Author's Note: I guess the next chapters are meant to put Kuja through hell. Well…kind of. Enjoy. Quick! I don't own any of the stores mentioned in this story!

Tainted Feathers

Chapter 2-Shopping

Zoë:

          After dinner, Kuja fell asleep on my couch in my living room. I couldn't help but notice how angelic he looked. His noble face was relaxed in restful slumber and his lips were partially opened. He was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, but troubled. Based on what my gift told me, Kuja had plenty of inner demons he had to purge. Maybe that's why he was sent to Earth…to maybe purge his demons. Who knows, really? I took a blanket and spread it over his thin body carefully. He stirred only once, whispering some words in a language I've never heard of in my life.

          It was then that I saw a small number scarred on the top of his left shoulder. I started to reach out and touch it to see if it were real, but I thought the better of it when Kuja rolled onto his left side. The number was one and I had to wonder why that number was on his shoulder. There were a lot of things the number one stood for. Maybe I'll ask him tomorrow, I thought as I walked back into my bedroom.

The Next Morning

Kuja:

          Although the air was slightly chilly, the mornings on Earth looked like a good thing. I wouldn't say that it was better than Gaia's, though. This world had its perks but I missed home. At least home didn't have people who can suddenly pick up on your thoughts and can tell your entire life story. Well, maybe that was a good thing. I didn't want to tell Zoë about my past yet. It would probably make her hate me. And hate was something I didn't need. I uncurled my tail from around my waist and sighed.

          There were so many things that made me different. The tail, the heritage, the darkness of heart… Zoë was so much purer than I. Maybe I was jealous of that purity; really I was. I wonder if I had all of my magic back in full. I balled my right hand up into a fist and watched a thin film of energy crackle around it. I had some energy up for use, but not all of it. Well, some was better than none.

          "Kuja?"

          I turned around slowly and brushed the hair out of my face. Zoë smiled at me softly.

          "Good morning, Zoë. Did I disturb you?" I asked.

          "No, of course not. Are you feeling ok?"

          I nodded.

          "Perfectly well rested. What about you?"

          "I could be better. Say…do you want to go shopping for clothes? I'm pretty sure you're tired of hanging around in my clothes."

          "Shopping? I suppose so. And I don't mind being in your clothes really."

          "Yeah. But how are we going to disguise your appearance?"

          I smirked and flicked my hair back.

          "Have makeup…will travel."

Minutes Later

Zoë:

          I watched in awe as Kuja delicately put on dark red eyeliner combined with a little hint of green. How did he know how to put makeup on? He even wore a smirk as he put on an even coat of brown lipstick on his beautiful pale lips.

          "Hmm…that's almost it," He purred, turning to face me.

          Wow, now he really looks like a girl.

          "Amazing. How did you learn how to do that?"

          Kuja shrugged.

          "I learned when I was younger. It was an experiment."

          "An experiment…?"

          Kuja got a faraway look in his eyes.

          "I wanted to assert myself because I looked just like everyone else."

          "Is that why that number—"

          I trailed off. Kuja snapped out of his trance and glanced at me suspiciously.

          "What number?" He asked.

          "Don't worry about it."

          He still gave me that look, but said nothing more. I handed him a pair of boots and walked out of the bathroom. I heard him grumble for a few minutes and follow me through the living room. I grabbed my keys off of the side table and went through the front foyer to my door. Kuja was being awfully quiet now, which disturbed me more than a little. I opened the front door and ushered Kuja out. I locked the door quickly and gave Kuja a sidelong look.

          "What are you being quiet about?"

          Kuja blinked.

          "I am thinking about something."

          I walked to my car and unlocked the door.

          "Is it about the makeup thing?" I asked as I pressed the unlock button.

          I watched Kuja calmly stride over to the passenger side, hips slowly moving in a fluid, sexy motion. How did he do that? I could tell by the way he moved that he was in a pensive mood.

          "No," He said through clenched teeth.

          I shook my head and got into my car. In one fluid motion, I had the key in the ignition and started. Kuja slid in the seat quietly and closed the door.

The Mall

12:35 P.M.

