared to be as tall as me, and she wore a large cloak-like jacket with pants made out of material I could not identity and a pair of knee-high black boots.
Her face was as pale as mine and she had brown eyes and brown hair that fit carefully under a black cap. To put it plainly, she was absolutely beautiful and I've never seen any woman like her on Gaia. A sudden impulse bade me to smile like an idiot and blush at the same time, but I waved it off. All that self-discipline I've had over the years would not go to waste. At least, not now I wouldn't. The woman knelt down and touched my neck softly. I recoiled from her touch like a wounded dragon and tried to sit up.
Bad idea. Explosive pain erupted from my lower back, ripping a scream from my throat. The woman jumped back in surprise and in horror as she caught a glimpse at what made me scream: my tail. As many times as I said I hated my tail, I REALLY HATE IT NOW. It brought unruly pain and humiliation to my chest and those were two things I refused to accept.
"What are you?" The woman asked.
"I am a normal person, just like you."
My voice cracked in mid-sentence, sending my once proud and noble voice to a feeble whisper. The woman rolled her eyes and edged back over to my body slowly.
"You have a tail so…you can't be human."
"Correct," I muttered, rubbing my injured tail. The woman drew in closer and touched a strand of my dirty silver hair.
"Is it real?" She asked.
I snorted.
"Of course it is."
"But how did you get the feathers in? And I'm correct by assuming that you are a guy?"
My, my, she was sharp. Most people didn't find out I was a guy until I wove magic. Usually by then, it's too late.
"The feathers in my hair naturally grow and yes, I am a guy."
"Wow. So what's your name?"
Uh-oh.
"My name is Kuja," I said evenly.
The woman stood up and extended her arm out to me. I took it and winced as she pulled me up to my feet.
"The name's Zoë Tsukikage. Pleased to meet you, Kuja," She said cheerfully.
Zoë…what a name. It was certainly much better than Kuja.
"So…you are not from here, where are you from then?"
I shrugged, not exactly wanting to touch that subject yet. I couldn't really call Gaia or Terra my home. I destroyed one and came close to destroying the other. That wasn't exactly something I wanted to reflect on right now. Zoë frowned.
"It's one of those issues, huh? Don't worry, I've got a lot of them, so I won't ask about it."
That was good for my stress level. At that moment, my stomach growled loudly. Zoë giggled and smiled.
"Sounds like someone's hungry."
I smiled.
"Come on, I'll fix something for you at home."
Minutes later:
Zoë's home was well away from the cool breezes of the ocean. That was fine with me, seeing as my clothes weren't exactly up to par…plus I barely had anything on. Zoë unlocked the door to her house and pushed me in gently. The front foyer was a light blue hue complete with plenty of beautiful flowers. Flowers that I had never seen before. This world has proved itself interesting, I thought as I touched the petals. Zoë closed the door behind her and walked forward into another room.
"I suppose you want to bathe first," She commented.
"Hmm…yes. If you don't mind."
If you don't mind? Wow, that was a first, Kuja. Hmm…where was my old streak?
"Follow me."
I did as she said and glanced at the big black box in the center of the next room. Hmm…what was that for? I started to ask her just that when she opened the door in front of her.
"Here's the bathroom, Kuja," Zoë declared as the lights came on in the room.
I stepped into what appeared to be the biggest bathroom I've ever seen.
"What on Gaia…" I whispered.
"Do you know to work everything?"
I'm not a caveman, Zoë. This bathroom isn't that much different from the one I had at my Desert Palace. Ah…Desert Palace. I wondered how Silver was doing now. Was she worrying about me?
"Kuja?"
"Yes, I'm fine," I snapped.
I could almost feel the surprise from Zoë at my reaction. I didn't mean to snap, but…when the door closed behind me softly, I knew she took offense. I would apologize to her later. After all, she could just cast me out in the cold. I couldn't help but smirk as I turned the knobs on the bathtub. I picked up the bottle next to the knobs that read 'Bubble Bath' and poured a little bit in. Heh, heh, I'm a sucker for pretty smelling things…just like a cat. I chuckled at this thought as I stripped what was left of my clothing and kicked my boots off.
I slipped in the warm water in the bathtub and turned the knobs to turn the water off. So…this place was just like Gaia…and yet it wasn't. I had so much to learn here. Not only that, but I had to wonder when I'd have to return to Gaia to face my fate. I lowered myself deeper into the water so that it went to my nose and my silver hair was partially soaked. Fate…was a funny thing. It didn't kill me and it brought me here…to this foreign place and in the care of Zoë Tsukikage. I couldn't believe my luck, I really couldn't.
Zoë:
I couldn't believe my luck. Just when I thought I couldn't attract more trouble, I had to find Kuja. This discovery would put a strain on my relationship with my boyfriend, Michael. But I couldn't kick Kuja out. There was something about him that was mysterious and definitely otherworldly. Then again, he snapped at me earlier. Maybe I would have to get rid of him after all. But how? I pulled out a bowl of soup from my microwave, being wary of how hot it was.
The sound of a door opening caught my attention and I glanced around the corner only to see Kuja in one of my robes. I was surprised he could fit in one of my robes. I was surprised he could fit in one of my robes…let alone look good in it. His hair seemed shinier and brighter than ever and the feathers it held were glorious. Kuja yawned and stretched slowly in front of a mirror as I continued to watch him.
"Hmm…my feathers need combing. This appearance will not do, Kuja," He hissed.
Whoa…talk about narcissist.
"Will soup be ok?" I asked softly.
Kuja turned and smiled softly. There was something mysterious in that smile…
"Ah, well of course that's fine."
He walked into the kitchen slowly and reached out for the bowl. I handed it out to him and watched take a spoon and eat.
"Ah…this is certainly better than what the cooks in Lindblum can produce," He commented.
"Lindblum?"
"It's a city in my home world."
"And you live alone?"
Kuja shrugged.
"That's normal…isn't it?"
I laughed and turned away from him. Being alone wasn't normal, at least not for me. That's why I was dating Michael.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Author's Note: Lemme know if you like it.