Kuja:

          The mall was a place…I hadn't dream of seeing in my life. I was completely over my quiet thoughtful spell over my childhood. And apparently, Zoë was too for she was fusing over my appearance again. I laughed and let her do so. I looked so much like a girl now that it was almost unbearable for me. Heh, almost. The moment I entered the mall, I could have almost passed out. I was taking it way too much at the same time which made me dizzy. Zoë saw my reaction and shook me. I rubbed my face and sighed. Center yourself, Kuja.

          "I'm ok," I whispered.

          "You sure?" Zoë asked.

          I nodded and let her lead me along. As we walked, I focused more on the smells than on the sights and sounds. Hmm…was that the smell of cinnamon? I started to ask Zoë about it, but then I remembered that asking questions wasn't good. We eventually stopped in a store called 'J.C. Penny'. Hmm…what could that mean? So much to ponder, indeed. Zoë stopped in front of a small section and turned to face me.

          "Do you want me to pick out the clothes for you?"

          I shook my head.

Hour Later

Zoë:

          Kuja was a true narcissist, pure and simple. It took him barely five minutes to find fifteen different clothing combinations and fifty-five minutes to try them all on. Ah well, it kept me busy. I had nothing better to do with my riches and time. In the meantime, I had to stop Kuja from becoming xenophobic. I thought he was used to crowds in his home world. Maybe he was, I thought as I paid for Kuja's new clothes. Hmm…I had to work on him. I took my receipt and the bags from the woman and set out to find Kuja again. He was out in the interior of the mall, his body rigid with hidden tension. (A/N: Sorry about the jumping between Kuja and Zoë.)

Kuja:

          The feeling of déjà vu was horrible in this place. It almost drove me crazy and crazy wasn't good for me. Michael smirked and stood in front of me. I had this ugly feeling that he was getting ready to do something, neither Zoë nor I would approve of. At first, he surprised me by walking around my body as if inspecting me. I blinked, not liking the extra attention too well. I was used to being stared at, but this made me horrible paranoid. And I soon realized I had a right to be when I found myself all the way across the walkway.

          My jaw was sore…very, very sore. He punched me. Horror leaked through my calm expression as I silently realized in terror that it would take a lot of blush to hide that bruise. (A/N: No, I am not trying to make Kuja look gay. That would be against my moral code.) And so, my wonderful mind quickly thought of ways to humiliate Michael in public as I got up to my feet. Zoë walked to Michael with an unreadable expression, which meant war in my terms. Was I in for a juicy argument?

          "Why did you do that? I can't believe you, this is so immature!" She shouted.

          Immature, my ass. It was oblivious that he was getting me back for yesterday. It was a male thing, dare I say it.

          "So…you almost knocked my jaw off. Big deal. So, Michael, want another shot at me?" I asked, stretching my arms out wide.

          I was tempting him for only one reason. And that was to pump him full of electricity. As if on cue, Michael swung at me, wildly. Bad move. I caught his fist with my right hand and watched as his body began to convulse violently. I couldn't help but snicker in devilish delight as his life force drained into my body.

          "Stop it!"

          My gaze snapped to Zoë trembling form amongst the crowd that had gathered and shuddered. What in the nine hells was I doing? I let go of Michael's hand and stumbled backward somewhat as the familiar drain after using a spell came washing over me. Although my 'lust' for energy was not satisfied, I had to get rid of the crowd peacefully. So I yanked one of my feathers out and ground it into fine dust using my fingers. Then I blew the dust into the crowd, watching in displeasure as they scattered and moved along like mindless genomes. The moment they moved about thirty yards away, the spell would fade and they would remember nothing about my little accident. As for Michael, he would be back to normal in a matter of minutes. Good for him.

          "What did you do to him?"

          I tried to keep my gaze off of Zoë, but it was kind of hard when she was directly in front of my face.

          "I did nothing lethal."

          For a second, she looked like she was getting ready to slap me. But somehow I doubted it with all of those bags in her hands.

          "He was coughing up blood, Kuja."

          "There is nothing wrong with that."

          "Kuja, there was a carnal look in your eyes and I saw a darkness in you that I wish I had never seen."

          The look of darkness bit. I have heard it before, but I didn't believe it. I was controlled and calm all the time and nothing happened. So why was it showing up now?

          "You are right. I had no right to…um…sorry," I muttered sheepishly.